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Archive 1

An Arkham Animated Film is scheduled to be released in 2010?

This completely lacks a source and the website with the trailer is not owned by Warner or DC... I had heard this was a fan project and WB decided to do it but once again no source of such.. perhaps it should be removed? 68.209.242.33 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 02:43, 14 June 2009 (UTC).

Insanity of Residents at Arkham

The Batman villains, The Penguin, Catwoman and usually The Riddler are typically considered criminally sane, nor have a serious medical condition like Mr. Freeze in the comics and as such are usually never shown as inmates at Arkham Asylum. -User:Kchishol1970

I agree with Kchisho, and recently saw fit to change the article to express that Arkham is an Insane Asylum, and thus the paragraph about non-insane residents being kept there is misleading and unneccesary. It doesn't matter whether or not it says "the majority." Quite simply, the villains there are the insane ones, and the villains that aren't, Catwoman, Penguin, Rupert Thorne and other mafia types, go to Blackgate. Because of them, one cannot say that all Batman's villains are in Arkham, and because of JLA foes like Dr. Destiny and Jason Woodrue/Floronic Man, one cannot say that the villains there are all Batman's! There is something to be said that maybe Croc and Mr. Freeze aren't quite as insane as they are too-difficult-to-contain, but this notion is already expressed in the entry.--Signor Giuseppe 04:58, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC)
But there really was a trend during the eighties for the majority of Batman's villains to end up in Arkham regardless of whether they belonged there. Perhaps the situation has since improved - in which case, perhaps a sentence could be added saying so - but the statement is not incorrect. --Paul A 01:19, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
That's true, but lots of trends in Batman comics (say, all of the 1950s) have little to do with current Gotham City, and are best overlooked. If the notion of sane criminals in Arkham is essential to this entry, then why not add it right after we talk about the special needs patients? Something like "Additionally, there was a trend in some 1980s Batman comics to have all Gotham criminals contained in Arkham." I'd like to ask for proof that a non-insane, non special-needs Batman villain was kept in Arkham, but it's not exactly fair to make a fellow dig through his stack of back issues just for a Wikipedia entry.--Signor Giuseppe 02:39, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
I've got a vague memory of the Penguin pretending to be insane to escape prison?
Because of this, should it be noted that several criminals fake insanity to get sent to Arkham (possibly because it seems more respectable than jail or it may be easier to escape from). I've even heard that the Joker himself my fake insanity. Emperor001 (talk) 17:28, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
If it can be sourced then it might be worth adding as it would presumably be part of larger story. (Emperor (talk) 18:06, 14 April 2009 (UTC))

Section Headings

I recently created a section simply called "Graphic Novels," the title of which was, quite reasonably I'd say, changed to "Graphic Novels featuring Arkham Asylum." I fear, however, that this opens the floodgates to a lot of graphic novels that don't belong here, such as Batman: Nosferatu or Harley Quinn or hundreds of others. In this case, I think that a simple "Graphic Novels" might be better, the implication being that this in an entry for "Arkham Asylum" and here are some graphic novels with that name. Then, users looking for information of the books I mentioned might find it elsewhere, at Harley Quinn and Nosferatu.--Signor Giuseppe 05:09, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC)

But if the section is just for graphic novels named Arkham Asylum, it would only have one graphic novel in it, because Arkham Asylum: Hell on Earth is named Arkham Asylum: Hell on Earth (and should probably be at Arkham Asylum: Hell on Earth instead of at Arkham Asylum. Come to think of it, Arkham Asylum should probably be at Arkham Asylum (graphic novel) instead of at Arkham Asylum). --Paul A 01:44, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
I'd say that "Hell on Earth" is merely the subtitle, and that both of these books are notable for taking place entirely within Arkham Asylum, rather than just having it be the place from which the villain escapes for his caper. Making two new Wikipedia entries is not the answer. The entry is well constructed as it is: Here's what the institution is, here's what's happened there, here's who lives there, and here's it's official, recorded history. The section heading is a fine description of the books that are there, but I think simply "Graphic Novels" would be more restrictive against the many books that feature Arkham in their pages.--Signor Giuseppe 02:39, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Origin of Name

Moved from article:

H.P. Lovecraft met Bob Kane, Batman's co-creator, in 1935 on a train. The young Kane told Lovecraft that he loved how he wrote his stories and told him about a vigilante that had literally gone insane with vengeance over something that cannot be destroyed: the essence of evil itself. Kane was so grateful for being able to meet Lovecraft only two years before his death that he created Arkham Asylum as a means of paying tribute to his hero.


