As he gets to know his fellow 'patients', however, he realizes that this is very much not the case.

Initially, he smugly believes that he got the better end of the deal by avoiding a prison sentence. The first is Warren White, an embezzler who pleaded insanity and got sentenced to Arkham. The series actually focuses on two entirely new characters. The result is basically Oz with supervillains.īatman does show up a few times in the story, but his role in it is tangential at best. The series presents us with an inside look on day-to-day life in Gotham's infamous madhouse. Like many mini-series, it has since been collected into a TPB. It was written by Dan Slott and features art by Ryan Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger and Jim Royal. 'What could go wrong?', they said.Īrkham Asylum: Living Hell is a six-issue limited comics series, published in 2003 and set in the Batman universe. 'About this title' may belong to another edition of this title.'Plead insanity', they said. This, the first story arc from the magazine Arkham Asylum, is just so fun! Ray OlsonĬopyright © American Library Association.

Though the art is just very good basic mainstream-comics-style stuff, Slott's script and the compositional variety among the separate frames are first rate for ingenuity and momentum. The developments fly thick, fast, and gory during the rest of Warren's observation period, as well they might, given such fellow patients as Batman nemeses Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, and the rest, though the ones to watch are Jane Doe and Doodlebug-don't turn side or face, let alone back, on either of them. Well, Warren learns, starting with recognizing his new roommate: 'That's Death Rattle! He's a cult leader and a homicidal maniac!' As for Warren's nickname, it's not Shark now, it's Fish. Uh, Warren-didn't anyone ever tell you to be careful what you wish for? Besides, as any Lovecraftian could tell you, any place named Arkham is no place to visit. White smirks, but the judge looks wolfishly pleased. But then he's remanded for psychiatric observation to the local slammer for criminal nuts, Arkham Asylum.

With a change in venue to Gotham, he succeeds. Tried for the greatest stock fraud in history, Warren White-'the Great White Shark'-gambles on beating the rap by pleading insanity. *Starred Review* Some folks just don't remember folk wisdom.

Arkham Asylum by Dan Slott