Pilot: Arkham Reborn

[Stephanie]

Welcome to another installment of Pilot! As comic book readers ourselves, we at Impulse know how important it is to get a quality bang for money spent on a single issue. Comic prices add up, after all! So every so often we’ll take an in-depth look at a new title or mini-series. We’ll give you the heads up on whether it's is worth getting into or passing up. If it's good, then you'll know. If it's not so good ... well, we read it so you don't have to.

Heroes are defined by their villains. For Batman and Robin and their allies, Gotham's rogues are no exception. Gotham bears a pulse similar to that of its characters; whether considering heroes or the lunatics who they hunt, the city acts as a thriving playground that fuels the vicious activity. Of course, the beating heart of the expansive Gotham lurks in the background, away from the sirens and floodlights on rooftops. Arkham Asylum offers pitiless refuge for the criminally insane who the costumed heroes beat up and drag into the confines of its stone walls. However, the asylum with an infamous past was built on a foundation as mad as its colorful inmates, and the new mini-series Arkham Reborn emphasizes the link between the old and the new. True fans of Batman comics will be sore to miss the construction not only of a new Arkham, but a new philosophy in dealing with its patients, as well.

Written by David Hine with art by Jeremy Haun, the first segment ("The Raggedy Man") of Arkham Reborn takes the reader through a tour of the still under-construction Arkham building alongside its caretaker, Jeremiah Arkham, and Bruce Wayne, District Attorney Kate Spencer, Commissioner Gordon, Head of Security Aaron Cash, and Jeremiah's new assistant director, Alyce Sinner. Each of the six gathered at the gates offer a different perspective on how Arkham should be run. While Jeremiah delights in an allegedly fresh notion of rehabilitation with the encouragement of Wayne (aka Hush, or Tommy Elliot, in disguise as the playboy), Gordon appreciates any sign of tighter security, Spencer prefers the inmates to be kept on a short and abrasive leash, and Aaron Cash wants to make a strict and brutal impression on the rowdy inhabitants like Killer Croc.

However, Alyce Sinner soon becomes the center of the comic, her thoughts coursing through the issue and both falling in line with and contrasting against Jeremiah's dialogue and narration. When Jeremiah allows her to accompany him in his session with the Raggedy Man, the comic takes a darker, more dangerous turn as it explores Raggedy's past and present as well as Alyce's. By the end of the issue, it becomes clear that while Jeremiah endeavors to wipe away the stench and problems of the old asylum and present a clean slate to the public and inmates alike, even he fosters a trace of his uncle's regime and design that extends beyond the original gates. But it is Alyce who urges us to remember the madness that creeps within the asylum walls and floors and corrupts the minds and hearts of those wandering its corridors, and she has her own plans for how Arkham ought to be managed.

Arkham Reborn offers a visceral and chilling look into the heart of Gotham dripping with shame and disease—the dark and haunted lair behind the violent, freakish curtains of the city. Comics about Arkham Asylum don't come often enough, and Hine proves what a rare treat they can be.

You can find the recently-released first issue of Arkham Reborn in the Impulse Creations shop.