Batman: Joker's Asylum [Paperback]

Joe Harris (Author), Jason Aaron (Author), David Hine (Author), J.T. Krul (Author), Arvid Nelson (Author), Juan Doe (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Joker's Asylum | Publication Date: December 16, 2008

This is a non-shelved 1st Print edition of DC Comics trade paperback edition of Batman: Joker's Asylum. These trades were never shelved for sale and are brand new first printings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; 1st print edition (December 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401219551
• ISBN-13: 978-1401219550
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read that features interesting outlooks on Batman's biggest foes, December 22, 2008

By 

Evan J. Snider (WV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Batman: Joker's Asylum (Paperback)

"Joker's Aylum" is basically a compilation of short stories that center around each of his most infamous foes: Joker, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, and Two-Face. The Joker narrates and it's pretty much a mirror of the "Tales from the Crypt" series. (Strange narrator who tells a story that has a certain theme) In my opinion, this compilation stands out more than others because its efforts are to show you just how dangerous and vile Batman's rogue gallery is and why it's so important he's there to take them down every time.

The stories themselves, overall, are all excellent. Each one's story is well-written and the quality does not diminish as you read on. Pretty impressive considering each story is told through just one comic (these stories were originally released as individual issues), as usually a better story means multiple issues. Granted, they are short stories but short stories can be disastrous if not written with care. Each tale gives us valuable insight on each villain and it really helps you see what makes them tick and understand each one's motivations.

This graphic novel is great for anyone whose new to Batman or wants to get into Batman as it provides a great outlook on some of his biggest foes. If you're a Batman fan in general, I'd also recommend getting this, as it's really good Batman story and you get some very enjoyable stories for a bit less than what most graphic novels go for.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great way to take a look at all of Batman's Villians, December 20, 2008

By 

M. E. Thomas (,MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman: Joker's Asylum (Paperback)

Joker's Asylum is a great read, it basically is the Tales of the Crypt from the Joker's point of veiw and each story brings a certain quality than the other's (although the two weakest stories to me were Scarecrow's and Ivy's) but overall the book is well done.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Arkham Walk of Fame, February 6, 2010

By 

TastyBabySyndrome "Matthew Lewis, author of M... ("Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Little Tendril Baseball Team, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman: Joker's Asylum (Paperback)

When it comes to DC, I've always been partial to Batman. The reason, I suppose, is because he is not a superhero. He doesn't have powers and he isn't really endowed with anything other than financial prowess. Still, he fights crime and he fights it with a code created by his parent's demise.

Since Batman has drawn me in, his villains have done likewise as well. This means that Killer Croc, Ivy, Penguin, and a host of other faces have made an impression on me. It also means that the Joker has really done a number on me since I was a kid and, well, I think he's one of the few clowns I actually like. Accordingly, his stories always get a rise out of me.

In Batman: Joker's Asylum, we find ourselves introduced to a montage of stories narrated by the Joker. Each of them has something unique to offer and each of these has an interesting take on the characters. Here we have The Joker, The Penguin, The Scarecrow, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy. All of them are done in a different fashion and all of them are narrated by - you guess it - the Ringmaster himself (and, no, I'm not talking about the character The Ringmaster)! I always like introductions to short stories by characters with a presence like The Joker, too, and this is quite fulfilling. I also like shorts sometimes because a lot of things are nice to read sometimes, depending on your tastes, it is fun to delve into the character a bit.
and this does its delving.

Out of all of the stories, I think I liked the Oswald Cobblepot piece the best because he has always been an enigma to me. He has money and he has power but he also has a little problem with his self-esteem. This leads him to do terrible things to people he thinks look down on him, enjoying all the terror one villain can inflict. In "He Who Laughs Last," Oswald attends an auction and buys a woman because he finds something about her sad. He says that animals shouldn't be treated like the woman was and the woman sees him as her hero. He accordingly falls in love for a time and she gives him something he desperately longs for - adoration. Then she sees him as the monster he is and, well, things aren't all flightless birds and roses.

The Joker's story is funny, too, because it is clearly a script right out of The Joker's handbook. In "The Joker's Wild!," he takes over a gameshow and decides to be the man that leads the festivities. This leads to a lot of people thinking he is going to do a lot of killing, and both a network and an at-home audience watching to see what will happen next. Things are not always what they imagine, however, and that is possible the best thing about it all.

The only thing I really didn't like that much was The Scarecrow's piece and that was because it was done animation style. I know this is being picky considering the story was good, but the cartoon taking over is not what I really wanted. Still, it doesn't hurt the book and it doesn't really hurt the story that badly. It simply detracts from a great thing, taking away from the art and the style of the book. Still, this is a buy - a lovely one - singing the tune of madness and mayhem and even understanding. I personally love this one and would suggest that anybody check it out. There isn't much Bat but, hey, the Bat isn't really the star when it comes to that lovely Arkham Walk of Fame.