If the cover of this graphic novel doesn’t disturb you then you haven’t gotten the drift yet; maybe I really do need to do this review to get us afloat. Where do we begin? Ah ! Let’s start at the beginning of little venture and work our way through the mad house that is Arkham.
I heard about this; I had never seen nor heard about it before until I joined a larger group of Batman fans on Facebook. Naturally, after reading The Killing Joke and so many of the Dark Knight’s tales I just had to get my hands on this one and check it out for myself. I couldn’t help but feel a weird sense come over me as I opened it and began reading through it. Grant Morrison and Dave McKean; I remember Grant Morrison, he’s quite talented at what he does and I tend to enjoy his work.
The first thing that stuck out to me was the style of this novel. It was drawn very different, it felt disturbing, which I must say added a great feel to the overall book. My only issue was it was slightly difficult to read some of Joker’s text. I wish he had a bubble like Batman did, check below to see what I mean:
Did I spoil that? Of course if it’s the Asylum the king clown of crime would be involved. Joker and a few other misfits, like Two-Face, The Mad Hatter and Killer Croc made their way into the pages of the book as well, but Joker(naturally) was the star of the show. So we’ve discussed the style as being disturbing, we’ve gotten a small glimpse of the characters involved, but the story itself is what you need to pay attention too in this one.
When I started reading it, I felt taken in by the story of Jeremiah Arkham and loved how it juxtaposes the Dark Knight’s current adventure. Joke finds a way to reel in the Dark Knight by taking over the Asylum, but this time it feels different. It feels insane, weird, uncomfortable, dark and far removed from anything cartoony. I felt this novel went to places that are rarely seen anywhere else and by the end of it I questioned “sanity” and what we consider “sane” and “insane.”
Batman is pushed in a different way here; he’s not so much a crime fighter or detective here, he’s taken a different role as if trying to escape the confounds of his mind and of the asylum as he’s being chased by more than just one predator. Batman is different; troubled and disturbed in many ways, maybe even a little afraid, but certainly out of his element. Batman’s past, the origin story behind Jeremiah Arkham and the founding of Arkham Asylum are presented in a very dark way leaving you to question Batman’s sanity. By the end of the book, the idea that Batman and the people who treat the patients are as psychotic as the people in there could be debated, or maybe everyone else is insane and Batman is the only sane one trying to cling to whatever he has left…
I can’t speak at length on the contents lest I spoil it, and spoiling it would be a terrible thing for me to do. However, the end is quite interesting…did Batman release them from the prison of his mind or from the prison itself? As I embark on a journey to find the answer, I recommend you to check out this book. You’ll feel disturbed and like me, you may even put yourself in the shoes of Jeremiah or of Batman when this is happening.
In paraphrasing Joker, “If you think you were insane before…darling we’re just getting started.”
My Personal View 