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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This graphic novel is epic.
It explores the 'history' of the founder of Arkham Asylum (such a chilling story).
The inmates have taken over the Asylum. Joker tantalizes that Batman lives here, that this is his place.
This is a book review, right? Not a plot story description.
Hence, the ART was amazing! At first I was worried because I could not SEE Batman at all! Actually, he is there, but drawn in an abstract form that emphasizes the surrealistic world of Arkham and the mentality of the people with madness. (That's a hint right there).
The lettering goes with the characters, the story is engaging, you are pulled into Arkham's dark corridors.
Worth a read ONLY FOR MATURE READERS, for those who are into Batman. It will make you think otherwise about him, and the rest.
It explores the 'history' of the founder of Arkham Asylum (such a chilling story).
The inmates have taken over the Asylum. Joker tantalizes that Batman lives here, that this is his place.
This is a book review, right? Not a plot story description.
Hence, the ART was amazing! At first I was worried because I could not SEE Batman at all! Actually, he is there, but drawn in an abstract form that emphasizes the surrealistic world of Arkham and the mentality of the people with madness. (That's a hint right there).
The lettering goes with the characters, the story is engaging, you are pulled into Arkham's dark corridors.
Worth a read ONLY FOR MATURE READERS, for those who are into Batman. It will make you think otherwise about him, and the rest.
Artwork is fucking gorgeous but the story was pretentious nonsense. And the font they chose was a chore to read.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The art style is incredible and it provides an interesting look into mental illnesses.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I could barely read Joker’s lines? The font was barely legible, because it had to be ✨sick and twisted✨.
As for the through-line of Joker’s, Dr Arkham’s and Dr Cavendish’s queerness-madness, I can’t say I cared for it. There’s something potentially interesting to be explored about gender-bending being an expression for the detachment from social norms/rules that comes with mental illness or whatever, but if so, Asylum didn’t do it well.
It’s not like I expect good queer rep from a superhero comic published during the height of the HIV/AIDS-epidemic, but I’m not gonna let it slide just because it was a “different time”.
Batman was a bit more impulsive and less composed, and wasn’t this invincible badass, which is interesting in theory, but was a bit weird in execution. His intro to the story is “hey, Gordon, sorry I’ve been out of town — what’s up?” And then he screams and growls over the joker threatening to blind someone over the phone, and then he growls and fusses because the joker touches his bat booty. And all you ever see of his face are his bared teeth.
The art style is the biggest positive here. It’s really well done and creative, and I haven’t seen anything like it before. It’s instantly recognizable and unique. Something so specific is always gonna be divisive, but in the end I like it.
Overall, I was left with a sense that the story kept teetering into edgelord territory, and that the lack of a real plot that made sense was due to “madness not making sense” or something.
4/10 (2/5) ⭐️ (Edit: lowered from 2.5)
As for the through-line of Joker’s, Dr Arkham’s and Dr Cavendish’s queerness-madness, I can’t say I cared for it. There’s something potentially interesting to be explored about gender-bending being an expression for the detachment from social norms/rules that comes with mental illness or whatever, but if so, Asylum didn’t do it well.
It’s not like I expect good queer rep from a superhero comic published during the height of the HIV/AIDS-epidemic, but I’m not gonna let it slide just because it was a “different time”.
Batman was a bit more impulsive and less composed, and wasn’t this invincible badass, which is interesting in theory, but was a bit weird in execution. His intro to the story is “hey, Gordon, sorry I’ve been out of town — what’s up?” And then he screams and growls over the joker threatening to blind someone over the phone, and then he growls and fusses because the joker touches his bat booty. And all you ever see of his face are his bared teeth.
The art style is the biggest positive here. It’s really well done and creative, and I haven’t seen anything like it before. It’s instantly recognizable and unique. Something so specific is always gonna be divisive, but in the end I like it.
Overall, I was left with a sense that the story kept teetering into edgelord territory, and that the lack of a real plot that made sense was due to “madness not making sense” or something.
4/10 (2/5) ⭐️ (Edit: lowered from 2.5)
Content Warnings
Joker’s entire characterization is that he’s an insane gay man pawing and leering at Batman and making gross comments about Robin.