Doesn't seem to have any connection at all with the actual history of the Asylum... --Paul A 07:20, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)

According to this page the asylum didn't appear in comic form until 40 years later. Given that , and the fact that its credited as someone else's creation, I find this story suspect. Its likely a fabrication based only on the fact that Kane and Lovecraft were alive at the same time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 05:30, August 4, 2006 (talk • contribs) 68.115.75.44
Your point being? ACS (Wikipedian); Talk to the Ace. See what I've edited. 23:12, 4 August 2006 (UTC)
It explains why it was named Arkham. So long as the story is true I think it should be returned to the article. Another question I have is: isn't the name "Arkham Asylum" actually used explicitly by Lovecraft in some of his stories? Arkham is definitely Lovecraft's creation, but I seem to remember the Asylum is too. --Chinasaur 13:15, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
You misunderstand what I meant by "seems to have no connection with actual history". The emphasis is on "actual": the connection is obvious if it is true, but as far as I can tell, it isn't.
I don't recall ever having read a Lovecraft story containing an Arkham Asylum, so named, but then there are many Lovecraft stories I haven't read yet, so perhaps you are right about that. --Paul A 03:51, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)
In "The Thing on the Doorstep", by Lovecraft, the first paragraph makes reference to "Arkham Sanitarium". Although this is not necessarily a mental hospital, the last page or so of the story makes it clear that in fact "Arkham Sanitarium" is an "asylum" where one of the characters is incarcerated for madness and then murdered. Obviously I am more of a Lovecraft fan than a Batman fan; how do other editors feel about more directly crediting Lovecraft with the name of this place? --Chinasaur 05:43, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Also, what do people think of this claim [1] that Danvers State Mental Hospital in MA is Lovecraft's model for Arkham? --Chinasaur 13:19, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
I think that it would be easier to have an informed opinion on the matter if they'd deigned to let us know what evidence the claim is based on... --Paul A 03:51, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)
Actually, Bob Kane didn't create the Arkham Asylum so this theory is completely wrong. I remeber reading this story in the portuguese edition of a Batman trade paperback.--Prime Operative 18:25, 21 Jul 2005 (GMT)

Moved from article:

"It may also be named after Markham, Massachusetts, the city with the greatest violent crime ratio in America."
No such town name appears at http://massachusetts.monsterlocal.com/AllCities.html --User:Session Nine 013:22, 09 OCT 2006

There is good reason to suspect Lovecraft "beheld" Danvers State Mental Hospital at least once -- in 1922, while transitioning out of his macabre and Dream-Cycle periods and into his mature Cthluhu Mythos cycle. That year Lovecraft traveled from Providence to Gloucester to visit his eventual wife, Sonia Haft Greene. His path almost certainly took him through Danvers along Route One, over which the asylum looms. Any traveler along that road has seen the building -- it's unmistakable, and undeniably eerie -- you can't miss it.

Upon arriving in Gloucester, Lovecraft was inspired by Sonia Haft Greene to begin a new sequence of stories. See reference below. --User:Session Nine 013:47, 09 OCT 2006

From http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1995/8/1995_8_82.shtml):
[Lovecraft] met a lovely Ukrainian-born Jewish woman from New York named Sonia Haft Greene. The two struck up a correspondence that blossomed into an improbable romance. Greene, a divorcée with a grown daughter, was seven years Lovecraft’s senior and a manager at Ferle Heller’s clothing store in Manhattan, earning a then-considerable salary of almost ten thousand dollars a year. She also had literary aspirations, which Lovecraft encouraged.
Lovecraft wrote Greene almost daily, and in 1922 he joined her at a resort near Gloucester, Massachusetts. During an evening stroll, as they watched the moonlight shimmering on the water, they heard a loud “snorting and grunting” noise in the distance.
“Oh, Howard,” Greene said, “here you have the setting for a real strange and mysterious story.”
Lovecraft suggested that she write the story. The next day she showed him an outline. His enthusiasm so delighted her that she kissed him."

