Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
Dave McKean's cover to the Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth hardcover edition
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
Publication date	October 1989
Main character(s)	Batman The Joker Amadeus Arkham
Creative team
Writer(s)	Grant Morrison
Artist(s)	Dave McKean
Letterer(s)	Gaspar Saladino
Creator(s)	Grant Morrison Dave McKean

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (often shortened to Batman: Arkham Asylum) is a Batman graphic novel written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Dave McKean. It was originally published in the United States in both hardcover and softcover editions by DC Comics in 1989. The subtitle is taken from Philip Larkin's poem "Church Going".

The graphic novel was the first Batman story to be written by Morrison before becoming a regular writer in future Batman titles. Inspired by previous works like The Dark Knight Returns, Morrison conceived the story to be his own different approach to the character, using heavy symbolical references and the deconstruction of many iconic Batman villains. The story follows the vigilante Batman, who is called upon to quell a maddening riot taking place in the infamous Arkham Asylum, a psychiatric hospital housing the most dangerous supervillains in Gotham City. Inside, Batman confronts many of his enduring rogues gallery, such as the Joker, Two-Face, and Killer Croc, many of whom have changed since he last saw them. As Batman ventures deeper, he discovers the origin of how the asylum was established, the history of its builder Amadeus Arkham, and the supernatural and psychological mystery that has been haunting the area.

Upon its release, the graphic novel garnered commercial and critical acclaim, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest Batman stories of all time, and one of the best works of Grant Morrison's career. The graphic novel would later become the definitive story of Arkham Asylum, a critical part of the Batman mythos. The critically acclaimed, similarly-titled video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, the first game in the Batman: Arkham series, was partially influenced by the graphic novel.