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Batman: Miniseries
Batman: City of Madness
Buried deep beneath Gotham City there exists another Gotham.
Multi-Eisner award winner Christian Ward unleashes this cosmic-horror epic of the twisted Gotham Below.
Buried deep beneath Gotham City there exists another Gotham. This Gotham Below is a living nightmare, populated by twisted mirrors of our Gotham’s denizens, fueled by the fear and hatred flowing down from above. For decades, the doorway between the cities has been sealed and heavily guarded by the Court of Owls. But now the door swings wide, and the twisted version of the Dark Knight has escaped…to trap and train a Robin of his own.
Batman must form an uneasy alliance with the Court and its deadly allies to stop him—and to hold back the wave of twisted super-villains, nightmarish versions of his own nemeses, each one worse than the last, that’s spilling into his streets!
Multi-Eisner award winner Christian Ward unleashes this cosmic-horror epic of the twisted Gotham Below.
Buried deep beneath Gotham City there exists another Gotham. This Gotham Below is a living nightmare, populated by twisted mirrors of our Gotham’s denizens, fueled by the fear and hatred flowing down from above. For decades, the doorway between the cities has been sealed and heavily guarded by the Court of Owls. But now the door swings wide, and the twisted version of the Dark Knight has escaped…to trap and train a Robin of his own.
Batman must form an uneasy alliance with the Court and its deadly allies to stop him—and to hold back the wave of twisted super-villains, nightmarish versions of his own nemeses, each one worse than the last, that’s spilling into his streets!
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2024
29 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
October 1, 2024
7.2/10
Fairly good story. You have the count of Owls, a weird Gotham below your normal one and spooky looking version of Batman. The highlight however is the art. Ward does a great job and his art is great to look on this oversized format.
Fairly good story. You have the count of Owls, a weird Gotham below your normal one and spooky looking version of Batman. The highlight however is the art. Ward does a great job and his art is great to look on this oversized format.
January 10, 2025
There was definitely POTENTIAL here, and a firmer editorial hand may have seen it come to a fuller fruition. I find the notion of parallel mirror worlds that both reflect and mock our own fascinating, but with the quality of execution here I'd rather just re-watch Stranger Things.
A few F-bombs and gory scenes aside I didn't really feel it really lived up to the "DC Black Label" billing, either.
A few F-bombs and gory scenes aside I didn't really feel it really lived up to the "DC Black Label" billing, either.
December 29, 2024
This was enjoyable enough, in a Lovecraftian pastiche kind of way. I couldn’t shake the feeling throughout, though, that the story had been written around the ‘cool’ imagery Ward wanted to create, almost as an afterthought or excuse. Perhaps I’m being too harsh; the twist ending certainly made up for the story’s previous weaknesses and is the main reason I’m rounding up instead of down.
Speaking of the artwork, I’m not as enamoured of it as a lot of people seem to be. Perhaps it’s not as obvious to people who aren’t artists themselves but it’s clear to me that Ward uses the digital (and often unnapealingly garish) painting effects to disguise weaknesses in his draughtsmanship. I don’t think people would be raving about his art if this layer was stripped away, but… hey? Maybe it’s the end result that matters, not how you got there.
3.5 stars.
Speaking of the artwork, I’m not as enamoured of it as a lot of people seem to be. Perhaps it’s not as obvious to people who aren’t artists themselves but it’s clear to me that Ward uses the digital (and often unnapealingly garish) painting effects to disguise weaknesses in his draughtsmanship. I don’t think people would be raving about his art if this layer was stripped away, but… hey? Maybe it’s the end result that matters, not how you got there.
3.5 stars.
September 20, 2025
A good book. Even with my bias against horror, I still liked this book. I saw some of the interior art before buying this book, but it fits the story perfectly.
Gotham has its darkness and its protectors, but now things are getting darker. What could be so bad that Batman's villains and the Court of the Owls are asking/demanding his help?
A good story, I'm not sure what Alfred's side story/narration was about. Not the best action scenes either but a very good story. The book finishes with a huge variant cover gallery and character designs.
Gotham has its darkness and its protectors, but now things are getting darker. What could be so bad that Batman's villains and the Court of the Owls are asking/demanding his help?
A good story, I'm not sure what Alfred's side story/narration was about. Not the best action scenes either but a very good story. The book finishes with a huge variant cover gallery and character designs.
June 17, 2025
Considering DC Comics’ mishandling of their own Black Label imprint – due to the nudity controversy from the first issue of Batman: Damned – as much as they have reprinted classic DC and Vertigo titles to fit with this new imprint for baffling reasons, the plan was intended to present traditional DC Universe characters for a mature audience with stand-alone Prestige Format series. While it is fun seeing creators like Tom King being let off the leash to put his own spin on iconic and obscure DC characters, the imprint seems to be an excuse for any creator to write and draw their own Batman story without having to worry about the main continuity, which brings us onto Batman: City of Madness.
Written and drawn by Christian Ward, this three-issue narrative introduces the twisted Gotham Below, buried deep beneath the Gotham City that we all know, only to be populated by twisted mirrors of our Gotham’s denizens, fuelled by the fear and hatred flowing down from above. When the doorway between the cities opens for the first time in decades, the Court of Owls seeks the help of the Dark Knight himself, who must stop a darker version of himself who has captured and trained a young man to be a Robin of his own.
