Arkham Asylum: Living Hell
*Starred Review* Some folks just don't remember folk wisdom. Tried for the greatest stock fraud in history, Warren White--"the Great White Shark"--gambles on beating the rap by pleading insanity. With a change in venue to Gotham, he succeeds. But then he's remanded for psychiatric observation to the local slammer for criminal nuts, Arkham Asylum. White smirks, but the judge looks wolfishly pleased. Uh, Warren--didn't anyone ever tell you to be careful what you wish for? Besides, as any Lovecraftian could tell you, any place named Arkham is no place to visit. Well, Warren learns, starting with recognizing his new roommate: "That's Death Rattle! He's a cult leader and a homicidal maniac!" As for Warren's nickname, it's not Shark now, it's Fish. And then he takes a shower. The developments fly thick, fast, and gory during the rest of Warren's observation period, as well they might, given such fellow patients as Batman nemeses Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, and the rest, though the ones to watch are Jane Doe and Doodlebug--don't turn side or face, let alone back, on either of them. Though the art is just very good basic mainstream-comics-style stuff, Slott's script and the compositional variety among the separate frames are first rate for ingenuity and momentum. This, the first story arc from the magazineArkham Asylum, is justsofun!Ray OlsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved