Rating:  -
dont buy into the hype. The art is garbage and the story is so short. Its under a ten minute read.
Rating:  -
When Arkham Asylum was first released in 1989, I read through it without much enthusiasm. The artwork, by and large, was groundbreaking for a mainstream book, however the story in itself left me unimpressed. Aside from a few memorable lines here and there, I found myself rather baffled by the actual "point" of the book. The same was true when I reread it a few years back. However, if there is one comic book that has benefitted most from the inclusion of its script, it is this one. Morrison's draft not only sheds some much-needed light on the proceedings, but is also accompanied with annotations of an even more enlightening nature. I read through the script, then the comic once more, and discovered much that I had missed or glossed over. The script is also written in a screenplay format, as opposed to the traditional comic draft. In addition, McKean does not adhere painstakingly to the script, but deviates into what I imagine is his own interpretation of the material. This becomes clear when comparing Morrison's notes and the resultant artwork. Finally, this edition includes thumbnails/sketches by Morrison for how the layout was originally envisioned, and an afterword by Karen Berger, editor of Vertigo. The story itself is highly symbolic and allegorical, much as a dream may seem...which leads to one possible conclusion that the events which transpire may very well be confined within Batman's own psyche or subconscience. There are a few snippets of dialogue within the pages that promote this, as well as the artwork during certain pivotal scenes involving Batman and Gordon, as well as the inmates of the asylum. The quotes from Alice in Wonderland which open and close the book also lean in this direction. The parallels between Amadeus Arkham and Batman himself are also fascinating and portray a few ideas that are rarely touched upon in the Batman mythos, particularly mental illness and its implications not just on the person, but on their surrounding environment as well.
This is not a typical Batman novel but a rather complicated and, at times, disturbing tale of madness and obsession which benefits greatly from the inclusion of various materials reflective of the creative process.
Rating:  -
this was only the second graphic novel i've ever read ('identity crisis' being the first). there were a lot of things i really liked, some things i didn't care for at all.
'arkham asylum' is a highly conceptual piece of work, both in story and in art. the story, in theory, is very interesting. who wouldn't want to read a story about batman forced into an asylum taken over by his fiercest enemies and have to deal with his own pyschological well-being? sounds like a really good idea, but it's an idea that, for me, was never fully realized. i admire morrison's courage in writing this story. it must have been a terribly difficult story to write. like i said, i like it in theory, but the execution could've been improved. for example, i never really understood what psychological journey batman went on, and i never felt that his own sanity was ever in jeopardy. it could be, of course, that i missed something. and as the previous reviewer mentioned, the symbolism is pretty heavy handed.
i was expecting a LOT more from batman. all we really got was the occassional two or three word sentence. that's it. if this was supposed to be batman's journey into the far reaches of psyche, batman's a pretty shall dude. visually, batman was almost non-existant. most of what we is limited to shadows and outlines. i get why mckean painted him as he did: it's higly symbolic. batman is a enigmatic figure to begin with and what better why to heighten that tension than to blur batman into the background? on a literary level i can appreciate that. on a visual level, it's not the best idea to obscure your central character (of course, this is just my opinion). overall, though, i thought mckean's art served its purpose and fit the book tonally: it's dark, muted, disturbing, and equally compelling. some of the panels are simply gorgeous is their hideousness.
there IS, however, a lot admire. first, morrison's portrayal of joker was exactly what i thought it should be. the joker, in my limited experience, usually comes off pretty cartoonish. in arkham joker is the homicidal lunatic, a man so emotionally disturbed taht he should be locked up in a dungeon and chained to the wall. he's prone to senseless violence, boughts of MPD, incoherent thought, and complete irrationality. that's the essence of the joker, and i liked him in sick kind of way because he was by far the most fully realized and developed character in the book. i think you could make the argument it's a graphic novel about the joker more than it is about batman. it was also interesting to see how arkham came into being. like most houses of horror, arkham itself was born out of immense tragedy.
'arkham asylum' certainly has its highs and lows. it's the kind of book that's going to appeal to a lot of readers because it IS unique. mckean's art, while polarizing, certainly is a breed unto its own. i admire that. morrison's story is interesting, for sure. it could've used a bit more polish. can i recommend this book to *everyone*? no. but that's not to say you shouldn't pick it up. it DOES have its merits and it WILL appeal to a lot of people. it's just one of those books you have to read for yourself and decide what it means to you.
Rating: -
I'm apparently missing the boat here on this "classic" as I see a below average story coupled with awful artwork mixed in with some pretentious symbolism.
The art is going to be a matter of taste, it always is. However the art must lend itself to being able to show what is going on. In this stylized format McKean uses obviously meant to portray the insanity of Arkham and the characters I was left looking at the pages trying to wonder what was happening. Not to mention some of the lettering was well nigh unreadable. I think there could have been a better way to use the art to represent insanity and still use the art to tell the story effectively.
The story, well the story consists of an impotent Batman going to Arkham like a lamb to a slaughter and then wandering around it in a most purposeless fashion encountering fever-dream versions of his rogues gallery. The portrayals of the villains were so strange it makes me wonder if this all just happened in Bat's head. The Amadeus Arkham story was not too bad, the Batman story was awful. The one redeeming portion of the story is Batman's treatment of Two-Face, undoing the wrong-headed therapy.
As for extras, you get a semi-pretentious note from Morrison explaining the symbolism which makes the story more understandable, but a good story shouldn't need the symbolism explained, it should be apparent. You also get the original script which is no big deal.
On the whole a fairly inferior work and I don't understand the accolades. It is I am sad to say the worst Batman story I have encountered.
Rating:  -
Interesting story. But this is not a common artwork, it's a little abstract. You may be sure you'll experience a true madness.
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