Having previously collaborated with writer Ram V on the Black Label title Aquaman: Andromeda, that book’s approach to cosmic horror clearly had an effect on Ward when conceiving this story. If you know your Lovecraftian horror, this book is drenched with a love towards that subgenre, from twisted versions of Batman and his rogues gallery looking like Cthulhu, to characters looking like they are on the verge of insanity, which is appropriate with Arkham Asylum being a major setting.
Speaking of Arkham, reading this series felt reminiscent of Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, acclaimed for its psychologically-driven and horror-oriented take on the Batman mythos. You can see McKean’s surreal art-style having an influence on Ward as an artist, who uses the larger page format to go wild with psychedelic colouring and unconventional panelling. Presenting two versions of these Gotham-based characters, there is always something otherworldly to whoever Ward draws, such as the clever distinction between Two-Face Above and Below.
Considering that each of the three issues are longer than your typical comic book issue, which allows for a lot of content from obscure characters popping up like Flamingo, whilst Alfred writes his journal that serves as an ongoing narration, Ward still feels constrained by the three issues. Despite the massive scope where a lot of characters are thrown around, such as the Count of Owls which is a big deal, some of Ward’s storytelling decisions are rather loose like the whole Two-Face subplot. That said, there are great moments of characterisation, such as the young boy who is hell-bent on revenge that he chooses to give into the darkness by the Batman Below, and it is up to the Caped Crusader to help him out of it.
The influences behind this book are obvious and if Christian Ward had more issues to tell, Batman: City of Madness would have been an all-time great, but in its current state, it remains a highly enjoyable, artistically surreal read that brings cosmic horror to the Batman mythos.
Written and drawn by Christian Ward, this three-issue narrative introduces the twisted Gotham Below, buried deep beneath the Gotham City that we all know, only to be populated by twisted mirrors of our Gotham’s denizens, fuelled by the fear and hatred flowing down from above. When the doorway between the cities opens for the first time in decades, the Court of Owls seeks the help of the Dark Knight himself, who must stop a darker version of himself who has captured and trained a young man to be a Robin of his own.
Having previously collaborated with writer Ram V on the Black Label title Aquaman: Andromeda, that book’s approach to cosmic horror clearly had an effect on Ward when conceiving this story. If you know your Lovecraftian horror, this book is drenched with a love towards that subgenre, from twisted versions of Batman and his rogues gallery looking like Cthulhu, to characters looking like they are on the verge of insanity, which is appropriate with Arkham Asylum being a major setting.
Speaking of Arkham, reading this series felt reminiscent of Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, acclaimed for its psychologically-driven and horror-oriented take on the Batman mythos. You can see McKean’s surreal art-style having an influence on Ward as an artist, who uses the larger page format to go wild with psychedelic colouring and unconventional panelling. Presenting two versions of these Gotham-based characters, there is always something otherworldly to whoever Ward draws, such as the clever distinction between Two-Face Above and Below.
Considering that each of the three issues are longer than your typical comic book issue, which allows for a lot of content from obscure characters popping up like Flamingo, whilst Alfred writes his journal that serves as an ongoing narration, Ward still feels constrained by the three issues. Despite the massive scope where a lot of characters are thrown around, such as the Count of Owls which is a big deal, some of Ward’s storytelling decisions are rather loose like the whole Two-Face subplot. That said, there are great moments of characterisation, such as the young boy who is hell-bent on revenge that he chooses to give into the darkness by the Batman Below, and it is up to the Caped Crusader to help him out of it.
The influences behind this book are obvious and if Christian Ward had more issues to tell, Batman: City of Madness would have been an all-time great, but in its current state, it remains a highly enjoyable, artistically surreal read that brings cosmic horror to the Batman mythos.
November 6, 2025
Let me try to explain my hatred for Batman. It started innocently enough. Like many people, I grew up loving Batman. I watched the old Adam West series in reruns. I read the Neil Adams comics and, later, Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns". When Tim Burton's film came out, I loved it, and I loved his sequel even more.
Then Joel Schumacher came along, and he fucked everything up. His films "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin" were some of the most god-awful dreck to be put on film. For many years, I wanted nothing to do with anything Batman. Christopher Nolan's take on Batman was a rare exception, but for the most part, I stayed away from any movie, TV show, or comic book series that was Batman or Batman-adjacent.
I tried to rekindle the spark a few times. I saw the first "Suicide Squad". Hated it. I saw the DC movies starring Ben Affleck. They all sucked; even the Zach Snyder Director's Cut of "Justice League", which was really just an unbearbaly longer albeit somewhat more comprehensible version of an incredibly crappy film.
My hatred for Batman did not abate. Indeed, it continues on to this day. And yet...
Every once in a while, I will come across something having to do with Batman that is actually pretty well-done. Recently, it was Scott Snyder's alternate-reality take in "Absolute Batman".