AA: Living Hell Characters

Magpie wasn't a new character - she's only appeared a handful of times, notably in John Byrne's Man of Steel mini-series, in the issue retelling the first meeting of Batman and Superman. As such, I've removed her from the list of characters in this section. --Lokicarbis 02:27, Apr 2, 2005 (UTC)

The Sandman

Is there a reason why there is no mention of AA housing Doctor Destiny in Gaiman's The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes ?--Ferndave 20:00, Aug 24, 2005 (UTC)

No. Do I get any points for having mentioned him in the top comment on this page? I see no reason why Floronic Man and Dr. Destiny (both JLA villains who found their way into the opening arcs of Vertigo titles) shouldn't make the list, if a list be necessary.--Signor Giuseppe 22:36, 24 August 2005 (UTC)
Of course you do! I thought since there was already a list, it might be a good idea to make it complete. Is its appearance in the graphic novel worth more than just the inmate listing? AA isn't featured per se in the first graphic novel, but it does get some page time. I'm not sure how it could be written without sounding like an "oh by the way..." type of addition though. --ferndave 07:39, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

I am removing the reference to Nandani because having read Sandman, I have no idea what it is talking about, and a quick google search did not reveal anything. 129.13.186.1 (talk) 22:32, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

'The preservation and relocation of Arkham asylum'

Would it be possible for someone more proficient than I to move or delete the above mentioned section of the article? I wasn't entirely sure what to do, but I think it was meant to be placed on this page and got posted to the article instead.

Agreed. Moved. Ace Class Shadow 17:54, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Today the Asylum has no definite location though its in the suburbs,most likely or mansion as “mercy house”, but in recent incarnation it is in the “narrows” in Batman begins movie, narrows is apparent as slums or low cost apartments. The asylum was once on a island on the Batman animated series I think, which I liked. I would like to relocate again to a more permanent location and preserve the asylum for future stories. Writers who want to use Arkham Asylum to any extent recommend using the rural area of Gotham city, as was it the Asylum first built as for the preservation this Wikipedia page of Arkham asylum is preserving the History greatly already. [vanguard] 02:53, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

It's never seen on an island in the animated universe (unless you're talking about The Batman, which is another countinuity). The Narrows is it's location only in Batman Begins. Around the times of Knightfall it was said to be located on Sommerset, which is on the mainland part of Gotham City near the Slaughter Swamp State Park, birthplace of solomon grundy (who btw, even though has fought primarely other heroes, can also be perfectly considered a batman villain due to the Jeph Loeb stories). Around the times of No Man's Land, and I think also in current stories it has been said to be on Mercey's Island (which graphically doesn't contradict Knightfall, because it also has some hills and forrest and is separated from the rest of the city by water), but I don't know whether it was retconned there or relocated in a story.--20-dude (talk) 20:53, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

Unknown characters

Who the hell are: Bite, Bradberry, Resnick, Rob Frazier, Rudy Heinkel, Sweeney, Seamus Sullivan, Tommy Carma, Tony LePoni and The Veil ??????????

None of those characters have references or specifications. If not least they should be linked to articles about the stories in which they appear.

