We asked the artist to guide us through one of his favorite comic book stories, and he delivered an education.
Welcome to Married to Singles, a new Patreon Exclusive podcast series where we ask comic creators, professionals, podcasters, and fans to choose their favorite single issue comic and discuss it with us. In this entry, the WWE's Jason Ayers selects The Uncanny X-Men #183, originally published by Marvel Comics. Listen to the whole conversation HERE.
Today's a big day for Batman fanatics. After years of imagining the possibility, Christian Ward has released his cosmic horror pseudo-sequel to the iconic original graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. Hopefully, you've already listened to our in-depth conversation with Christian about his Batman: City of Madness, but if you still need to, have no fear - you can find the conversation RIGHT HERE.
It's a reason to celebrate anytime there's a new Christian Ward comic. No one puts a book together quite like him, and it's extra special when he's pulling double duties on art and story. As such, we needed to celebrate the event with some additional coverage. Our previous conversation with Christian Ward dipped into his passion for the Morrison and McKean story, but we needed to go a little deeper. We needed to drag Christian through the entire story page-by-page. We needed Christian for another Married to Singles Patreon Exclusive Episode.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth was published by DC Comics on September 5, 1989. It's written by Grant Morrison, illustrated by Dave McKean, lettered by Gaspar Saladino, and edited by Karen Berger.
Undoubtedly, it's one of those comics, like The Dark Knight Returns or The Killing Joke, that every Batman fan reads at some point. Certainly, we've read it a bunch, and Christian has read it a bunch. As we talk about within this episode, we think it stands apart from the rest. It's a truly timeless story with a deep concern for Bruce Wayne and the inmates trapped inside the house that Amadeus Arkham built. The comic is haunting, and once consumed, colors every Batman story you read before and after.
Working our way through Arkham Asylum with Christian Ward was an education. We saw things we'd never seen before and considered ideas we had never imagined. The comic is absolutely in conversation with Batman: City of Madness, and while neither one feels like the other, they're both enhanced by the other.
If you've never read the Morrison and McKean book, we highly encourage you to do so. If you've read it before but not in a while, give it another whirl. In recent years, the comic's title has reverberated through culture thanks to a video game, but the book itself must remain in the hallowed halls of the best Batman stories. Through our conversation with Christian, that became abundantly clear.
After Hearing Christian Ward on Arkham Asylum
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