I just finished Christian Ward's "Batman: City of Madness" and was rather impressed with the obvious Lovecraftian inspiration. Ward also was heavily inspired by Grant Morrison's graphic novel series "Arkham Asylum", a series that I could not finish and did not like, but Ward's iteration was far more interesting.
The plot: Something weird is going on in Gotham. (Well, weirder than normal anyway.) Batman is getting some vibes that something big and awful is about to happen. He soon discovers that there is another Gotham (think "The Upside-Down" from Stranger Things) and an alternate monster-Batman that bears a striking resemblance to Cthulu in a Batman suit. This other Batman has found a crack in the wall that separates the dimensions and has been wreaking havoc and spreading a violent madness throughout the Gotham of this world. Of course, Batman must save Gotham and the world from unstoppable evil.
Sounds silly, but it kept me engaged and played on my love for Lovecraftian cosmic horror/weirdness. It also managed to spark that little dead wick of love I once had for Batman...
Then Joel Schumacher came along, and he fucked everything up. His films "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin" were some of the most god-awful dreck to be put on film. For many years, I wanted nothing to do with anything Batman. Christopher Nolan's take on Batman was a rare exception, but for the most part, I stayed away from any movie, TV show, or comic book series that was Batman or Batman-adjacent.
I tried to rekindle the spark a few times. I saw the first "Suicide Squad". Hated it. I saw the DC movies starring Ben Affleck. They all sucked; even the Zach Snyder Director's Cut of "Justice League", which was really just an unbearbaly longer albeit somewhat more comprehensible version of an incredibly crappy film.
My hatred for Batman did not abate. Indeed, it continues on to this day. And yet...
Every once in a while, I will come across something having to do with Batman that is actually pretty well-done. Recently, it was Scott Snyder's alternate-reality take in "Absolute Batman".
I just finished Christian Ward's "Batman: City of Madness" and was rather impressed with the obvious Lovecraftian inspiration. Ward also was heavily inspired by Grant Morrison's graphic novel series "Arkham Asylum", a series that I could not finish and did not like, but Ward's iteration was far more interesting.
The plot: Something weird is going on in Gotham. (Well, weirder than normal anyway.) Batman is getting some vibes that something big and awful is about to happen. He soon discovers that there is another Gotham (think "The Upside-Down" from Stranger Things) and an alternate monster-Batman that bears a striking resemblance to Cthulu in a Batman suit. This other Batman has found a crack in the wall that separates the dimensions and has been wreaking havoc and spreading a violent madness throughout the Gotham of this world. Of course, Batman must save Gotham and the world from unstoppable evil.
Sounds silly, but it kept me engaged and played on my love for Lovecraftian cosmic horror/weirdness. It also managed to spark that little dead wick of love I once had for Batman...
October 6, 2024
A dark story with strong Lovecraft overtones. Hey, I love Lovecraft!
Ward uses his greatest asset - his visual art and his colour palette - to develop a psychedelic and morbid universe in Gotham over a rather basic horror/fantasy basis.
There's no need to dwell on the weakness of the plot - even though it's pretty well told in storytelling terms - but rather to let yourself be carried away by the images and the deleterious atmosphere of this world below.
Ward uses his greatest asset - his visual art and his colour palette - to develop a psychedelic and morbid universe in Gotham over a rather basic horror/fantasy basis.
There's no need to dwell on the weakness of the plot - even though it's pretty well told in storytelling terms - but rather to let yourself be carried away by the images and the deleterious atmosphere of this world below.
November 7, 2024
A city built for a Batman.A Batman built for a city.A never-ending trauma machine.
"...maybe there never would have been a Batman if he had talked about his feelings"
A Black label DC comic that doesn't really go into that territory.
The Court of Owls asks for Batman's help in restraining a version of Batman in city under Gotham..
Love the idea of a Below Gotham...and it does feel a little constrained by 3 issues..even though they are oversized.
Lots of influences here from Lovecraft to previous Arkham classics.
"...maybe there never would have been a Batman if he had talked about his feelings"
A Black label DC comic that doesn't really go into that territory.
The Court of Owls asks for Batman's help in restraining a version of Batman in city under Gotham..
Love the idea of a Below Gotham...and it does feel a little constrained by 3 issues..even though they are oversized.
Lots of influences here from Lovecraft to previous Arkham classics.
March 21, 2024
When Bruce starts digging deeper into the development of the Cult of Owls down Below, he's gonna be even more pissed. It felt as though there was more story to develop in that front. (Where did the Talon end up?)
The Batfam moments, though. I live for them. Alfred allowing Bruce to read his latest letter so that he knows just how deeply he's cared for. (Below Bruce, you deserved the world). The last panel. God. Just that last panel.
Harvey, both Above and Below, was a total delight.
The Batfam moments, though. I live for them. Alfred allowing Bruce to read his latest letter so that he knows just how deeply he's cared for. (Below Bruce, you deserved the world). The last panel. God. Just that last panel.
Harvey, both Above and Below, was a total delight.
April 14, 2024
speed-running some dc stuff as my subscription expires tomorrow. the concept of a cracked-mirror gotham is a good one, but three chapters just really wasn’t enough to give it depth or execute it properly. its saving grace is ward’s fantastic hallucinatory coloring; a full-page panel in the second chapter of an enormous owl w stairs winding around it into a dark underwater realm is particularly memorable.
