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

2.0



I'm trying to form words to describe how I felt about this because… I really have no words.

On one hand, I liked it how different it was from the typical comic book outline, but on another hand, I found the difference unnecessary at times.

I did get what the story was trying to accomplish. I really do. But the illustrations, the weird transition from past to present, took me out of the reading experience quite a lot of times. I started this a few months ago, and I only finished it now. While I appreciate their attempt to provide a unique storytelling technique, it just didn't work for me.

- The story was interesting enough that it got me reading. We, actually, follow two storylines here. One is in the present, with Batman, and the other one is set in the past, wherein we meet Amadeus Arhkam, the founder of Arkham Asylum, and there, we see how and why lost his marbles.

- The illustrations were atrocious. It was horrible. But that's because I have a particular taste in art, and this, was something that didn't appeal to me. For the story it was trying to tell, the weirdness or the illustrations draws you away from the story and not suck you in. It could work for some other story, but not for this. I don't care what their intent for this was. I really don't. It just didn't work.

- The Batman we see here, didn't interest me. I found he was a bit boring. Meeh. He made stupid and reckless decisions. That's all I can say.

I'm usually all for unique narrative styles, but the way this story was told was faaaar too much for me.

Trippy.

That would have do. I think it's the only word, right now, that I can use to describe it. The entire story, the illustrations feels like it's either or drugs or on marijuana. I can't really tell you, which is which, but you get what I mean. It's too artsy for my taste, and I consider myself an artsy person.

Could have been better, really.