Double Review: Arkham Manor and Arkham Knight from DC Comics!

Title: Batman: Arkham Knight Vol. 1

Author: Peter J. Tomasi

Illustrator: Viktor Bogdanovic

Format: egalley

Pub. Date: July 14th 2015

Source: DC Comics



Book Description via Goodreads:

The prequel to the best-selling game BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT!

The Joker is dead. Arkham City is closed. As a new day begins, Bruce Wayne finds himself in devastating pain, recovering from his injuries and questioning whether his role as Batman is still necessary to the city's survival. But as the sun rises in Gotham City, dangerous new threats emerge from the shadows...and the Arkham Knight is just beginning. Don't miss this in-continuity prequel comic set prior to the events of the brand-new video game Batman: Arkham Knight!

Collects BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT #1-6.

Review:

★★★★

I'd like to get something out of the way right as I start this review: I don't play the Arkham games. I want to, I do. But I haven't yet. That said, I do love me some Batman, so I was excited to get the comic book. However, I am unable to compare the two, so this review is written only as a Batman fan in general, and not as a gamer.

I really liked this volume. It's really pleasant to look at. The illustrations are very well detailed, and have the same grittiness that I've come to expect from Batman comics. The writing is pretty standard, and I think it did a pretty good job of conveying this story in the limited amount of space that text bubbles allow for.

The best part of this volume, to me, was the old characters. There were a lot of familiar, if not friendly, faces that I was happy to recognize. While the Joker is dead, characters such as Commissioner Gordon and the Penguin make their appearance alongside Batman (of course). What I was most excited for, however, was the appearance of Harley Quinn, who is my favorite DC characters. She was my favorite part of this book and had some good one liners, and talked about her puddin'.

Overall, I think this is a decent comic and I would recommend it to fans of Batman or Harley Quinn. This is stemmed from the Arkham games but as mentioned above, I have no comparison, so gamers: take a chance and try it out.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Title: Arkham Manor, Vol. 1

Author: Gerry Duggan

Illustrator: Shawn Crystal

Format: egalley

Pub. Date: July 28th 2015

Source: DC Comics



Book Description via Goodreads:

When catastrophe strikes Arkham Asylum, where will Gotham City house the world's most dangerous criminals, and when inmates are found murdered, what is Batman prepared to do in search of justice? Arkham's madness comes home in ARKHAM MANOR! A bold new collection brought to you by Gerry Duggan ("Deadpool, Nova") and Shawn Crystal ("Deadpool, Wolverine and the X-Men").

Collects issues #1-6 of "Arkham Manor."

Review:

★★★★

I think this is an absolutely great concept. The Arkham Asylum is no longer, and they must decide where to move all of its patience. The Wayne Manor lies abandoned, so they make the decision to ship the Arkham inmates to Wayne Manor and turn it into the new Arkham. I think it's a brilliant story line that overall, was told well.

The artwork is consistent, and very well detailed. The facial expressions are really well done, and the pictures do a good job of illustrating the story that the text is telling. I understand that Batman is a dark guy, but I do think the artwork was rather dreary. I obviously don't expect bright prismacolor tones for a Batman story, but it need just a little more pop for my liking.

Batman is a familiar character, and gives some pretty good lines over the course of this volume. I also got really happy that Mr. Freeze made an appearance in this. I wasn't expecting that, and it made me enjoy it a bit more.

I wish there had been a little more backstory or explanation to elaborate on Arkham's fall and the emptiness of Wayne Manor, so that I could have better context. But overall, this didn't effect my enjoyment of this comic too much.

All in all, I'd recommend this comic to fans of Batman. There's a cast of familiar faces with a new twist on the classic plot line, and overall I think it works.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.