My favorite Batman book of all time.
I first gained knowledge of this book when I was looking through a list of "Best Batman books to read" on a website. I set a mental note of it, but decided to read pretty much all the other Batman greats first. At first, when I got this book I didn't want to like it. In fact I lost the very little bit of enthusiasm I had for reading this book as soon as I laid it on the table. Naturally, I forgot that the book was even there a few minutes later, but it continued to lay on the table in my room, the unsettling image on the cover daring me to look inside, and mocking my cowardice for not doing so for quite some time. But on one fateful afternoon, it began to rain outside and as it got dark, I became quickly bored with nothing to do. It was then when I had discovered the wonderfully creepy story and the beautifully unsettling art that grasped me into this book and did not let me go until the last page was turned.
The Art
I want to talk about the art first because without it the book would not have such a unique flavor that it does. To put it simply, it is great. Like with the book itself, at first I thought "Is that little pen scribble supposed to be Batman? Wow, I could do that! This sucks!" But as it progressed and becomes more detailed with weird images and symbols thrown in meant to get you hooked into its spooky tone. Even if you disagree with me and think that the art isn't particularly great, you cannot deny that it is definitely perfect for the tone and mood that this book (successfully) tries to get across. The characters are drawn in a way that makes you automatically recognize them, but also marvel at how different they look. Every image is distorted and twisted, which is meant to convey the insanity of the asylum. The detail is wonderful, even when there isn't much and the scenery seems blurred. Once again, its all to give your mind that feeling of being in a place that is sick and twisted and it works perfectly. The Story
Basically, the inmates take over the Arkham Asylum and have only one condition - Batman must come in and join them in his rightful place amongst the Asylum inmates. Of course, Batman doesn't truly want to do that, but seeing as there is no other way to negotiate with the villains, he goes in. Parallel to this story is the story of Amadeus Arkham, the psychologist who created this insane asylum and went completely mad inside their walls. In the beginning, the Arkham story felt tacked on and I couldn't see a good reason as to why Grant Morrison would tell us this story. While it was good and added to the arresting mood of the book, it felt unnecessary. But the more I read, the more I began to enjoy witnessing the breaking down of both men, Batman and Arkham, in their own ways. By the end of the book, I totally understood why Morrison chose to include the story of Amadeus Arkham and it was great to see the backstory of the asylum so richly fleshed out and brought to life.
In my opinion, this angle on Batman, whether he is as insane as the criminals he hunts, is unique and Morrison carries it wonderfully, pacing the dialogue and Batman's thoughts to make the reader truly doubt the sanity of the Dark Knight. By the end of the story, you may form your own opinion of whether Batman is sane or not, but you have to admit that Morrison takes a deeply profound look into the psychological make-up of the Dark Knight.
The villains themselves are a pure treat to witness. Even the D-listers such as Maxie Zeus are a sight to behold as their personalities fly off the page and create great characters that I simply gobbled up while reading. It was like Christmas for the fanboy in me, I just couldn't wait to flip the page and see - what villains were going to show up next? How would they challenge Batman? What was new and different about them? Even better was the fact that all of the encounters had great characters with good, metaphorical and symbolic dialogue written. With every sentence he speaks, you'll believe it is the Joker; with his every phrase, you'll see just how lost Two Face has become.
Overall
This book was simply amazing and its influence on the Batman mythos is very profound today. I read it in total darkness with only a flashlight and the mood was intense. I am an adult, so I can't say that I was scared, I didn't get up to check my closet for some twisted cerial killer, but as I read the book I definitely had an uncomfortable, unsettled feeling in my gut. And as soon as I finished it, I had an uncommon desire to go back and read it again. I can only say that about a few books, and this one is definitely one of them. If you're a Batman fan and have not read this, shame on you. If you're a fan of more adult, thriller comic book stories, pick this one up. If you're just now getting into Batman, or even comic books in general, do yourself a favor and check this book out. I highly recommend it.