May 22, 2024
It's a slightly bizarre story with the elements of Eldritch horror mixed in with some wonderfully emotional moments from characters, which sounds weird but makes for excellent reading.
I particularly loved the art because it fits the theme perfectly and adds beautifully to the overall feeling of unease of the story.
I particularly loved the art because it fits the theme perfectly and adds beautifully to the overall feeling of unease of the story.
February 17, 2024
Such a beautiful book with so many cool lovecraftian imagery and lots of cool takes on the Batman mythos. Loved it a lot.
9/10.
9/10.
January 7, 2025
The Court of Owls has been hiding something: an upside-down version of Gotham hidden beneath the city. Now, a cosmic horror Batman has escaped from under-Gotham and dragged a young boy back to his lair. Batman must work with various elements of his rogues gallery, all of whom have been a bit touched by the unleashed undercity, to save the boy (and Gotham).
City of Madness is a pretty solid "spooky" Batman book. It has less swirly-scary cosmic horror than I expected (that's a good thing, especially with Christian Ward as the author/illustrator) and features some pretty decent characterizations. The plot (while silly) flowed along nicely. Ward clearly wanted to play in the whole sandbox, so he brings in a number of ancillary characters that don't really need to be there. Still, they don't hurt the story's progress.
I appreciate the self-contained nature of City of Madness. Though the ending leaves an opening for more (), I was pretty content with this standalone read.
City of Madness is a pretty solid "spooky" Batman book. It has less swirly-scary cosmic horror than I expected (that's a good thing, especially with Christian Ward as the author/illustrator) and features some pretty decent characterizations. The plot (while silly) flowed along nicely. Ward clearly wanted to play in the whole sandbox, so he brings in a number of ancillary characters that don't really need to be there. Still, they don't hurt the story's progress.
I appreciate the self-contained nature of City of Madness. Though the ending leaves an opening for more (), I was pretty content with this standalone read.
January 3, 2025
A stunning book full of fantastic art.
A great use of the court of owls and a fascinating central premise that perhaps doesn't hit as hard in the cosmic horror as it feels it will
But does tie in nicely to the themes.
A fun black label bat horror indeed
A great use of the court of owls and a fascinating central premise that perhaps doesn't hit as hard in the cosmic horror as it feels it will
But does tie in nicely to the themes.
A fun black label bat horror indeed
December 1, 2024
Deep beneath Gotham City, where no one can visit or even detect it, lies Gotham Below, a sort of Upside Down opposite equivalent that has copies of every citizen in Gotham Above, including villains, and including Batman. When their Batman manages to break through the boundary separating the two versions and kidnaps a young boy dead set on a revenge killing of the GCPD officer who killed his father, the Court of Owls seeks the assistance of Batman. The boundary was theirs to protect and they have no idea how Batman Below got through. But who would understand the mind of that monster better than his Above equivalent.
My lord this is a twisted tale. I hate making the obvious allusion to Stranger Things, particularly season four, and the Upside Down and Vecna, but this arc really screams it aloud. And it’s not a bad thing. But once you have it in your head, you won’t be able to escape it. Despite this, or maybe in spite of it, it’s a very interesting and horrific spin on Batman lore and the art is amazing in a very Kabuki-esque way.
My lord this is a twisted tale. I hate making the obvious allusion to Stranger Things, particularly season four, and the Upside Down and Vecna, but this arc really screams it aloud. And it’s not a bad thing. But once you have it in your head, you won’t be able to escape it. Despite this, or maybe in spite of it, it’s a very interesting and horrific spin on Batman lore and the art is amazing in a very Kabuki-esque way.
November 26, 2024
I remember when Christian posted the illustration that lead to this book. I was excited and I had high hopes- I want more supernatural Batman stories- and this exceeded those hopes. A new favorite Batman book.
September 19, 2024
Batman: City of Madness collects issues 1-3 of the DC Comics Black Label series written, drawn, and colored by Christian Ward.
Something sinister is lurking below the surface of Gotham City and Gotham’s rogues are acting strange, even for them. Harvey Dent is hanging on to control of Two-Face, and warns Batman that there is something, or someone, giving him a signal of a danger coming to Gotham. The Court of Owls have been guarding a secret door to the Gotham below, a twisted and dark version of the city, and something has escaped…
Christian Ward does triple duty on a passion project that he has been planning for years. The book borrows heavily from Lovecraftian and Eldritch horror designs and themes while also being a deeply emotional character driven tale. I personally believe the story is too contained with only three issues and could have easily become an all time classic with an additional 2 issues. The book does end with a nice tease that could be easily developed into a sequel.
Christian Ward’s art is breathtaking and adds to the original story. Black Label’s over-sized magazine format works really well for Ward’s style with some absolutely beautiful pieces. I would have loved for a few more single and double page splashes, but the tight story only allowed for a handful.
Batman fans should definitely give this book a read.
