Arkham Asylum
by Grant Morrison (Author), Dave McKean (Illustrator)
Arkham Asylum (Original Graphic Novel), Batman
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Description
The inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over Gotham's detention center for the criminally insane on April Fool's Day, demanding Batman in exchange for their hostages. Accepting their demented challenge, Batman is forced to endure the personal hells of the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two-Face and many other sworn enemies in order to save the innocents and retake the prison. During his run through this absurd gauntlet, the Dark Knight's must face down both his most dangerous foes and his show more inner demons.This is the critically acclaimed 25th anniversary edition of the Batman story that helped launch the U.S. careers of Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. show lessTags
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I’m generally not that into reading what most people consider the comic book canon (superheros, etc), but from time to time I pick one up because the author or illustrator is one whom I follow elsewhere and I’ll at least give a rarely read genre a try to not miss out on their work. Dave McKean was the obvious draw here, since I’ve been obsessed with his work since the Sandman covers, and boy am I glad I dipped into the Batman mythos to see his take on the caped crusader. Obviously writer Grant Morrison (whom I have seen elsewhere) gets a solid chunk of credit, since he’s written a Batman story that is dark, macabre, and perfectly suited for those of us who are into the darker side of the Gotham mythos. He tells a story where show more Batman must enter the halls of Arkham Asylum, in a ransom request by one of his biggest foes (the Joker), and rather than defeating his nemeses in the traditional manner he must face the darkness within himself. The story premise for the time (1989) would have been decidedly unexpected, but for those of us who cut our comic book teeth on the Vertigo lineup (almost exclusively) and Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of films it is far from surprising - though it is easy to see it as a solid precursor to the darker Batman franchise that we all know and love. What elevates the graphic novel (and novel it is, rather than a collection of singles) is McKean’s artwork. His style is like none other, and I can’t imagine that readers at the time were anything but absolutely astounded at his creativity, macabre layouts, and the overall visual depth that he lends the narrative. His take on classic Batman villains is unique, to say the least, and the sketch-like quality of the dual narrative lends a moody and surreal atmosphere that would have been absolutely wasted if DC had chosen a traditional line and colour-blocked artist to illuminate Morrison’s strange fever dream of discovery. This might be my favourite Batman story, if only because McKean elevates the visuals to a place that can’t be reached by others, even if, say, the story of Batman’s funeral (a Gaiman conceit) is technically a more nuanced tale. show less
I can't say I loved this novel but I certainly liked it. It is one of Grant Morrison's earlier stories and therefore it goes for more interesting concepts than what a comic might typically attempt. Like many young minds turned on by intellectual things, however, Morrison is a bit like a hummingbird, flitting from one idea to the next without unifying a comprehensive underlying concept. Also, there might be a little nonsense involved.
From the notes on the text by Morrison:
"PAGE 20: The idea of the Joker's 'super-sanity' haunted me for years and eventually developed into my theories of multiple personality complexes as the next stage in human consciousness development."
Yeah... so that happened.
Despite the cocaine-paced mind wanderings of show more a guy who is really interested in theoretical ideas the end result is, well, intriguing. Dave McKean's artwork pulls the story into an atmospheric dimension of chaos and is able to excuse much of the eclectic "theory projects" Grant sets out to write by allowing them to fall under the umbrella of unsettling madness. That is where this story shines the most. There is enough dread and emotional violence in the narrative that the spilling out of Morrison's ambitions becomes yet another rabbit-hole which fits neatly in the tale.
Here's an example of what I mean, again from Morrison's notes:
"In Qabalistic numerology, Christ = Satan = Messiah, which is why Croc appears here in crucifixion pose, taking the place of Christ on this blasphemous cross. In this scene, Batman reunites Christ and Serpent, then confronts and overcomes his own attachment to his Mother in a perverse nightmare of lizards, lace and bridal embroidery.
"Much of this subtextual material was lost on the casual reader but that didn't seem to stop us from shifting mega-amounts of copies. I do believe that people respond emotionally to deep mythical patterns whether or not they actually recognize or "understand" them as such, but the fact that book launched at the time of the outrageously successful Batman film by Tim Burton probably helped more than anything else."
