Barkham Asylum

by Yehudi Mercado

Who’s a good boy?

Jester is. Well, he wants to be. Maybe he is? He’s the Joker’s dog so of course he’s funny, but his sense of humor is about to be put to the test. Because when the super-villains of Gotham get thrown into Arkham, their henchpets go to the maximum-security pound known as Barkham Asylum.

Being the Clown Prince of Crime’s dog doesn’t win him any friends behind bars, especially after he gets a tough-talking stray cat named Penny tossed into lockup with him. But they’ll have to work together to figure out what the evil Warden Shar Pei’s helper, Dr. Hugo Mange, is up to. And the only way to stop this terrifying team-up is to win the talent show and get visitation with their masters at Arkham on the hill. Because the Joker is sure to help!

What could go wrong with that plan? And where does Gotham’s premier playboy Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred fit in?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Dc Comics, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics, Comics

160 pages, Paperback

Published May 21, 2024

About the author

Yehudi Mercado is a former pizza delivery driver and art director for Disney Interactive. He is currently a writer-artist-director living in Los Angeles by way of Austin Texas.

Reviews

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of Joker's dog getting sent to an insane asylum for super villain pets is kinda terrible, clearly spawned by the cheap pun that serves as the book's title. If I can give it anything, it's that it's original, at least. Just because you're writing for kids doesn't mean you have to dumb it down to this level. The jokes themselves are mostly forced and barely work, and certainly aren't funny. The art is actually quite nice, definitely the highlight of this comic. It's cartoony, but lends itself well to Batman's sternness and Joker's insanity. You really feel it here. Overall, not very good, and I definitely won't be recommending it.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be my favorite take on the superhero pet trope. Here, the pets all belong to supervillains, but they aren't simply extensions of their owners. Sure, their personalities and definitely their looks owe a lot to their owners, but they're also individual characters. Main dog Jester is Joker's dog, but he's a sweet and cheerful little guy. His personal storyline is, of course, about breaking free from Joker and finding a new family among the other supervillain pets, but it ends in a way that's kind of unexpected in a middle grade book, and I think shows a lot of perception about how difficult making a clean break from a dysfunctional family unit can be. Main cat Penny is definitely inspired by Catwoman, even if she isn't one of her pets. Her storyline is more about opening up to new people after a painful background. Definitely touches on some serious issues, but the touch is very light and mostly comedic. I also liked the character designs a lot, they're creative and visually distinct. I can imagine young readers putting this book down and drawing their own superhero and supervillain pets.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yehudi Mercado takes us into the world of Batman…and the world the animals of Gotham deal with…when they are locked up in the “vicious animals of Gotham’s criminal rogue's gallery”...and that place is called Barkham Asylum. All of the infamous rogues' animals are here in the book. Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Joker, The Riddler, Two Face, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Harley Quinn, the list goes on and on. The art style is very appealing, and the coloring done perfectly! This lighthearted adventure takes the villains pets and takes them on a wild adventure in order to reunite with their owners. The main pet is Jester (The Joker’s dog) who leads us on an entertaining adventure. I was not mesmerized by the story, but I would be happy if a sequel. The book is an all-ages type, where I feel my youngest daughter to me (won’t reveal my age, ha ha) can enjoy the book with no worries of content that would not be age appropriate.

[D.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. Jester is very naive in the part he plays as the Joker's dog, and one plot point doesn't get fully resolved I guess Oscar will stay as a dog, which is sad for him. I thought he would adopt Jester, but someone unexpectedly adopts him instead.

But the character interaction between Jester and Penny, and Jester's arc with his gang family and his found family is too good.

And it's punny. So be aware.

[Sarah Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated 5⭐️by a 7 year old. Enjoyed reading this with them doing different voices for the characters, think I entertained a few people on the train too! 7yr old loved the concept of this graphic novel focusing on the supervillain’s pets, and particularly enjoyed Jester’s joke about being a watch dog.

[mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need this on the Harley Quinn series

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm generally a fan of the DC kids graphic novel line, but this one feels paper thin in characters and story, with decent but not transcendent art to complement.

It's fine.

[Rachel Newhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a silly, harmless story about a puppo who wants to be a good dog and eventually succeeds. That is all.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and interesting tale. Funny and heartwarming.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter’s first graphic novel. She very much enjoyed it, and I had a good time reading it to her.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sucker for fur babies

[Belfry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine. Kids will like it, but DC has much better middle grade graphic novels.

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not my favorite book I’ve ever read due to the amount of side characters to keep up with that didn’t get a whole lot of development or add much to the plot, but I did enjoy this book. I felt bad for Jester and understood his attachment to the Joker. I did think it was sweet when Bruce and Alfred adopted all the animals from Barkham, although does that one guard ever turn back into a human? And one other big question: why could Jester not understand him as a dog?