Something sinister is lurking below the surface of Gotham City and Gotham’s rogues are acting strange, even for them. Harvey Dent is hanging on to control of Two-Face, and warns Batman that there is something, or someone, giving him a signal of a danger coming to Gotham. The Court of Owls have been guarding a secret door to the Gotham below, a twisted and dark version of the city, and something has escaped…
Christian Ward does triple duty on a passion project that he has been planning for years. The book borrows heavily from Lovecraftian and Eldritch horror designs and themes while also being a deeply emotional character driven tale. I personally believe the story is too contained with only three issues and could have easily become an all time classic with an additional 2 issues. The book does end with a nice tease that could be easily developed into a sequel.
Christian Ward’s art is breathtaking and adds to the original story. Black Label’s over-sized magazine format works really well for Ward’s style with some absolutely beautiful pieces. I would have loved for a few more single and double page splashes, but the tight story only allowed for a handful.
Batman fans should definitely give this book a read.
October 23, 2024
Gorgeous artwork (obviously). Morrison and McKean's Arkham Asylum was never really my bag so I probably didn't get as much out of this as I would have if it was. The inclusion of Amadeus and his son in the third act felt a little kicked-in but knowing this is meant to be a spiritual sequel to Arkham Asylum helps that feel like a more natural inclusion. Interesting ideas about trauma and how it mutates as it gets passed on to the people around you. Always excited to read a story with Two-Face as a force of (somewhat) good. Really excited for Ward's upcoming Two-Face miniseries. He seems to have a fondness for and understanding of the character that is severely lacking in modern Batman comics.
Anyway, cool, creepy little fantasy story for spooky Halloween season!
Anyway, cool, creepy little fantasy story for spooky Halloween season!
October 11, 2024
This miniseries is another in a long line of Batman black label books that don't really justify themselves. Nothing here is bad, and the art is fantastic. I just don't think the story is all that interesting. The art and colors continue to be absolutely phenomenal and is the main draw for me with this book. I enjoyed Christian Ward's take on a cosmic horror-tinted Batman, although I felt that the series struggled at times with explaining how the Gotham Below fit within the general themes in the psyche of Gotham's Dark Knight.
January 5, 2025
Gotham mixes so well with the Lovecraftian, this ones major flaw (I think I would have ranked it much higher otherwise) was how much it is actually really there- the squid faced Batman from a mirror world that exists under Gotham, but like it was real it was really there filled with monsters. I think the Arkham story by Morrison will be the best at being lovecraftian without ever really straying into the THIS IS REAL category that kind of ruins the madness vibe of the story.
The art is awesome, great designs all around. I still don’t love the talon, for an epic villain he just feels kind of lame to me. I would recommend this quick and beautiful comic to any Batman fan but I don’t know if it will be anyone’s favorite Batman story or change much, but it was a fun Sunday read.
The art is awesome, great designs all around. I still don’t love the talon, for an epic villain he just feels kind of lame to me. I would recommend this quick and beautiful comic to any Batman fan but I don’t know if it will be anyone’s favorite Batman story or change much, but it was a fun Sunday read.
October 18, 2024
A pseudo-Cthulhu Batman story is something that sounds a bit silly (more so since it’s set in modern day) but writer/ artist Christian Ward presents this very idea in a mostly compelling way.
The idea of an alternative Gotham with normal Gotham’s counterparts is fun (similar to the movie ‘Us’) and the way in which we, as the reader, learn about it is good. But there are some somewhat rushed plot points and ideas that, whilst serviceable, are a little under developed. I like the idea of DC’s Black Label imprint but it feels like we get longer issues wherein no much happens then a rushed third issue. I’d prefer they went back to a more standard format in both size and issue number. Every black label title I’ve read suffers this same way.
Christian Ward’s art work seems to be very hit or miss with people but it’s a bit hit for me.
3/5
The idea of an alternative Gotham with normal Gotham’s counterparts is fun (similar to the movie ‘Us’) and the way in which we, as the reader, learn about it is good. But there are some somewhat rushed plot points and ideas that, whilst serviceable, are a little under developed. I like the idea of DC’s Black Label imprint but it feels like we get longer issues wherein no much happens then a rushed third issue. I’d prefer they went back to a more standard format in both size and issue number. Every black label title I’ve read suffers this same way.
Christian Ward’s art work seems to be very hit or miss with people but it’s a bit hit for me.
3/5
June 22, 2025
The art is absolutely fantastic. It makes me think of what an Into/Across the Spider-Verse animation about Batman would look like, and I’d imagine it would look something like this. The character analysis we see of Batman thinking back on his decision to recruit Robin rather than give him proper help, and realizing how that was more a decision made for himself than for Dick’s benefit is amazingly done. One of the most engaging Batman comics I’ve read, devoured it in one sitting.
November 23, 2024
I’m such a sucker for these Black Label Magazine sized hardcovers, so there was no way I wasn’t going to love this. Ward is one of my favorite artists, I can see his influences on the page but he remixes them into something pretty unrecognizable. The story is cool, but Ward’s art is the main star.
October 22, 2024
This book adds something truly new to the greater Batman mythos - which is really saying something - even if the emotional resolution is a bit flat footed and simplistic. Ward’s art, though, is haunting, surreal, grotesque - really something of the best of the painterly style working right now.