I'd say that last line is a pretty huge understatement. The first Tim Burton Batman film inspired feverish consumption. However, I'm glad this book landed success. While there may not be much to take away from this novel, per say, Morrison's ambitions are unlike much before it in the history of the genre. His early success gave him the space he needed to develop his ideas further without having to dig himself out of a failed project.
There is value to this novel. It's creative energy, intellectual ambition, and re-imagining of the genre all make it a worthwhile read. show less
From the notes on the text by Morrison:
"PAGE 20: The idea of the Joker's 'super-sanity' haunted me for years and eventually developed into my theories of multiple personality complexes as the next stage in human consciousness development."
Yeah... so that happened.
Despite the cocaine-paced mind wanderings of show more a guy who is really interested in theoretical ideas the end result is, well, intriguing. Dave McKean's artwork pulls the story into an atmospheric dimension of chaos and is able to excuse much of the eclectic "theory projects" Grant sets out to write by allowing them to fall under the umbrella of unsettling madness. That is where this story shines the most. There is enough dread and emotional violence in the narrative that the spilling out of Morrison's ambitions becomes yet another rabbit-hole which fits neatly in the tale.
Here's an example of what I mean, again from Morrison's notes:
"In Qabalistic numerology, Christ = Satan = Messiah, which is why Croc appears here in crucifixion pose, taking the place of Christ on this blasphemous cross. In this scene, Batman reunites Christ and Serpent, then confronts and overcomes his own attachment to his Mother in a perverse nightmare of lizards, lace and bridal embroidery.
"Much of this subtextual material was lost on the casual reader but that didn't seem to stop us from shifting mega-amounts of copies. I do believe that people respond emotionally to deep mythical patterns whether or not they actually recognize or "understand" them as such, but the fact that book launched at the time of the outrageously successful Batman film by Tim Burton probably helped more than anything else."
I'd say that last line is a pretty huge understatement. The first Tim Burton Batman film inspired feverish consumption. However, I'm glad this book landed success. While there may not be much to take away from this novel, per say, Morrison's ambitions are unlike much before it in the history of the genre. His early success gave him the space he needed to develop his ideas further without having to dig himself out of a failed project.
There is value to this novel. It's creative energy, intellectual ambition, and re-imagining of the genre all make it a worthwhile read. show less
Batman Arkham Asylum - ASHoSE is a rare gem of a graphic novel that displays what the visual medium can do. The art works so well with the themes and tone of the story that’s its hard to imagine this version of Batman any other way.
In Arkham Asylum the idea of sanity at the heart of the Batman mythos is explored to its fullest. The inmates might be running the physical asylum but how this parallels the world-building is explored in every panel. Who are the sane ones and what does sanity mean - this is the heart of the message. It is an intensely interesting look at what Batman can represent to Gotham and what our interest in him can say about us. There is plenty of action in this comic but the true meat lies in how the author runs show more Batman through the meat grinder to see what comes out.
The art in this graphic novel would be annoying anywhere but here. It is all over the place. Sometimes it looks like a vivid painting, other times like a collage of photographed objects. But through the lens of theme, this approach is brilliant. It takes the idea of madness as an ever changing beast and amplifies it to a high-pitched wail. It is often phantasmagorical and complements the ideas so well that it only increases the impact. It is sometimes potentially intensely confusing as people and faces are often nothing more than cigarette burns on a melting page, but usually it is a wondrous horror to behold.
Arkham Asylum is an assault on your eyes and mind. Not an easy read: it can be disturbing, gruesome, and revolting. But I would recommend it. To see how well style and substance can blend, to feel the finger nails of insanity rack against your gray matter and to see the same theme play out in this way is a rare experience. Any fan of the bat should read this. It gives wonderful depth to his character and any fan of comics needs to see what visual story telling can really do when unleashed. show less
In Arkham Asylum the idea of sanity at the heart of the Batman mythos is explored to its fullest. The inmates might be running the physical asylum but how this parallels the world-building is explored in every panel. Who are the sane ones and what does sanity mean - this is the heart of the message. It is an intensely interesting look at what Batman can represent to Gotham and what our interest in him can say about us. There is plenty of action in this comic but the true meat lies in how the author runs show more Batman through the meat grinder to see what comes out.
