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like his usual deranged murderer-self, and more like a sinister Rod Serling, an MC to host Batman’s descent into madness. Batman himself is depicted as being gruff, cold, overly serious, and nigh-unapproachable, with extremely poor people skills, as though his only function in life is to hit bad people, and he is incapable of interacting with humans in any other capacity.

Throughout Batman’s adventure, there are excerpts from the journal of AmadeusArkham, the asylum’s founder, and his own descent into insanity, which is truly haunting and tragic. When the scenes shift from Batman’s main adventure and these flashbacks, the Jungian symbolism becomes apparent, if not all that clear.

Marvel & DC Comic Previews	Batman: Arkham Asylum Revisited	Marvel & DC Comic Previews
	By Ryan Stevens Courtesy of HeroRealm.com With the current hype over the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum videogame, which appears to aspire to be the best Batman videogame ever (not a goal with a lot of competition, mind you; the current title holder is Lego Batman), comic fans are happily digging out the classic that shares the videogame’s title and premise: Batman: Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth. Published in 1989 and created by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, Arkham Asylum is a visceral, haunting, and beautiful masterpiece that peels back the walls of the asylum where Batman’s enemies are kept to show not just how insane they are, but also how insane their primary captor might be.
	When the inmates of the asylum seize control of the building and take all the workers hostage, they demand that Batman enter the building and confront them on their own turf. Being the hero, Batman meets their demands, and begins a one-night-stand with true madness. Grant Morrison is known for writing deep, symbolic, and all-around heady material, and Arkham Asylum is definitely no exception. This novel is filled with complex Jungian symbolism that will have you scratching your head and re-reading it again and again to try and comprehend every hidden meaning, something I feel I have yet to do after over a dozen readings. Morrison re-interprets many Batman mainstays in fresh and interesting ways, such as weaning Two-Face off his coin to a tarot deck, which would in theory give him seventy-eight options instead of two, with interesting results. The Joker acts less
	like his usual deranged murderer-self, and more like a sinister Rod Serling, an MC to host Batman’s descent into madness. Batman himself is depicted as being gruff, cold, overly serious, and nigh-unapproachable, with extremely poor people skills, as though his only function in life is to hit bad people, and he is incapable of interacting with humans in any other capacity. Throughout Batman’s adventure, there are excerpts from the journal of AmadeusArkham, the asylum’s founder, and his own descent into insanity, which is truly haunting and tragic. When the scenes shift from Batman’s main adventure and these flashbacks, the Jungian symbolism becomes apparent, if not all that clear.
	The only thing that is truly clear in Arkham Asylum, from the first page to the last, is that Dave McKean is a brilliant artist. I doubt there is any other artist in the business who could have illustrated this book as well as Mr. McKean. His gritty, surreal style lends a disturbingly nightmarish atmosphere to Arkham Asylum , sucking you in and immersing you into the terrifying shadows of the Asylum Walls. Combined with Morrison’s complex narrative, the creative team creates a truly unique world within the confines of the book, one that will haunt you long after you finish the book for the umpteenth time. While comic fans and video-gamers alike are clamoring for the upcoming game, perhaps some new readers will be inspired to pick up this classic for a truly mind-tingling experience that will change your view of Batman and his Rogues Gallery. No words can truly illustrate the surreal joy of this graphic novel. Comment on this Review HERE!