November 30, 2024
Dope art, decent story but I'm a horror fan so I'll be generous.
January 10, 2025
Art work was beautiful, really different take on the darkness of Gotham City. Would recommend this story!
September 27, 2024
the art was so delicious. glad to own the physical issues 😋
August 3, 2025
Gotham City meets Jordan Peele’s “Us” with a touch of lovecraftian horror to tie everything together.
April 2, 2025
Tackled this write-up on an issue by issue basis, just to put the structure into context.
It's been a while since I've read a book which sets itself up as a pseudo-sequel to a classic and actually succeeds in making itself interesting enough to carry such a burden; Batman City of Madness has thus far proved to be a delightful exception. I love how Ward wears his influences on his sleeve, and yet still shines with originality and creativity. I love the references to Reeves and Mckean across the first issue, I also love Ward's original designs for each character he tackles or creates. This is also by far some of the best I've seen the Court utilised since their initial creation by Snyder. I'm overwhelmed with excitement after finishing the first issue, can't wait to see where this goes.
The second issue hones in more on what this story is truly exploring; the cyclical perpetuating trauma, growing like a cancer in the roots of this world, as the court has grown in the city of Gotham, as this Gotham Below has festered beneath right under Batman's nose. That one page where Bruce, in his mind, wishing he could express himself and say to Dick what he's thinking, envisions his recruiting of Dick in the same light as Wesker's push towards villainy almost made me cry, it is a brilliant moment. The book continues to be creatively rich and varied in its style, focusing more so as it goes on the lovecraftian horror, and building closer to its Arkham Asylum influence. Who else noticed the Burton nod? Loving this book so far, onto book 3 (the finale).
Getting to the end of this and reading through the extras and the journey, I'm just so glad that Christian Ward got to make this book. I'm glad that if anyone was going to try and follow up on Arkham Asylum, one of my favourite books ever, it is someone who loves it as much as I do. I think it's great, and that it sticks the landing in doing what it sets out to. I also think that as much as I'm sick of seeing people try and over explain and give origin stories to the Joker, that this (the Arthur copy tease/reveal) is probably my favourite attempt at that which I've seen in a long time, if ever, and feels the most appropriate way of dealing with an explanation, in that it sort of strips him of any full identity, without making him any form of knowable entity with some hidden nature; he is a manifestation of the void left by trauma, the words left unspoken left to fester into laughable madness and universally chaotic cruelty, he is the idea of the pain that fills the spaces, the spaces created by bad days and the subsequent repressions that come with such traumas. He is the punchline to the sick joke you want to forget, he is the result of the random nature of fate, he is the wrong end of the stick, so to speak, because he was cut off the end of that very stick, he is what's left after that event, he's the result of a bad situation, and he's the very idea of that bad situation creating something worse when that feeling is left to fester without resolution, without any hope for rehabilitation, he is the corrupted, vile memory of the worst day ever spun on a loop forever, with a sick smile on his face while he shows others what it feels like, because he looks back on it, and laughs.
I feel that if you felt you absolutely had to give Joker a backstory, then this is the first one I've seen in a long while that actually feels like it could fit if it had to, though this is very much in its own comic book pocket space, grouped in as a sort of spiritual sequel to Arkham Asylum, itself a story which sits outside of “mainline continuity“, it works for me more so than most that have been shoehorned in by the likes of Geoff Johns or even Zdarsky's (whom I have liked other works by, for the record) recent additions to the characters unnecessarily ever expanding mythos in his “Joker Year One”, which only really served to make the character knowable in a way which feels cheap and underwhelming, and recontextualize the character in a way that makes him less interesting and put into more of a box than anyone would really want him to be in. Giving the Joker a name is sort of pointless, in that it's kind of like “ok yeah he was… a guy? I sort of presumed that? What is this supposed to change other than him having less mystery and therefore less of the aura he carried previous to this reveal?”. In this book, he isn't given a name, only a vague implication that he might be the offcut of someone else's pain, who upon coming into existence, found the void he was meant to fill, and decided to fill it with noise, with pain, and with laughter. It's still mysterious, and esoteric and weird, and I don't mind it, especially in comparison to aforementioned recent attempts at the character which only served to sour things for me. Let the Joker be an idea, brought into monstrous existence by the pain of just a guy, any guy, it doesn't matter who, because the Joker in essence is the idea that anyone has the potential to do bad things, especially when pushed by pain, or betrayal, by bad taste and badder days, he was on the wrong end of one the universes bad jokes, and so he laughed it off, and the Joker is his retort.
