#Spooktober 11 – Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

October 11, 2023

There aren’t many places that spell “Halloween” more than Gotham City and, in Gotham, the crown piece has to be Arkham Asylum. Whether you’re a DC fan or not, I suggest you give it a chance this October and, if you don’t know where to start, I can only point you towards this graphic novel written by Grant Morrison (not a fan) and illustrated by Dave McKean (definitely a fan).

The story follows Batman, “the world’s greatest detective”, as he’s called to quell a riot inside the Asylum. As he fights historical opponents such as the Joker, he has to venture deeper and deeper into the building, eventually discovering how it was founded and its connection with ancient, more haunting mysteries. Through the diary of the asylum’s founder, Amadeus Arkham, the story takes us through the horror of how society deals with mental illness, without mercy and without quarters, in one of the few stories subverting the insane monster trope otherwise permeating Batman’s universe.

art and fashion

The Painters of the Revolution

I have a problem with the artistic current of the Macchiaioli, and my problem is that I always get them mixed up with Divisionism. And I don’t like Divisionism, so I almost skipped this exhibition, and that would have been a shame because I do

February 22, 2026 9:00 am

books and literature

The Apothecary Diaries

I discovered The Apothecary Diaries through the anime on Netflix: I generally don’t like them but we’re not getting good animation, I was desperate, and what caught my eye were the beautiful backgrounds in some of the promos. Then I switched to the manga. I

February 21, 2026 9:00 am

books and literature

The Art of NASA

This is the second book I read by this author, and I bought it for two reasons: Alas, I was disappointed on both fronts. The preface is very good andframes the (excellent) graphics in this book as coming from two categories:1) the will of NASA

February 20, 2026 9:00 am