Rating: 
Summary: Awesome, But...
Review: This is definately NOT for all tastes. This will never become a classic Batman story, for several reasons. First, it is very violent, which may or may not have anything to do with it, since alot of Batman is violent. But second, the artwork is very eccentric, which I like personally, but others may find it sloppy, or even disturbing (which it is, indeed). But this is more a less a Batman story, so you can't expect kiddie fare. But I'm going to label this on the "less" end, because, although this uses Batman's characters, it is a phycological thriller similar to the likes of David Fincher, or Darren Aronofsky, in which Batman takes a backseat to the main character, Amadeus Arkham. Amadeus' soryline is far more interesting than Batman's, as it delves into madness, and is much more disturbing. And although what you see is often times very graphic, what you read about happening is even more so (i.e. Amadeus' wife and daughter are chopped into pieces by the Arkham's first in mate, and his daughter's head is placed inside of the dollhouse). For people who enjoy physcological thrillers, and enjoy sadistic violence depicted in comics (or can handle it), I reccomend it. But otherwise, stay far away. I personally enjoyed it...
Rating: 
Summary: Upon a second reading...
Review: This is not the second time I have read this. It is not the fifth. Tenth would be a more accurate number. What makes it different this time is that its the first time I have picked it up in over a year. I re-read it with fresh eyes and am sad to say that I found some of it to have lost its old perfection in my eyes. Here is why;
The art is spectacular. Perhaps the best in comic history. Deffinately the best in terms of abstract/strange art. David McKean is just unstoppable in this and there isn't a wasted panel or some square inch which isn't well thought out and in some way effecting the over mood of the comic and thus the reader. I have no qualms whatsoever with the art.
Morrison on the other hand has some difficulties in my opinion, (and let me emphasize that this is only my opinion - completely subjective here folks). In terms of writing villains, Morrison is brilliant. His bad guys/lunatics/sociopaths etc. are phenomenal and haunt the pages of the comic in every sense of the word. His straight-man characters, that is to say, the ones who are neither villain nor hero, also tend to be accurate and well developed. But the area where Morrison begins running into problems is with his portrayal of Batman. Yeah, I know, I know we all have our own idea of what the dark knight is like. And in terms of the big picture here, his overall presentation of the character, I would say is generally accurate and well-realized. Batman is dark and grim, goddless and unbalanced (to probably his most extreme degree in fact). My problem is that Batman's first line of dialogue in the entire comic is "Sorry I'm late." Again, maybe its just me, but opening the comic with an apologee, a sign of weakness, is just not in keeping with Batman's character. But it doesn't end there - throughout the comic Batman is jumpy, lacks confidence, over-reactive, and histrionic. A girl gets her eye stabbed out with a pencil over the phone and Batman, who hears it, responds by crying out "Jesus Christ!" then dropping his head into his hands. Me personally - if I heard that - thats how I would react. But thats exactly why I'm not a legendary comic character and Batman is. Sure, he's human too, and thats what makes him so interesting (the whole lack of superhuman abilities) but it's also his cold, cunning, statuesque demeanor which has made him not only an American Icon, but the vigilante who, if you were a crook being chased by him, would make you want to run and turn yourself in to superman or the greenlantern. Anyone who would NOT break your back.
In short, I guess my main concern here is that although Morrison seems to have a grasp on the idea of batman, he doesn't succeed in the execution of him. He gives way to common-place interjections and reactions when Batman is anything but Common place. This doesn't make it a bad comic, just one with flaws, and to be fair what comic doesn't have that?
Still reccomended.
Rating:
Summary: Reading a Nightmare and Feeling You're There
Review: This is one of the most compelling graphic novels and I suggest avid collects aquire the hardbound book. Grant Morrison (writer) and Dave McKean (artist) produced a well written story with a interesting concept: Batman must go in Arkam to free the innocent because the imantes are now running the asylum. Of course, the supervillians, led by the Joker, are inmates of Arkum because well, most of the are crazy.
