7 Scariest Batman Moments Ever
1. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth The winner is without a doubt Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth. And not just a singular moment from this groundbreaking 1989 graphic novel by Grant Morrison, but the entire book as a whole. If you see this as me cheating by picking a whole story as a scary moment, then you are a fool who has clearly never experienced this macabre window into madness and fear. Created in a surrealist manner with strong pathological tones as well as sexual conflicts and even architecture, Arkham Asylum creates a Batman world that needs to be seen to be believed. If you have never read it yourself, or it has been a long time since you entered that serious house, it is time to remedy either of those psychoses. By far the scariest Batman moments in comics appear behind the walls of Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum. This is in large part due to the absolutely shocking and almost impossible artwork of Dave McKean. Batman takes on the image of a giant charcoal wraith with haunting angles and a wispy cape. The Joker (always the flip side of Batman's coin) appears as a neon splash of insanity and clown makeup. Never has the Joker looked so manic, horrifying, and beautiful all at once. Then you have the flashback sequences of Amadeus Arkham tending to his bug-filled mouthed mother and losing his mind to the point of wearing a wedding dress complete with straight razor. The final piece of this terror puzzle is the stunning lettering job done by Gaspar Saladino. Giving all the characters different fonts when they speak was nothing short of genius. The Joker in particular with his blood red splashed dialogue gave the character the perfect "voice" that has resonated with readers ever since. At the time this practice of fonts to fit the character was being pioneered. Now it shows up almost everywhere you look. And comics I feel are all the better for it. Arkham Asylum exists in it's own strange world by itself. From the Joker telling Batman he's sharpening pencils so he can poke out a young girl's eyes, to a tragic Two-Face who can't even decide not to urinate on himself due to new treatments involving tarot cards and a six sided die, fear lives around every corner. Even Clayface comes off as a horror in this book and that is saying something in my opinion. Arkham Asylum has it all my friends. Once again I must insist that you commit yourself to this graphic novel madhouse at once! That does it for my list of terrors. I do hope you enjoyed it. But now for a question: What scares you in the Batman world? Do you have what it takes to plunge into the horrors that lurk in Gotham? Comment below... If you dare...