By the end of “Arkham Manor” #1 your groans of familiarity will wash away with excitement. The Batman universe has go through a huge transformation under group editor Mark Doyle, and Gerry Duggan brings a different type of Batman to the page, one I didn’t think I wanted, but one I’m very happy to have.
WRITTEN BY: Gerry Duggan
ART BY: Shawn Crystal
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: October 22, 2014
It’s very clear to me that “Batman: Eternal” is really trying to change the status quo of Gotham. What better and more twisted way to celebrate 75 years, than tearing down the very sturdy foundations of the old universe. Right for the opening pages, Arkham Asylum is no more. The mad house that elevated Batman to a literary icon in the eighties has closed it’s doors and the insane of Gotham are in need a new home.
Luckily billionaire Bruce Wayne’s home is just laying around empty waiting to be acquired by the city. It’s bought up, it’s secrets are put to rest, and Arkham Manor is born. The gigantic home that gave birth to Gotham’s most twisted mind now houses an entire population of maniacs.
The premise alone should be enough to sell any longtime Batman reader. Gerry Duggen ensures to make it worth your way by bleeding as much heart into the old building that he can. This isn’t a story about Batman, but about the place in Gotham that made him. There is a sense of moving on, and longing on the page here. The transition is handled with a certain sense of trepidation, that breeds excitement.
Shawn Crystal’s distinct style brings Gotham to muddy life, and adds a little rougher edge to the New52’s Batman than you might be used to seeing. He’s a little more rugged, worn down, and weathered. But it’s for the best.
Crystal’s ability to channel the transition and longing in this moment is incredible. A two page spread showing the difference between the Manor then, and now is striking. Bruce’s jaunt down a hall is populated by ghostly flashbacks to his past that tell a deep story about his relationship to the now insane asylum.
It’s only fitting that Duggen bring his story to a boiling point at the end of the issue. But, somehow keeps in grounded in a more street level version of Gotham than we’re used to. It’s something I found in his co-writtten issue of Batman with Synder and something we’re seeing again here. In the wake of an incredible rogues gallery, Duggen opts for something a little smaller and more human. It makes the push of the issue all the more interesting.
Is Batman doing this for the prevention of crime, or does he care more about the building than his own wellbeing. Is he so concerned with petty murderers that he needs to forget about the likes of TwoFace, Scarecrow and the like, or is he just heading inside to check the locks?
I suppose we’ll find out in thirty. Until then, consider me sold.