The book weaves two stories into one, that of Amadeus Arkham and his need to found an Asylum to help people and Batman's need to save people. Amadeus builds the Asylum, Batman enters it. Batman enters the Asylum and in daling with his arch-villians he must also deal with himself. He wants to pray to God, but "has no God." He becomes wounded and battered, but in the end, he finds in a sense faith in others. A women who saves him while fighting and Harvey Dent makng the morally right choice, countering the flip of his coin. Knowing the end doesn't hurt this story, because the story is filled in the in-betweens - the journey. Where Batman, though not complete, finds his way in this madhouse, Arkham it seemed, losed it.
McKean's art work is staggering, compelling, surreal, and spectaular. One is absobed into the pages and the images imprinted into your eyes, then mind, bringing a sense that you are not reading a comic, but dreaming a nightmare. Simply the best. I picked up this book in 1990 and every few years, and every time I re-read it, I am once again compelled to dream this nightmare.
Rating: 
Summary: same old same old
Review: This story jumps frequently from the journals of Arkhams founder back to the main story, the transitions are not done smoothly, which makes the storytelling awkward.
The basic theme: the criminals in Arkham are insane, Batman is insane, and therefore the criminals and Batman are one and the same, and can only rely upon fate and madness to get out of the asylum, where they have all become trapped. You get to watch Batman hallucinate, stabs himself, whimper for his mother, and has a non-reaction when the Joker blows a guards head off. Come on, I've had enough of the "hero is the same as the baddies" stuff, let the heroes be heros.
The typography is bad, especially for the Joker, who speaks in large red letters which are nearly unreadable...kind of like this graphic novel.
Rating:
Summary: a journey into the darkness of the subconcious mind
Review: this work trancends all formerly established genres in it's introspective and frightening exploration of the villainous mind. any appreciator of art will recognize this collaborative comic as the treasure that it is, as the images are gripping and intense, existing in a perfect partnership with the text. a highly entertaining read and recommended to anyone who is intrigued by the comlplexities and powers of the subconcious mind.
Rating:
Summary: An unpleasant journey through unpleasant circumstances.
Review: Through the richly textured world of Dave McKean's paintings and through Grant Morrison's similar world, it is revealed to us that Bruce Wayne is not a stable individual... and indeed perhaps as off-kilter as those he strives to place into the Asylum. Exploring ideas of masochism, occultism, murder, and asking the question: 'what is insanity?', the Batman is cast in a whole new array of light and shadow, wonderfully interpreted by the complexities and subtleties of Mr. McKean.
Rating:
Summary: Did I miss something?
Review: When I sat down to read this book, I did not expect to see such crazy and sloppy artwork. Sloppy in a good way mind you. It had a great story to begin with and then everything went wrong. I couldn't tell who he was fighting, who was talking or what i was looking at. And then the book ended. I kept turning back the pages to see if I missed something. Frankly the book wasn't worth the money. I reads faster than a comic.
Rating:
Summary: A look into the abyss.
Review: When the modern, darker age of comics began, Batman was at the forefront. Frank Miller and Dennis O'Neill redefined the character and, through him, much of comicdom. Unfortunately, where Miller and other writers of this period used Batman's psychology as a focal point in their stories, many more simply tried to make Batman "cool" by turning him into a borderline psychotic, without even knowing what a psychotic *is*. Arkham Asylum is Grant Morrison's response to that line of thought. Within the walls of Arkham Asylum, Batman simultaneously confronts his greatest enemies, a century-old madness, and his own realization that he's not unlike some of the inmates. Though some of the characters get more panel space than others (the Joker, for all his supposed leadership, is evenly-spaced with Two-Face, and minor characters like the Mad Hatter and Maxie Zeus have their day), each individual's madness is plainly different from their fellows. The epilogue, a series of short essays/prose/ poems from the various inmates and Batman, underscores this point.
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