This doesn't change that, it doesn't try to make the character into something that he isn't, or try to explain why he does what he does or exactly what he is, or who he is, it just puts him into the context this particular version of the BatMythos sets up. It just kinda goes “oh yeah, here you go, that's what happened to get us here”, but it doesn't waste time trying to fill every little gap in between in, it lets that space be full of ambiguity, which is more effective for a character like the Joker, because with him you shouldn't always know, you should be terrified about what else he's doing, the things you don't see. What makes him scary is that uncertainty and unpredictability, it's those “well why? What was he doing? Where's he been? Where's he going?” Questions that should keep you up at night, not “what's his real name though?”, like, for what? How's that going to help anyone? Do you think it'll give you some key to unlocking his mystery? The secret to his sick and twisted mind? You think you can talk the fucking Joker down from all this? What, do You wanna send him a letter? Do you need his fucking postcode too? Send it to Arkham, I'm sure it'll get to him eventually, he's there a lot. No, Joker is so far on the other end of the sanity spectrum he isn't meant to be findable, or fixable, he isn't insane, he's unsane, if you get what I'm trying to say. He isn't the type of guy you could reason with anyway, and at the end of the day he's a character that's built to oppose the hero of the story, and so for the most part that isn't always even the question that's supposed to be being asked, it's interesting in some cases to try, but the whole point of the Joker is that there isn't, and should never be an answer, he's not an agent of chaos, he is a living laughing manifestation of that chaos.
Splitting him off into different Joker versions, or personalities (the “clown, demon and silent serial killer” stuff which reads like 3 jokers all fucking over again), and saying shit like “the Joker could have won at any moment, making every other story meaningless and making Batman permanently inferior by default cos I said so” is just a bit of a dick move. Geoff Johns pulls the same kinda shit, not just with Joker but has definitely done so with Joker no question (again, 3 jokers being the unnecessary, contradictory mess that it is, and his recent aforementioned “Jack Oswald White” bullshit). This however, handles it differently, in a way that is respectful, in its own corner, and I liked that a lot. And I think the vagueness of its execution makes it interesting without pointing to itself and going “whowoahwa! Look at that! This changes everything! And nothing will ever be the same again! Remember this! Remember to tag my name on all those future stories! Cos everyone should know it was me who made this character what it is today! I'm so important, cos I did this big fucking Joker moment that matters so much! I'm making an impact! look at me!”. This book, and its very own “Joker moment" of sorts, just tells its own interesting version of a Batman story and introduces a cool idea within it, without being overly pretentious about it, and doesn't act like it changes everything, it just informs you of a cool little detail about this world in particular and moves on. Thanks Ward, for not being a Dick about it, and for doing something with the Joker that doesn't feel entirely fucking arbitrary and fake. Was it entirely necessary? Maybe not for some, but for me? It worked just fine here.
Anyway, Joker tangent aside, book good.
The Alfred hug on the final page is wonderful, and something we don't get to see too often, Bruce getting to grow and heal a little, getting to open up and connect and be vulnerable with the people who love and care about him, who he loves and cares about. I love how we see him reflect on his relationship with Dick, and with his own trauma, and how he saves the would-be Robin, and makes sure he gets help, and doesn't fall into the same endless trauma war so many in Gotham have been caught in, he helps him heal, and sets him free.
All in all, good for you Christian Ward, and thank you! You did it! And its fucking awesome. And good for me! Cos its fucking awesome!
Xx
It's been a while since I've read a book which sets itself up as a pseudo-sequel to a classic and actually succeeds in making itself interesting enough to carry such a burden; Batman City of Madness has thus far proved to be a delightful exception. I love how Ward wears his influences on his sleeve, and yet still shines with originality and creativity. I love the references to Reeves and Mckean across the first issue, I also love Ward's original designs for each character he tackles or creates. This is also by far some of the best I've seen the Court utilised since their initial creation by Snyder. I'm overwhelmed with excitement after finishing the first issue, can't wait to see where this goes.
The second issue hones in more on what this story is truly exploring; the cyclical perpetuating trauma, growing like a cancer in the roots of this world, as the court has grown in the city of Gotham, as this Gotham Below has festered beneath right under Batman's nose. That one page where Bruce, in his mind, wishing he could express himself and say to Dick what he's thinking, envisions his recruiting of Dick in the same light as Wesker's push towards villainy almost made me cry, it is a brilliant moment. The book continues to be creatively rich and varied in its style, focusing more so as it goes on the lovecraftian horror, and building closer to its Arkham Asylum influence. Who else noticed the Burton nod? Loving this book so far, onto book 3 (the finale).
Getting to the end of this and reading through the extras and the journey, I'm just so glad that Christian Ward got to make this book. I'm glad that if anyone was going to try and follow up on Arkham Asylum, one of my favourite books ever, it is someone who loves it as much as I do. I think it's great, and that it sticks the landing in doing what it sets out to. I also think that as much as I'm sick of seeing people try and over explain and give origin stories to the Joker, that this (the Arthur copy tease/reveal) is probably my favourite attempt at that which I've seen in a long time, if ever, and feels the most appropriate way of dealing with an explanation, in that it sort of strips him of any full identity, without making him any form of knowable entity with some hidden nature; he is a manifestation of the void left by trauma, the words left unspoken left to fester into laughable madness and universally chaotic cruelty, he is the idea of the pain that fills the spaces, the spaces created by bad days and the subsequent repressions that come with such traumas. He is the punchline to the sick joke you want to forget, he is the result of the random nature of fate, he is the wrong end of the stick, so to speak, because he was cut off the end of that very stick, he is what's left after that event, he's the result of a bad situation, and he's the very idea of that bad situation creating something worse when that feeling is left to fester without resolution, without any hope for rehabilitation, he is the corrupted, vile memory of the worst day ever spun on a loop forever, with a sick smile on his face while he shows others what it feels like, because he looks back on it, and laughs.
