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apurpleyuan 's review for:
Batman: Arkham Asylum New Edition
by Grant Morrison
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