Batman: Arkham Asylum

What a fucked up Batman story. Absolutely brilliant. But completely fucked up. 

First off, I have to say that it's unlike any other comic book I've read so far. To start, we have Dave McKean providing all the art work. Now, for all my Dark Tower readers out there, if you purchased King's books that had illustrations in them - like I did - you'll be aware of McKean's work. He provided the art for Wizard & Glass. If you failed to catch a glimpse of what his style is, check it out: 

Before there was this very different interpretation of the Dark Tower...

...there was this very different interpretation of Batman and company.

As you can see from his rendition of the Joker, above all else, McKean's style invokes a sense of fear. And that's what this story is all about. Fear. Terror. Paranoia. Especially for Batman. And these illustrations pair perfectly for the strange, bizarre story only a genius like Grant Morrison could have only pulled from the dark recesses of his mind. 

The plot is fairly simple - and short. Gordan calls Batman in. They've just got a call from the Joker who's been imprisoned at Arkham Asylum where he and the rest of the inmates have broken free and now run the joint. They have hostages, but they'll let them all go free on one condition: If Batman turns himself into the asylum. (This is similar to plot of the video game with the same name, but the two diverge from here on out.) We find out that even though these hostages (the staff from the asylum) are free to go, most stay refusing to relinquish control of the place to these madmen. It's through these professionals that we learn about the villains of Gotham in a much different sense. The Joker, for instance, is labeled not being insane, but actually super-sane. Apparently they speculate that all of his senses are far more powerful than the average person - almost to the point that he can catch glimpses at 4th dimension. With all this information saturating his brain, it makes sense that the Joker has no definite personality. Hence why he waivers between being a practical joker and a homicidal maniac from one second to the next. 

Or they explore, Two-Face. In an effort to get him not to see the world in absolutes (as he bases all of his decisions on the 50-50 outcome of a coin toss) the staff has weened him to six-sided die, then onto a 42-card pack of tarot cards. He's now so boggled with trying to make decision that when first introduced to him, it's pointed out that he's defecated in the middle of floor because he's so hopeless in even making up his mind of the most fundamental of decisions. 

These are all fascinating insights on characters that have been told and re-told again. But never like what's in this story. 

The story basically sends Batman on this crazy hide-and-seek game where the inmates chase him all over the asylum till we learn the true reason why all maniacs were released in the first place. There's also a second plot line. It follows Mr. Arkham when he first established the asylum decades earlier and the demons (and bats) that haunt his dreams and tragic life.

This is a horror comic book with an intelligent story that probes into the characters' minds rather than focusing all of its time on brutal fights - not that there's anything wrong with that. This is just unexpected and unlike most anything out there. If anyone has the time or the curiosity  give it a read, like I said, it's short... even for a graphic novel. But that doesn't mean it isn't intriguing as fuck. Even haunting. The most fun you'll have as the story and art makes you feel like you're going a little insane yourself. 

"Let the feast of fools begin!"