I challenge that information, if no source is found they will be erased.--20-dude (talk) 09:05, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

Wikiproject Prisons

If anyone's interested, a new wikiproject has been proposed for the creation and improvement of articles regarding specific prisons, internment camps, and detention centers here.--Cdogsimmons (talk) 02:35, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

WikiProject Comics B-Class Assesment required

This article needs the B-Class checklist filled in to remain a B-Class article for the Comics WikiProject. If the checklist is not filled in by 7th August this article will be re-assessed as C-Class. The checklist should be filled out referencing the guidance given at Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment/B-Class criteria. For further details please contact the Comics WikiProject. Comics-awb (talk) 15:20, 31 July 2008 (UTC)

Food for thought

I always found it noteable how the interior of the building(s) varied from appereance to appereance. One month, the high security wing would be cement and metal doors, the next it would be clear, unbreakable plastic re: Hannibal Lecter. Lots42 (talk) 07:56, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

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Archive 1

It was always an asylum for the criminally insane

Currently the article says:

Arkham Asylum first appeared in 1974, in Batman #258 by Dennis O'neil. In this story, it is named as "Arkham Hospital", although it is not clear what kind of hospital it is.

To quote from page 7 of Batman #258:

Four hours later, at a New England institution called a hospital--a polite name for an asylum which houses the criminally insane...

Then in its second appearance, Batman #260 (also by O'neil), page 5 it is once again called Arkham Hospital and described:

The asylum for the criminally insane

Scarecrow as staff

At times Scarecrow has worked at Arkham in the comics. However, there is some debate as to whether he should be added as staff. Thoughts? Komodo ninja (talk) 05:33, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

The information in this article pertains to the primary depictions of the Asylum (otherwise we're synthesizing our own interpretation). Which comics were those? If it was in the main DCU then there's no reason it shouldn't be added, with a reference. ArtistScientist (talk) 08:45, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

I'll have to check to make sure, but I'm pretty sure it was in continuity. I will post my findings here when I have them. Komodo ninja (talk) 02:51, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

The only times I can think of when Scarecrow worked at Arkham in the comics in an Elseword's tale. I am not aware of any other time hew was an actual employee, but I could be wrong. Urlugal (talk) 13:24, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I found a reference to this in the Lover's and Madmen #7-12 story arc of Batman Confidential. I don't have those issues so I can't confirm it at this time.Urlugal (talk) 13:38, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_%28Batman_novel%29 Scarecrow as an Arkham staff member. The book is also noteable for Arkham being destroyed by fire in the first few chapters. Lots42 (talk) 09:26, 2 December 2010 (UTC)
Also, the same book mentions a military base functioning as a de-facto Arkham for some time. Lots42 (talk) 08:49, 1 January 2011 (UTC)

Zatanna

The article says that Zatanna was locked up in Arkham Asylum. That sounds unbelievable. Joe Chill (talk) 16:05, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

I seem to remember a storyline where demons made Zatanna temporarily mad. She had to be restrained somehow because her voice could cause destruction. I'm pretty sure they locked her up in Arkham. I know Blue Devil was involved in this storyline somehow. There were a ton of demons that acted like Hollywood mafia dons. It's on the tip of my tongue... Lots42 (talk) 01:34, 2 June 2010 (UTC)

Should be added in

Arkham Asylum: Madness Published 29 June 2010. ISBN 1401223370 24 hours inside Arkham, focusing on the staff dealing with many problems, from the mundane to the blood-splattered. No Batman or other heroes but plenty of nasty villains. Lots42 (talk) 21:13, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Rewrite

I recommend an expert rewrite the entire article. Lots42 (talk) 02:46, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

This article is still a chaotic mess. It needs a full delete and a fresh start. Lots42 (talk) 03:20, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

Rewritten

Not an expert by any means, only a student mental health nurse, but I changed 'inmates' to 'patients', 'insane' to 'mentally ill/unwell' and 'released' to 'discharged', basically made the whole article less insulting to people suffering from mental health problems. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.160.184.96 (talk) 22:19, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

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Eobard Thawne

Wasn't Eobard Thawne a patient in Arkham as well for a while. I seem to remember reading an issue in the comics where he ends up getting arrested in Metropolis and was quietly transferred to Arkham Asylum. Granted this was a couple of years back so I might be misremembering it a bit, but I could've sworn that he ended up there at some point.

(161.65.235.200 (talk) 08:03, 16 September 2020 (UTC))

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