I feel that if you felt you absolutely had to give Joker a backstory, then this is the first one I've seen in a long while that actually feels like it could fit if it had to, though this is very much in its own comic book pocket space, grouped in as a sort of spiritual sequel to Arkham Asylum, itself a story which sits outside of “mainline continuity“, it works for me more so than most that have been shoehorned in by the likes of Geoff Johns or even Zdarsky's (whom I have liked other works by, for the record) recent additions to the characters unnecessarily ever expanding mythos in his “Joker Year One”, which only really served to make the character knowable in a way which feels cheap and underwhelming, and recontextualize the character in a way that makes him less interesting and put into more of a box than anyone would really want him to be in. Giving the Joker a name is sort of pointless, in that it's kind of like “ok yeah he was… a guy? I sort of presumed that? What is this supposed to change other than him having less mystery and therefore less of the aura he carried previous to this reveal?”. In this book, he isn't given a name, only a vague implication that he might be the offcut of someone else's pain, who upon coming into existence, found the void he was meant to fill, and decided to fill it with noise, with pain, and with laughter. It's still mysterious, and esoteric and weird, and I don't mind it, especially in comparison to aforementioned recent attempts at the character which only served to sour things for me. Let the Joker be an idea, brought into monstrous existence by the pain of just a guy, any guy, it doesn't matter who, because the Joker in essence is the idea that anyone has the potential to do bad things, especially when pushed by pain, or betrayal, by bad taste and badder days, he was on the wrong end of one the universes bad jokes, and so he laughed it off, and the Joker is his retort.
This doesn't change that, it doesn't try to make the character into something that he isn't, or try to explain why he does what he does or exactly what he is, or who he is, it just puts him into the context this particular version of the BatMythos sets up. It just kinda goes “oh yeah, here you go, that's what happened to get us here”, but it doesn't waste time trying to fill every little gap in between in, it lets that space be full of ambiguity, which is more effective for a character like the Joker, because with him you shouldn't always know, you should be terrified about what else he's doing, the things you don't see. What makes him scary is that uncertainty and unpredictability, it's those “well why? What was he doing? Where's he been? Where's he going?” Questions that should keep you up at night, not “what's his real name though?”, like, for what? How's that going to help anyone? Do you think it'll give you some key to unlocking his mystery? The secret to his sick and twisted mind? You think you can talk the fucking Joker down from all this? What, do You wanna send him a letter? Do you need his fucking postcode too? Send it to Arkham, I'm sure it'll get to him eventually, he's there a lot. No, Joker is so far on the other end of the sanity spectrum he isn't meant to be findable, or fixable, he isn't insane, he's unsane, if you get what I'm trying to say. He isn't the type of guy you could reason with anyway, and at the end of the day he's a character that's built to oppose the hero of the story, and so for the most part that isn't always even the question that's supposed to be being asked, it's interesting in some cases to try, but the whole point of the Joker is that there isn't, and should never be an answer, he's not an agent of chaos, he is a living laughing manifestation of that chaos.
Splitting him off into different Joker versions, or personalities (the “clown, demon and silent serial killer” stuff which reads like 3 jokers all fucking over again), and saying shit like “the Joker could have won at any moment, making every other story meaningless and making Batman permanently inferior by default cos I said so” is just a bit of a dick move. Geoff Johns pulls the same kinda shit, not just with Joker but has definitely done so with Joker no question (again, 3 jokers being the unnecessary, contradictory mess that it is, and his recent aforementioned “Jack Oswald White” bullshit). This however, handles it differently, in a way that is respectful, in its own corner, and I liked that a lot. And I think the vagueness of its execution makes it interesting without pointing to itself and going “whowoahwa! Look at that! This changes everything! And nothing will ever be the same again! Remember this! Remember to tag my name on all those future stories! Cos everyone should know it was me who made this character what it is today! I'm so important, cos I did this big fucking Joker moment that matters so much! I'm making an impact! look at me!”. This book, and its very own “Joker moment" of sorts, just tells its own interesting version of a Batman story and introduces a cool idea within it, without being overly pretentious about it, and doesn't act like it changes everything, it just informs you of a cool little detail about this world in particular and moves on. Thanks Ward, for not being a Dick about it, and for doing something with the Joker that doesn't feel entirely fucking arbitrary and fake. Was it entirely necessary? Maybe not for some, but for me? It worked just fine here.
Anyway, Joker tangent aside, book good.
The Alfred hug on the final page is wonderful, and something we don't get to see too often, Bruce getting to grow and heal a little, getting to open up and connect and be vulnerable with the people who love and care about him, who he loves and cares about. I love how we see him reflect on his relationship with Dick, and with his own trauma, and how he saves the would-be Robin, and makes sure he gets help, and doesn't fall into the same endless trauma war so many in Gotham have been caught in, he helps him heal, and sets him free.
All in all, good for you Christian Ward, and thank you! You did it! And its fucking awesome. And good for me! Cos its fucking awesome!
Xx
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 12, 2024Trauma
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