While I wasn't a fan of the illustrations themselves I found the story interesting. I was caught by surprise when the city decided to turn the Wayne Manor into an asylum for the criminally insane. It reminded me of American Horror Story when a corrupt society tried to create chaos into sanity

While I was surprised by the turn the story took, I was not surprised by Batman's decision to go ahead and let them build the asylum in the house of his family. Batman is a man of practicality, minus all the gadgets, and it made sense that he would want his manor to be used for a purpose to better Gotham. After all, he created Batman in order to rid Gotham of the evil that lurked in every corner.

The story itself never had a calm moment, something that is ideal for graphic novels. I kept thinking the story was over and then it took another twist and turn and kept it going, a snowball gathering speed and density.

This graphic novel was complex in a way that forced me to focus, lest I miss the story. Several times I found myself distracted by the gory images (my cup of tea!) and realized that I missed a vital section on the story. Complexity is something I am hesitant to enjoy. While I love losing myself in a story I don’t like being so lost that I can’t find my way through the graphic novel. Fortunately, the story directly corresponded to the dialogue itself so I was able to wade my way back onto dry land.

If you are a fan of Batman, you probably won’t be disappointed by this. Reading this V. 1 instead of publication-by-publication adds to the enjoyment. If I didn’t read this in volume format I would have been disappointed, only because I had to wait for the next installment to come out.
Graphic novels that are fully bound are what I enjoy the most.

I’m a self-professed Marvel-girl but I’m always open to new graphic novel installments. I can now say with confidence that I am both a Marvel girl and, now, a DC girl.