The Last Arkham

Arkham Asylum has long been a mainstay of the Batman comics. The revolving door for the crazier villains (which is most of them) has been the focus for several storylines in the past. Often the focus is placed on the family behind the asylum as well - Grant Morrison's classic explored the madness of Amadeus Arkham. The Last Arkham focuses instead on Jeremiah Arkham, who has refurbished the asylum and bolstered the security to try and prevent the constant escapes which Batman has to deal with on a seemingly daily basis.

However the end of the first issue deals a shock ending - the latest inmate in the asylum is none other than our Caped Crusader. 

When the second issue comes around though, we find that Batman has been investigating a series of crimes that seem to have been committed by Zsasz. Dead bodies arranged in 'life like' poses - Zsasz's commentary that we're all just zombies. But the problem is, Zsasz is locked up securely in Arkham, so the crimes must have been committed by someone else. At least that's the claim made by Arkham.

Arkham is a man who claims he can 'see' madness in his patients. This is a claim that would set alarm bells ringing at the best of times, but it can only mean trouble when you take into account the history of mental illness in the Arkham family. In his attempts to rehabilitate the inmates Arkham subjects them to holograms depicting their greatest fears or shuts them away in a strange chamber with only eyeholes. Not exactly ethical practice then.

One of my favourite elements of the Batman character is his ability to plan ahead. His way of thinking through every eventuality in order to fight whatever criminal he comes up against. We see this in full force here when he is counting the steps of the guards or wrapping himself in his cape to avoid the magnetic sensors in the hallways of Arkham. 

The unorthodox methods of Arkham get worse - when he discovers the Batman has been investigating the files in his office, he shuts Batman in a room with all of his villains at once. Batman defeats them all - which does call into question how any of his villains could pose a threat to him in one on one combat. Although it does highlight the prowess of Batman  in a combat situation. He is the ultimate fighting machine.

I loved this story - with the creepy art depicting Zsasz and his twisted trophies from his murders. I love the exploration of the Arkham family, and always have after the Grant Morrison comic which explores that world.

Next up - Sword of Azrael