DC Comics Makes a Big Change to Arkham Asylum's Origin

By Spencer Perry

We're only two issues into the new run on Detective Comics from writer Ram V. and artist Rafael Albuquerque and the pair are already taking some major swings. Not only have they taken the feel of the series back to the classic days of the title, with some added monster flair, they've also given longtime Batman villain Two-Face an updated look. The latest issue of the series, Detective Comics #1063, has offered a major alteration to one of Batman's key landmarks, Arkham Asylum. Central to all of this are the new characters introduced in last month's issue, who apparently have deep roots in Gotham City.

Last month introduced a new royal family across the ocean who were making their return to Gotham in a big way, the Orghams. The wealthy family's connection to Gotham was fully revealed in the new issue however when they confirmed that their family name was changed centuries ago by another relative. At some point, Orgham became Arkham, and the land that would spawn Gotham City's Arkham Asylum was built by notable character of Batman lore, Amadeus Arkham. As readers may know, Arkham has gone under some renovations of late, crumbling to the ground.

The Orghams however are on their way back to Gotham carrying a very old deed that entitles them to the property that Arkham Asylum used to sit on (one imagines perhaps they have deeds for other properties around the city as well, like perhaps, Wayne Manor). It's largely unclear what they want to do with the land that Arkham used to sit on, but the issue also reveals that they have plans for Gotham's villains as well. Despite being reformed none other than Harvey Dent is forced back into his old ways as Two-Face, all because of their plan.

To put things simply, this change to the Arkham origin isn't exactly Earth-shattering but extends the origin of the location and the Arkham family in big ways. Alternate versions of the Batman story have aligned Martha Wayne with the Arkhams, though the mainline DC continuity doesn't appear to be one of them, still, changes clearly can happen fast.

You can check out the cover and full solicitation for the next issue of Detective Comics below.

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Detective Comics #1064
JUL223729
(W) Ram V., Simon Spurrier (A) Rafael Albuquerque, Dani (CA) Evan Cagle
It's a tango to the death as Batman dances with an old flame while trying not to catch on fire. Using the new information about "black noise," Batman investigates the music box in his possession some more, which leads him to question whether music is actually able to contain physics-altering properties. Later, this theory is tested with Two-Face.
In Shops: Sep 27, 2022
SRP: $4.99

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