The art in this graphic novel would be annoying anywhere but here. It is all over the place. Sometimes it looks like a vivid painting, other times like a collage of photographed objects. But through the lens of theme, this approach is brilliant. It takes the idea of madness as an ever changing beast and amplifies it to a high-pitched wail. It is often phantasmagorical and complements the ideas so well that it only increases the impact. It is sometimes potentially intensely confusing as people and faces are often nothing more than cigarette burns on a melting page, but usually it is a wondrous horror to behold.
Arkham Asylum is an assault on your eyes and mind. Not an easy read: it can be disturbing, gruesome, and revolting. But I would recommend it. To see how well style and substance can blend, to feel the finger nails of insanity rack against your gray matter and to see the same theme play out in this way is a rare experience. Any fan of the bat should read this. It gives wonderful depth to his character and any fan of comics needs to see what visual story telling can really do when unleashed. show less
Batman must descend into Arkham Asylum and, in so doing, face the darkness of his own psyche. Morrison is a natural choice to tell a story like this, and while Dave McKean's art isn't exactly to my taste, it does fit the tale well, and is striking and memorable besides--which is good, because under the poetry and atmospherics there isn't all that much story per se; it's mostly just Batman confronting various inmates as he gets lost in the asylum: Two-Face, the Mad Hatter, etc.--and of course the Joker.
My biggest question is: where are the female inmates? Maybe there's a canonical answer; my main source for information is the 90's cartoon which had Harley and Ivy and some of the other female villains slumming it together in Arkham in at show more least one scene. But either way, their absence is not only conspicuous but sorely felt. There are some female characters--a nurse, a psychotherapist, and even mad old Mrs. Arkham herself--but it doesn't even come close to passing the Bechdel test, and the story suffers because of it: what should be a story about the dark madness that can strike at the human psyche ends up just being about men and thus male psychosis, with women being ancillary. It's hard not to see it as a symptom of the medium's pervasive gender myopia. show less
My biggest question is: where are the female inmates? Maybe there's a canonical answer; my main source for information is the 90's cartoon which had Harley and Ivy and some of the other female villains slumming it together in Arkham in at show more least one scene. But either way, their absence is not only conspicuous but sorely felt. There are some female characters--a nurse, a psychotherapist, and even mad old Mrs. Arkham herself--but it doesn't even come close to passing the Bechdel test, and the story suffers because of it: what should be a story about the dark madness that can strike at the human psyche ends up just being about men and thus male psychosis, with women being ancillary. It's hard not to see it as a symptom of the medium's pervasive gender myopia. show less
Arkham Asylum is a classic for a reason. The story by Grant Morrison is two tales about the horrors of madness. In one, Batman must confront not only his deadliest foes (such as the Joker and Two-Face among others) but his own personal demons. Will he be driven mad too? The other story is about Amadeus Arkham, founder of the asylum that bears his name, and his descent into madness.
Arkham Asylum is a pure work of art, heavy on symbolism. Influence by Freud, The Brothers Quay, and Alice in Wonderland, Morrison and McKean took a variety of influences to create a fresh and mature look at Batman. Dave McKean's artwork is fantastic - and innovative. Creepy yet elegant, you can see how he was obvious influenced by The Brothers Quay as created show more a mixed media landscape for a comic. This (to my knowledge) had never been done before. It's a non-traditional comic to say the least.
Profound. Artistic. Disturbing. Moving.
This might be my favorite Batman comic.
Give us the arthouse movie adaptation, please............. show less
Arkham Asylum is a pure work of art, heavy on symbolism. Influence by Freud, The Brothers Quay, and Alice in Wonderland, Morrison and McKean took a variety of influences to create a fresh and mature look at Batman. Dave McKean's artwork is fantastic - and innovative. Creepy yet elegant, you can see how he was obvious influenced by The Brothers Quay as created show more a mixed media landscape for a comic. This (to my knowledge) had never been done before. It's a non-traditional comic to say the least.
Profound. Artistic. Disturbing. Moving.
This might be my favorite Batman comic.
Give us the arthouse movie adaptation, please............. show less
TL;DR = 100% recommend, my favorite batman comic, mostly because of its art's uniqueness, it's chilling and moody atmosphere, and how thought provoking and mature the story is.
