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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
probably the greatest comic book art of all time. đź’“
The first of the fruits of Dragoncon purchases. It's ambitious, I will say that for it. Here, Grant Morrison attempts to turn a Batman comic into a graphic novel of ideas, surreal imagery, and religious symbolism. To me, most of that remained on the page in the original script for the piece (included in this 15th anniversary copy). Call me stunted and un-artistic, but when the images in a graphic novel are so messy one can barely tell what they are depicting, 90% of the symbolism is lost unless the author includes massive amounts of internal dialogue. I have no problem with the writing or the story here. But it relies too heavily on the surreal paintings to evoke depth and meaning, which, academically, I don't have a problem with. It's a graphic novel after all. Too many of them are overwritten in my opinion, and I applaud Morrison for leaving room for the artwork to do its job. I'm just not a fan of said artwork. I'm sure plenty of people here disagree with me and think its a great marriage of art and prose. Just my opinion.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was not prepared when I read this book. I didn't realize how much of a fever dream it would be.
However, it's given me some appreciation for Grant Morrison. Not necessarily in terms of their writing, but in terms of how they think about Batman. It was interesting to read about how their portrayal of Batman in Arkham Asylum was a repudiation of the grimdark, lonely, violent depictions of Batman in the 80s (The Dark Knight Returns etc). He is diminished and fearful of facing his own neuroses, uncomfortable with his own humanity except in manifesting his uncontrolled rage and violence. The separation from Morrison's depiction of Batman in their Batman & JLA runs is clear. It also makes me think about how Batman Incorporated as a concept is the complete opposite of a loner Batman—instead, Morrison envisions Batman as someone who inspires and teaches others to similarly fight for justice.
I think we can see the tiniest hint of a reoccurring theme in Morrison's later runs of the idea of The Bat being a symbol so powerful it can reach back in time (when Arkham's mother sees a Bat). Morrison tends to write Batman as symbolically and literally timeless, not just through The Return of Bruce Wayne but also in Batman #700 "Time and the Batman" and in the ending cry of Batman R.I.P.: "Batman and Robin will never die!"
To be entirely honest, I find Morrison's work difficult to read. It's fine (or even very cool) that they stuff their work with mythological, symbolic, religious, and cultural allusions. But for their Batman run, I feel that their work tends to hinge a great deal on knowing references to Golden Age or Silver Age Batman. Sure, it's technically possible to follow the plot without understanding these references, but it's like watching a movie with the sound off; you constantly feel like you're missing half the story. And that's…really annoying, when paired with their tendency to have (imo) very strange pacing. It results in a feeling where you're not sure if you missed something because you misread something or if you missed something because there was a reference you didn't understand or if the whole thing is just so wacko you have no idea what's going on (*cough*Final Crisis*cough*).
I consider myself fairly well-versed in Batman comics at this point, and I had difficulty recognizing Doctor Destiny or Clayface in this work. According to the script and annotations, several of the villains were depicted deliberately differently from how they would usually be depicted in other stories. A strong grasp of religious and mythological iconography is, in my opinion, required, or else several scenes completely lose their impact or purpose. Knowing basic interpretations of tarot cards is highly recommended. I didn't know any of the cultural/movie/song allusions and I was okay.
The New Edition and later editions include Morrison's script and annotations, and it is very nice to read the script alongside the story.
I really do appreciate Morrison the more I read them. I enjoy how symbolically dense their writing can be, and what they have to say about the Batman character as a whole, and I especially enjoyed this work for its examination of Batman's most negative aspects. I really enjoyed this annotation provided by Morrison of the last page of their script:
However, it's given me some appreciation for Grant Morrison. Not necessarily in terms of their writing, but in terms of how they think about Batman. It was interesting to read about how their portrayal of Batman in Arkham Asylum was a repudiation of the grimdark, lonely, violent depictions of Batman in the 80s (The Dark Knight Returns etc). He is diminished and fearful of facing his own neuroses, uncomfortable with his own humanity except in manifesting his uncontrolled rage and violence. The separation from Morrison's depiction of Batman in their Batman & JLA runs is clear. It also makes me think about how Batman Incorporated as a concept is the complete opposite of a loner Batman—instead, Morrison envisions Batman as someone who inspires and teaches others to similarly fight for justice.
I think we can see the tiniest hint of a reoccurring theme in Morrison's later runs of the idea of The Bat being a symbol so powerful it can reach back in time (when Arkham's mother sees a Bat). Morrison tends to write Batman as symbolically and literally timeless, not just through The Return of Bruce Wayne but also in Batman #700 "Time and the Batman" and in the ending cry of Batman R.I.P.: "Batman and Robin will never die!"
To be entirely honest, I find Morrison's work difficult to read. It's fine (or even very cool) that they stuff their work with mythological, symbolic, religious, and cultural allusions. But for their Batman run, I feel that their work tends to hinge a great deal on knowing references to Golden Age or Silver Age Batman. Sure, it's technically possible to follow the plot without understanding these references, but it's like watching a movie with the sound off; you constantly feel like you're missing half the story. And that's…really annoying, when paired with their tendency to have (imo) very strange pacing. It results in a feeling where you're not sure if you missed something because you misread something or if you missed something because there was a reference you didn't understand or if the whole thing is just so wacko you have no idea what's going on (*cough*Final Crisis*cough*).
