Batman: Arkham Asylum: Serious House on Serious Earth - Grant Morrison > Reviews (3)

Quite some time ago I bought a Batman title, little knowing that I would be perched on the edge of my bed late one night frightened by a comic book.

PLOT
The story, written by Grant Morrison (The Invisibles, Dare, Zenith to name but a few graphic novels/trade paperbacks titles he has written) cetnres around a riot in Arkham Asylum, a riot in which Batman is about to swallowed.

Arriving on the scene Batman is told the final item on the captor's list of demands. The Joker and his crew of loonies want Batman himself to come join the party.

As always that's about all I will say on the actual story but Morrison's writing, as ever, is tight and emotive. He defines every character well in even the subtle phrasing of lines and his plotting is tremendous. The deep characterisation drags the story along to it's inevitable (but completely original) ending.

ARTWORK

The artwork is entirely produced by Dave McKean (most usually to be found illistrating the works of Niel Gaiman) and is a strange thing to behold.
A far cry from the strip styling we have come to know and love in the land of comics, her we find an abstract painting style, with motifs and symbols, batman is rarely more than a shadow much like his signal, and the reimagining of old favourite Joker and Twoface are frightening and sideshow-like. This all adds to the horror of the things being done inside the dark walls of the asylum. McKean also uses photographic and collage techniques to give his images substance (strips of hessian, small nails, lace fabric all feature in parts of the book).

The whole book, from cover to cover, is a portfolio for McKean's creative ability.

Very weird, very cool, very scary to be in the mind of that man...

OVERALL

The book is very engrossing if not a little hard work. The story is dark and frightening, and has more than it's fair share of upsetting moments.
But what would you expect from a book that clearly states it is for Mature Readers.

Not a lot really. This book has sold 500,000 copies worldwide and won numerous awards, making it the most successful original graphic novel to be published in America.

It made a name for Dave McKean and Grant Morrison alike, amongst those people who heralded the one off mature story as the new force in comics.

It still remains a great example of a truly original work, and I would recommend it to anybody who fancies a change from the day to day, holy die fledermaus Batman.

That said, if you want something far less threatening, but equally surreal try Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.

It is available for under ten pounds from most good comic book shops, or online from bookfellas.co.uk for the same price