These Books Among Us

Arkham Asylum: Madness by Sam Kieth (112 [ages) My Rating: 3 Stars Date Read: 5 January 2017 Synopsis: It is the most feared house in all of Gotham. It contains the worst that the city has to offer. It is the place where the Dark Knight's most dangerous and psychotic foes call home. Writer / artist Sam Kieth, the creator of THE MAXX, invites you to spend 24 hours in the most haunted house in the DC Universe, Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane in this original Batman graphic novel. My Review:  While I enjoyed this comic, it was not as good as the others I have read recently. This one focuses more on the fact that these villains are cruel with not much reasoning behind their actions. They torment the staff because it is fun and they get off on it. The story itself was weak to me, but it was still entertaining for what it was. Like I said, it was not my favorite, so I don't have much to say about it.

Batman: Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (216 pages) My Rating: 4.5 Stars Date Read: 5 January 2017 Synopsis: In this groundbreaking, painted graphic novel, the inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over Gotham's detention center for the criminally insane on April Fools Day, demanding Batman in exchange for their hostages. Accepting their demented challenge, Batman is forced to live and endure the personal hells of the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two-Face and many other sworn enemies in order to save the innocents and retake the prison. During his run through this absurd gauntlet, the Dark Knight's own sanity is placed in jeopardy. This special anniversary edition trade paperback also reproduces the original script with annotations by Morrison and editor Karen Berger. My Review: I have not read too many of the DC Comics, but this one was really good. Batman is one of the few DC heroes that I like, so it was cool to see this side of him through the J...

The Killing Joke by  (50 pages) My Rating: 4 Stars Date Read: 5 January 2017 Synopsis: For the first time the Joker's origin is revealed in this tale of insanity and human perseverance. Looking to prove that any man can be pushed past his breaking point and go mad, the Joker attempts to drive Commissioner Gordon insane. After shooting and permanently paralyzing his daughter Barbara (a.k.a. Batgirl), the Joker kidnaps the commissioner and attacks his mind in hopes of breaking the man. But refusing to give up, Gordon maintains his sanity with the help of Batman in an effort to beset the madman. My Review I really enjoyed reading this comic. We get the Joker's origin story. He was in a robbery gone wrong and fell into acid because his wife and unborn child died in an electrical fire accident right before the robbery. He was poor, down on his luck, trying to get a job as a comic, and needed some money fast to keep them from losing their apartment. He started off...