I consider myself fairly well-versed in Batman comics at this point, and I had difficulty recognizing Doctor Destiny or Clayface in this work. According to the script and annotations, several of the villains were depicted deliberately differently from how they would usually be depicted in other stories. A strong grasp of religious and mythological iconography is, in my opinion, required, or else several scenes completely lose their impact or purpose. Knowing basic interpretations of tarot cards is highly recommended. I didn't know any of the cultural/movie/song allusions and I was okay.
The New Edition and later editions include Morrison's script and annotations, and it is very nice to read the script alongside the story.
I really do appreciate Morrison the more I read them. I enjoy how symbolically dense their writing can be, and what they have to say about the Batman character as a whole, and I especially enjoyed this work for its examination of Batman's most negative aspects. I really enjoyed this annotation provided by Morrison of the last page of their script:
The dream ends here. We can almost imagine a final, unseen page in which Bruce Wayne wakes up in his bed at 3pm, bruised, blinking and shaking his head…but feeling somehow cleansed and invigorated by this bizarre insight into his own drives.
Having been though the reversal of all his normal valencies, the '80s Batman, purified and purged of negative elements, is returned to Gotham City to become the super-confident, zen warrior of my subsequent JLA series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can see why this Batman story is so dividing.
The art is bat-$**+ crazy and the story rambles on like it’s being told by one of the inmates, you’re either going to love it on an artistic level or hate it for being too artistic. I fall squarely in the first group.
A striking combination of painting and photography take the reader straight into the dark and confusing mindset needed to explore Arkham Asylum and the life of its founder. Dave McKean creates a vivid world for Morrison’s Batman to live in, one that’s full of symbolism and surreal visions.
The story is full of twists and turns that seem to purposely try to make the reader get lost, but achieve a great cohesion with the art to really drive the story forward.
This Batman is full of terror and human frailty, it might not be everyone’s cake, but it’s one of the reasons he’s my favorite; beneath the cowl is a man who does what he does despite all that lies beneath.
What is definitely the best part of the story is the tale of the original founder of the asylum and his fall into madness. Worth the read just for that back story.
The one star that I deducted is for how hard it sometimes is to actually read it. The much praised lettering has a tendency to go so artistic as to be unreadable. The story and art are jarring enough without having to stop and analyze what a word is supposed to be. I’m a big proponent for comics taking experimental/artistic forays, but the whole point is lost if you can’t read them.
The art is bat-$**+ crazy and the story rambles on like it’s being told by one of the inmates, you’re either going to love it on an artistic level or hate it for being too artistic. I fall squarely in the first group.
A striking combination of painting and photography take the reader straight into the dark and confusing mindset needed to explore Arkham Asylum and the life of its founder. Dave McKean creates a vivid world for Morrison’s Batman to live in, one that’s full of symbolism and surreal visions.
The story is full of twists and turns that seem to purposely try to make the reader get lost, but achieve a great cohesion with the art to really drive the story forward.
This Batman is full of terror and human frailty, it might not be everyone’s cake, but it’s one of the reasons he’s my favorite; beneath the cowl is a man who does what he does despite all that lies beneath.
What is definitely the best part of the story is the tale of the original founder of the asylum and his fall into madness. Worth the read just for that back story.
The one star that I deducted is for how hard it sometimes is to actually read it. The much praised lettering has a tendency to go so artistic as to be unreadable. The story and art are jarring enough without having to stop and analyze what a word is supposed to be. I’m a big proponent for comics taking experimental/artistic forays, but the whole point is lost if you can’t read them.
dark
tense
It starts off with a bang and ends off with a whimper, with such an incoherent and terrible story line that doesn't know what to do with itself. Even to an unfamiliar reader, the portrayal of Batman just feels...wrong. Nearly every character interaction aside from the Joker just feels so shoe horned into a mess of a story; it bends over backwards trying to include as many Batman references as it can in the madhouse, but it ends up being ridiculously convoluted without any payoff.
But the art is great; it captures the grotesque imagery as well as putting the reader into the POV of insanity, with such garish colors that are hand painted. It does go overboard at points, where it becomes so macabre that it borders on self parody - but the art remains consistently good.
Still, this was not the comic book I wanted to read after my hiatus. Disappointing at the very least.
But the art is great; it captures the grotesque imagery as well as putting the reader into the POV of insanity, with such garish colors that are hand painted. It does go overboard at points, where it becomes so macabre that it borders on self parody - but the art remains consistently good.
Still, this was not the comic book I wanted to read after my hiatus. Disappointing at the very least.
Morrison says that he intended to create a comic that "was more like a piece of music or an experimental film than a traditional adventure comic book. I wanted to approach Batman from the POV of the dreamlike, emotional or irrational hemisphere..." Check!
I read this book after I finished Supergods. It's some heady stuff. If you are looking for a traditional beat em up comic book, put this down and find something else. What this reminds me of is a descent into madness. This edition is well worth reading for the extra materials.
Definitely in my top 3 graphic novels. I could go on and on about how fantastic this graphic novel is but it would do it no justice, so all I can say is that if you're interested in psychology and/or art, you need to read it yourself!