Arkham Asylum: Living Hell

    (DC, 2003, 2011, 2014, 2025)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

If the remaining five issues of this mini-series are as clever, as thoughtful, and as entertaining as this first installment, readers will not want to miss a single moment. A standalone story detailing the account of a sane (if thoroughly corrupt) white-collar criminal’s stay at the infamous home for the criminally insane, “Whole in the Head” hinges on an utterly delicious concept: the fact that, in Gotham City, it is probably (make that absolutely) better to be found guilty than innocent by reason of insanity. No one, especially not a rich, pampered brat whom everyone hates, wants to do time alongside the likes of The Joker, Two-Face, and The Mad Hatter. Another engaging aspect of the story revolves around the rich portrayal of the prison psychiatrist, who in many ways feels as imprisoned as the inmates she counsels.

There are a number of priceless moments in the first issue, two of which stand out: the smirk on the judge’s face when he sentences the man to an indefinite period of observation at Arkham, and The Joker calling the new inmate “the worst person I’ve ever met” (while in the shower, no less).

Holding the package together is the art of Ryan Sook. His style, which borrows from Mike Mignola (but not slavishly), fits the darkly desperate tale well.

— Brett Weiss
Jump to issue:
  • 1
    #1
    Jul 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    1st appearance of Death Rattle; 1st appearance of Jane Doe; 1st appearance of Warren White
    1 copy for $3.75
  • 1/NS
    #1 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Eric Powell
    Jul 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    1st appearance of Death Rattle; 1st appearance of Jane Doe; 1st appearance of Warren White
    No copies available
  • 2
    #2
    Aug 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    1st appearance of Humpty Dumpty; 1st appearance of Humpty Dumpty (Humphry Dumpler); 1st appearance of Lunkhead
    2 copies from $4.00
  • 2/NS
    #2 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Eric Powell
    Aug 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    1st appearance of Humpty Dumpty; 1st appearance of Humpty Dumpty (Humphry Dumpler); 1st appearance of Lunkhead
    No copies available
  • 3
    #3
    Sep 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    1st appearance of Doodlebug (Daedalus Boch); 1st appearance of Junkyard Dog; Origin of Humpty Dumpty; Origin of Humpty Dumpty (Humphry Dumpler)
    4 copies from $2.88
  • 3/NS
    #3 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Eric Powell
    Sep 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    1st appearance of Doodlebug (Daedalus Boch); 1st appearance of Junkyard Dog; Origin of Humpty Dumpty; Origin of Humpty Dumpty (Humphry Dumpler)
    No copies available
  • 4
    #4
    Oct 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    4 copies from $2.38
  • 4/NS
    #4 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Eric Powell
    Oct 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    No copies available
  • 5
    #5
    Nov 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    Death of Junkyard Dog; Origin of Doodlebug; Origin of Doodlebug (Daedalus Boch)
    8 copies from $4.00
  • 5/NS
    #5 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Eric Powell
    Nov 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    Death of Junkyard Dog; Origin of Doodlebug; Origin of Doodlebug (Daedalus Boch)
    No copies available
  • 6
    #6
    Dec 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    1st appearance of Great White; Death of Doodlebug; Death of Doodlebug (Daedalus Boch)
    6 copies from $1.70
  • 6/NS
    #6 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Eric Powell
    Dec 2003
    Cover: $2.50
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    1st appearance of Great White; Death of Doodlebug; Death of Doodlebug (Daedalus Boch)
    No copies available
  • Bk 1
    Book #1
    Cover: $12.95
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook, Jim Royal
    Collects Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1–6; ca. 2004
    No copies available
  • Bk 1-2
    Book #1 - 2nd printing
    Cover: $12.95
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook, Jim Royal
    ca. 2004
    No copies available
  • Bk 1-3
    Book #1 - 3rd printing
    Cover: $14.99
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook, Jim Royal
    Collects Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1-6; ca. 2011
    No copies available
  • Bk 1/A
    Book #1 Variation A
    Cover: $29.99
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger, Jim Royal
    Collects Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1-6; Collects Batman: Arkham Asylum Living Hell #1-6; Collects Issues #1-6 of the Critically Acclaimed Series From Dan Slott (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Artists Ryan Sook (Batman, Seven Soldiers of Victory), Wade Von Grawbadger (Starman, New Avengers) and Jim Royal (Justice League Unlimited). This Volume Features Behind-The-Scenes Sketches and Never-Before-Seen Extra Bonus Material From Ryan Sook
    No copies available
  • Bk 1/Dlx
    Book #1 Deluxe Edition
    Deluxe Edition with cover by Ryan Sook
    Jun 2014
    Cover: $22.99
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook
    Collects Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1-6
    No copies available
  • Bk 1/HC
    Book #1 Hardcover
    Hardcover Edition with cover by Ryan Sook
    Oct 2025
    Cover: $29.99
    W: Dan Slott  ·  A: Ryan Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger, Jim Royal
    Collects Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1-6; Collects Batman: Arkham Asylum Living Hell #1-6; Collects Issues #1-6 of the Critically Acclaimed Series From Dan Slott (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Artists Ryan Sook (Batman, Seven Soldiers of Victory), Wade Von Grawbadger (Starman, New Avengers) and Jim Royal (Justice League Unlimited). This Volume Features Behind-The-Scenes Sketches and Never-Before-Seen Extra Bonus Material From Ryan Sook
    No copies available