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Arkham Asylum – Book Review #2

Posted 22 Aug 2009 - No Comments - leave yours now!

This is my second book review, I try to highlight books that have stuck with me for years and have inspired and delighted me countless times.
Some of the best sources of inspiration are the most unexpected. The book I’m writing about is in fact a comic book, some people might call it a graphic novel, but I’ve always balked at that label. It has always felt like an attempt to make comics sound more literary, when there is no need to do that at all. There is as much variety and depth in comic books as there is in novels or movies. Some are light and fun, others are literary and serious.
This comic is dark, brooding and heavy.

Arkham Asylum, Written by: Grant Morrison, Artwork by: Dave McKean. Publisher: DC Comics, publication date: 1989.

Blurb: The battle between the Batman and his closest enemies intensifies when the inmates, led by the psychopathic Joker, take over the asylum. This graphic novel takes a controversial look into the dark recesses of the Batman’s psyche.

I’ve always considered comics to be a perfect tool to refine a designer’s overall skill-set, if you undertake a comic of any sort from beginning to end you have to consider every facet of graphic design. Sketching, composition, overall page layout & typography. Plus there is an extra element that is so important; the artist needs to be a storyteller.
This particular comic was pointed out to me in my early years at college by my photography tutor. My tutor was a big fan of Dave McKean, particularly his photographic manipulation work. This was the first comic that took my idea of the narrative medium beyond things like 2000AD or the old Marvel comics. Here was a comic that wasn’t at all flippant or flashy. It is sombre and intelligent.
The story may be about Batman but it certainly isn’t suitable for children, this is as far removed from the “Adam West” Batman as you are likely to see. He’s far more menacing and dark than any of the movie representations. The story is certainly more intriguing too, as it focuses on the thin line of madness between Batman and his enemies. Is he all that different to the criminals he fights against?

I’ve always felt that the marriage of writing and artwork is where a comic will either fall down or succeed. This title isn’t the best example of that. I’ve always felt that the writing isn’t as good as the artwork, so as a story it doesn’t quite hold together, but the power of the visuals always wins me over and plasters over the cracks in the text.

The artwork displayed throughout this book completely redefined what I thought of as comic artwork. This is a world away from most popular comic books. The time it must have taken to produce is staggering, and each panel draws the eye in making you study it for too long. In fact this may be the reason why the story never seems to flow for me, I’m too caught up in the visuals.

Dave McKean is an illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician. He is probably most famous for his “Sandman” comic covers. He has had a wide and varied career including artworking CD covers for: Alice Cooper, Counting Crows, Dream Theater & Fear Factory to name just a few.
I’m also very keen on his photography and photo manipulation coffee table books, but have never been rich or lucky enough to own copies of them.

The reason I find this book so inspirational is not the story and not really the artwork, it is the way that the artwork has been made. Dave McKean uses mixed media so skilfully. He mixes painting, sketching, computer manipulation and photography to create his images.
When ever I look through this comic I get ideas that might never usually occur to me. It encourages me to look at my work and think about how I could experiment with it to push it further.
Some of McKean’s images display a certain life and physicality that is achieved by scanning in real world objects and textures and using them as overlays.

I find this book inspiring because it makes me think about my own work in a different way and it helps me experiment with medias that I haven’t picked up in years. McKean’s artwork encourages me to push and explore the power of the images I create, it reminds me that as designers we have creative freedom, and we should always use it.

Have you read this book? I’d love to hear your opinion on it. Have you seen other examples of Dave McKean’s artwork? Can you recommend similar mixed media artists?

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