Arkham Asylum
1920
- batman (fictitious character)
- comic books, strips
- english poetry
- nyt:paperback-graphic-books=2009-09-06
- adversaries
- cartoons and comics
- enemies
- graphic novels
- fiction
- heroes
The story
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (often shortened to Batman: Arkham Asylum) is a Batman graphic novel written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Dave McKean. The story follows the vigilante Batman, who is called upon to quell a maddening riot taking place in the infamous Arkham Asylum, a psychiatric hospital housing the most dangerous supervillains in Gotham City. Inside, Batman confronts many of his enduring rogues gallery, such as the Joker, Two-Face, and Killer Croc. As Batman ventures deeper, he discovers the origin of how the asylum was established, the history of its founder Amadeus Arkham, and the supernatural and psychological mystery that has been haunting the mansion. Upon its release, the graphic novel garnered commercial and wide critical acclaim and is considered by many to be one of the greatest Batman stories of all time, and one of the best works in Grant Morrison's career. Morrison's narrative and Dave McKean's artistic style were described as more mature, unique, psychologically-driven and horror-oriented take on the Batman mythos and the distinctiveness from other conventional superhero works.[1] The graphic novel would later become the definitive story of Arkham Asylum, a critical part of the Batman mythos. The critically acclaimed, similarly titled video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, the first game in the Batman: Arkham series, was partially influenced by the graphic novel.[2]
What it’s like
Dark, collage-heavy pages where painted washes, photographs, scratched handwriting and shifting typefaces crowd the panels, so the reading feels more like leafing through a disturbed scrapbook than following a tidy comic. Colour is murky and sickly, with bruised greens, rust and ink-black shadow, and the asylum itself seems to breathe and warp around the reader. Prose interludes and fragmented verse give the book a restless, whispering voice, and the pacing lurches between frantic corridor chases and long, stilled pauses in candlelit rooms. The mood is claustrophobic and unsettling, a feverish dread closer to a nightmare than to a conventional superhero romp. Violence is frequent and grim, with blood and disturbing imagery, though it stays mostly on the page and in suggestion rather than gratuitous spectacle. Its sexual content is minimal. This suits a late-night reader who wants psychological horror, surreal art and a dark, literary take on Batman, and is not a fit for anyone seeking something gentle or light.
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