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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Reread: Masterpiece, artistic expression, complex as any art. Truly amazing story telling, must read for graphic novel fans.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I honestly couldn't tell you what was going on. Loved the art, but it was hard to understand the story and what some characters were saying due to the text.
Really beautiful and poetic in most ways, but also puts itself on a higher pedestal than it should be.
(EDITED REVIEW)
With Alan Moore changing the landscape of comics with his phenomenally successful Swamp Thing run, which would go on to make him a household name. DC Comics were reaping the benefits of success with its creative rejuvenation and decided to look for fresh voices across the pond that wanted to fulfill their childhood fantasies and write for the big two of American comics, and Grant Morrison was one of those lucky people, asides from people like Peter Milligan, Neil Gaiman, and later on with Warren Ellis, and Garth Ennis, who got the chance to come over and put to the table what they had to say, and Morrison was one of the first of those people to be given the opportunity to do it. He was paired up with frequent Neil Gaiman collaborator Dave McKean and they were given the chance to do a Batman comic together, despite that fact that McKean was not too keen (no pun intended) on working on a superhero comic, as he found the concept kind of silly. But Morrison was up for the task, and crafted a tale which, either if you loved it or hated it, can't deny that it's a unique experience.
When Morrison wrote Arkham Asylum, I like to say that this was when he was in his Alan Moore phase (despite the fact, as ironic and hilarious as it is, that the two despise each other) and he was trying to tell a much more mature tale regarding superheroes, but decided to try and do something different so that he wouldn't be written off as an Alan Moore/Frank Miller knock off (though he and Moore tend to be compared a lot, due to how similar they are, rather if they'd admit it or not.) But Morrison has always tried his damn-dest to be the anti-Alan Moore, to where Moore brings superheroes into the real world, Morrison puts us into the surreal world that is the world of the superhero, or in Batman's case, the vigilante.
I've always liked Morrison, his imagination and strangeness that he brings to his work is always something that's interesting to me, as well as many other people. He's almost comics' Philip K. Dick in some ways or another, though not as somber and sensitive as Phil could be in his works, though with such works as All Star Superman and We3, Morrison has proven that he could do that as well. But with his take on Batman, it's nothing short of magnificent. While I've read his run on the Caped Crusader, I always find myself coming back to this particular story, maybe it's because of how odd it is and just how unique it is. There's not many stories like it, unless you'd want to consider Paul Pope's work on Batman or The Killing Joke.
Much like all great works, Arkham Asylum is about a lot of things, such as a superhero's relationship with his/her villains and how their villains unwittingly become extensions of themselves and who they could've been, a fable about the thin line between sanity and insanity, and an examination of a hero's psyche, among other things, but that's mainly what I could think of when I thought about what this book is about. But it also starts with a simple concept, as most great stories do, with Batman being forced to go into Arkham Asylum after the prisoners have taken the staff and orderlies hostage, and Batman ends up going into a surreal adventure that forces him to ask himself questions about his past, present, and future, while also dissecting the psychologies of Batman and his rogues gallery, which is a rather impressive feat if you consider how wide Batman's rogue gallery is. As for Dave McKean's art, it's an acquired taste. While it does work in this book because of the sheer oddity of the piece, it's still...odd. It works in such works like Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, and in this one as well. It does leave you wanting for more, while at the same time being oddly satisfied with it.
Arkham Asylum is Grant's first foray into Batman, and in my opinion his best. It's a paradox almost, as it's well known among comics fans, yet it virtually goes unnoticed at the same time.
With Alan Moore changing the landscape of comics with his phenomenally successful Swamp Thing run, which would go on to make him a household name. DC Comics were reaping the benefits of success with its creative rejuvenation and decided to look for fresh voices across the pond that wanted to fulfill their childhood fantasies and write for the big two of American comics, and Grant Morrison was one of those lucky people, asides from people like Peter Milligan, Neil Gaiman, and later on with Warren Ellis, and Garth Ennis, who got the chance to come over and put to the table what they had to say, and Morrison was one of the first of those people to be given the opportunity to do it. He was paired up with frequent Neil Gaiman collaborator Dave McKean and they were given the chance to do a Batman comic together, despite that fact that McKean was not too keen (no pun intended) on working on a superhero comic, as he found the concept kind of silly. But Morrison was up for the task, and crafted a tale which, either if you loved it or hated it, can't deny that it's a unique experience.
When Morrison wrote Arkham Asylum, I like to say that this was when he was in his Alan Moore phase (despite the fact, as ironic and hilarious as it is, that the two despise each other) and he was trying to tell a much more mature tale regarding superheroes, but decided to try and do something different so that he wouldn't be written off as an Alan Moore/Frank Miller knock off (though he and Moore tend to be compared a lot, due to how similar they are, rather if they'd admit it or not.) But Morrison has always tried his damn-dest to be the anti-Alan Moore, to where Moore brings superheroes into the real world, Morrison puts us into the surreal world that is the world of the superhero, or in Batman's case, the vigilante.
I've always liked Morrison, his imagination and strangeness that he brings to his work is always something that's interesting to me, as well as many other people. He's almost comics' Philip K. Dick in some ways or another, though not as somber and sensitive as Phil could be in his works, though with such works as All Star Superman and We3, Morrison has proven that he could do that as well. But with his take on Batman, it's nothing short of magnificent. While I've read his run on the Caped Crusader, I always find myself coming back to this particular story, maybe it's because of how odd it is and just how unique it is. There's not many stories like it, unless you'd want to consider Paul Pope's work on Batman or The Killing Joke.
Much like all great works, Arkham Asylum is about a lot of things, such as a superhero's relationship with his/her villains and how their villains unwittingly become extensions of themselves and who they could've been, a fable about the thin line between sanity and insanity, and an examination of a hero's psyche, among other things, but that's mainly what I could think of when I thought about what this book is about. But it also starts with a simple concept, as most great stories do, with Batman being forced to go into Arkham Asylum after the prisoners have taken the staff and orderlies hostage, and Batman ends up going into a surreal adventure that forces him to ask himself questions about his past, present, and future, while also dissecting the psychologies of Batman and his rogues gallery, which is a rather impressive feat if you consider how wide Batman's rogue gallery is. As for Dave McKean's art, it's an acquired taste. While it does work in this book because of the sheer oddity of the piece, it's still...odd. It works in such works like Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, and in this one as well. It does leave you wanting for more, while at the same time being oddly satisfied with it.
Arkham Asylum is Grant's first foray into Batman, and in my opinion his best. It's a paradox almost, as it's well known among comics fans, yet it virtually goes unnoticed at the same time.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes