It can be quite a disappointment when a much anticipated project fails to live up to expectations. One can become so spoiled by a favorite creator's impressive talents and past successes that you start taking things for granted. Sam Kieth has that type of talent. His surrealistic illustrations are unparalleled in the comic industry and worth the price of admission alone, but when you combine them with his wickedly weird way of looking at the world is when the magic truly transpires. His tales belong to no continuity; they have an eerie and unreal life all to their own. Just strap yourself in and enjoy the madcap ride. One would think a cautionary tale about decadent, dreary ole Arkham Asylum would be right up his perverse alley, but instead of justifiably focusing the titular madness on the usual culprits, the infamous inmates, he instead surprisingly spotlights the asylum's diverse yet ultimately nondescript staff, using them for his psychological explorations on obsession and paranoia. Although certainly a different approach, they're not compelling enough as lead characters to take center stage in this uncanny horror show. Add in the debatable decision of having much of this virtual nightmare taking place inappropriately during daylight hours, akin to a sunlit vampire romp, which just further diminished what little macabre mood it aspired to. While not a bad story by any means, it is far too tame for the subject matter, clearly lacking the requisite trepidation and fear; hell the Joker to a degree is without his normal excessive menace, with most of his amoral acts recounted here occurring in the past tense, therefore neutering whatever tension or suspense they may have elicited. Even his normally fascinating visual designs are by his standards unremarkable, with Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, and Harvey Dent being more uniquely rendered in the recent Azzarello Joker novel. The entire story would have worked better as a monthly series, without having the additional pressure an original graphic novel brings with it. Alas this is Kieth's weakest Batman project to date. His recent low key Batman Confidential mini contained superior art, a deeper mystery, along with a newly introduced female character that inspired more compassion toward her than her equivalent counterpart here. Obviously the best of talents cannot always produce superlative work, but judging by curious comments made at the end of the book, one wonders if editorial involvement might have played a critical role in its' dubious direction and unexceptional results. Oh, what could have been.Get more detail about Arkham Asylum: Madness.
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