Let me set the scene: 10pm, dim the lights, silent hill 2 soundtrack, and binging this comic till 2am.
Truly an amazing and terrifying experience.
I don’t plan to spoil the story (which is actually pretty straightforward and not that complicated), but the little details and the analysis that is made of every character is the best part of this, even though it leaves much to the interpretation of the reader in this regard.
Probably the most surreal and dream-like comic I've read, but that just adds this (intended, I assume) eerie feeling of not knowing what is a show more delusion/hallucination and what is actually happening, and the gorgeous and unique art style only adds even more layers to this atmosphere.
I've never seen a more disturbing version of the joker, even Heath Ledger's interpretation of the character in 2008 wasn't as disturbing as this, and I think most of it is carried by the art style, most of the villains are truly horrifying, and other batman media don’t really give that same vibe as this comic does. show less
Let me set the scene: 10pm, dim the lights, silent hill 2 soundtrack, and binging this comic till 2am.
Truly an amazing and terrifying experience.
I don’t plan to spoil the story (which is actually pretty straightforward and not that complicated), but the little details and the analysis that is made of every character is the best part of this, even though it leaves much to the interpretation of the reader in this regard.
Probably the most surreal and dream-like comic I've read, but that just adds this (intended, I assume) eerie feeling of not knowing what is a show more delusion/hallucination and what is actually happening, and the gorgeous and unique art style only adds even more layers to this atmosphere.
I've never seen a more disturbing version of the joker, even Heath Ledger's interpretation of the character in 2008 wasn't as disturbing as this, and I think most of it is carried by the art style, most of the villains are truly horrifying, and other batman media don’t really give that same vibe as this comic does. show less
A dark and gritty fever dream, the art and writing of this short (64 page) comic are absolutely fantastic. It shows a vulnerable Batman being confronted with the question of his own (in)sanity while also diving into the origins of Arkham Asylum.
Dave McKean is just such a fantastic illustrator...
Dave McKean is just such a fantastic illustrator...
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Author Information
Dave McKean was born on December 29, 1963 in Maidenhead, England. He is an illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, filmmaker and musician. McKean is best known for his regular collaboration with Neil Gaiman. MirrorMask, McKean's first feature film as director and visual designer, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2005. The show more screenplay was written by Neil Gaiman. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
DC Compact Comics (Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth OGN)
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Arkham Asylum
- Original title
- Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
- Alternate titles
- Batman: Arkham Asylum; Arkham Asylum: A Serious House in a Serious Earth
- Original publication date
- 1989-09
- People/Characters
- Amadeus Arkham; Batman: Bruce Wayne; Commissioner James Gordon; The Joker; Mad Hatter: Jervis Tetch; Dr. Charles Cavendish (show all 19); Dr. Ruth Adams; Two-Face (Harvey Dent); Tweedle Dee (Deever Tweed); Tweedle Dum (Dumfree Tweed); Black Mask (Roman Sionis); Bambi; Professor Achilles Milo; Clayface (Matt Hagen); Doctor Destiny (John Dee); Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane); Maximillian "Maxie" Zeus; Killer Croc (Waylon Jones); Aleister Crowley
- Important places
- Arkham Asylum; Gotham City, New Jersey, USA; USA
- Epigraph
- "But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the cat. "We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the cat, "or y... (show all)ou wouldn't have come here."
Lewis Carroll
'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' - First words
- From the journals of Amadeus Arkham: In the years following my father's death, I think it's true to say that the house became my whole world.
- Quotations
- I see now the virtue in madness, for this country knows no laws nor any boundary
I pity the poor shades confined to the Euclidean prison that is sanity
All things are possible here and I am what madness has made me
W... (show all)hole
And complete
And free at last. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)You're nothing but a pack of cards.
- Publisher's editor*
- Berger, Karen
- Original language
- English
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- Graphic Novels & Comics, Horror
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- 741.5973 — Arts & recreation Drawing & decorative arts Drawing Comic books, graphic novels, fotonovelas, cartoons, caricatures, comic strips History, geographic treatment, biography North American United States (General)
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- PN6728 .B36 .M6725 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Collections of general literature Comic books, strips, etc.
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