Set after the events of Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum, we find Arkham rebuilt and in its first real stages of operation. While this issue serves more as an introduction to the new players we will be seeing throughout Arkham, it lays all the necessary seeds to keep you anxious to see what’s to come.

Jeremiah Arkham’s vision of the asylum (a place where the inmates are not prisoners but rather patients which are well taken care of and protected from one another and themselves) is moving forward. But there is someone in his midst that isn’t too keen on that idea. Alyce Sinner. Sinner sees Arkham in the same light as Amadeus Arkham-- place of retribution.

While not too much happens in this issue, it does serve as a great and motivating introduction of what’s to come. In typical David Hine fashion, Hine creates a world where everything has its purpose and all things should be given a second glance. The use of the asylum itself as an analogy for Jeremiah’s views of his patients is adroit. The outside of the asylum is dark with heavy gothic influence, reminiscent of Tim Burton’s incarnation of Gotham City. Inside the asylum, on the other hand, is it’s polar opposite with a much more welcoming and accommodating environment established to help nurture Jeremiah’s desire to rehabilitate the patients as opposed to inflict retribution upon them. The writing doesn’t miss a beat, driving the story forward and keeping you engaged.

In this issue we also get a look at what happened to Jeremiah’s “Favorite Three” (as I’ve titled them) after the original Arkham Asylum was burned to the ground. Alessio, Narcissus, and Myrna are a fascinating group of characters and I hope that their involvement in the story is significant. It would be great to see these characters thoroughly explored and it would be interesting to see how they interact with the other inmates if given no other choice.

Although the art did, at times, suffer from some minor downfalls--such as white eyes with no pupils (when not appropriate for the scene) and a lack of detail when the characters faces were not a dominant portion of the panel--overall the team did a great job with the book as a whole.

Haun’s line and ink work provide a good foundation for the visual narrative of the story. His well crafted architecture melds intricately with the subtleties laid throughout the language in the book and his use of shadow provides a feeling that there is something always lurking behind what we see. Kalisz’s color work provides its own dimension to the book, with a specific attention to tones and lighting, that does well to capture and enhance each moment.

All in all, I would definitely recommend you pick up a copy of this book before they’re all gone. You won’t regret it!

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