A review by yoteach8724
Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison

3.0

"A Serious House" the story that inspired one of my favorite video games series ("Arkham Asylum" et al), is an important story to the Batman mythos but one I did not particularly fancy. I had to squint to make out the Joker's dialog since it's bright red and double-layered (almost like the red-blue pairing for old school paper 3d glasses). There were parts that I couldn't make out and had to skip because it was impossible to read. Several of the famous "rouge's gallery" villains are included in the book (like the aforementioned Joker, Clayface, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, and Two-Face) but they are briefly seen and often represented in very different ways than what you're used to.

This story is meant to be this high-brow existential introspective into the human psyche, and it makes sense given the story is set in an insane asylum. It is by no means a fun recreational read, nor is it one that makes a whole lot of sense. Batman curses, Joker curses. Batman kills, Joker kills. This is a very dark story, and one whose tone is a stark contrast to even something dark like "The Killing Joke." Symbolism, imagery, juxtaposition, and a host of other college English words are deep-fried into this story.

I would recommend it as a necessary piece to the grand scheme of Batman lore, but one I wouldn't visit again.