Batman has had a busy year, and not only is he killed and reborn in the R.I.P., Battle for the Cowl, and following Reborn story arcs, but a new game called Batman: Arkham Asylum comes out next month.

It only makes sense to have different media connect and follow each other. Completists are “forced” to go out of the box to get the whole story and the triangle of game-comic-movie is becoming a more common one, (though this can also be intersected with TV show, webisode, or some other angle).

Surely it is in anticipation of the console release, but there is nothing “gamey” about the recent one-shot comic by DC Arkham Asylum. The video we posted yesterday shows some Arkham Asylum history in the game, and this short and satistying comic fits the same bill in a little way.

Written by David Hine and subtitled “The Place Where Beauty Lies” this is a introduction to Dr. Arkham, a nephew of the original Arkham founder, Amadeus Arkham, who named the home of the criminally insane after his mother, Elizibeth Arkham. The focus of the one-shot is on four of Dr. Arkham’s patients, a variety of serious solitary-confinement cuckoos that make this Batman-free Gotham story a fun page-turner.

Whether or not this short story helps promote the new game, it is an interesting read for those that enjoy reading about Gotham’s psychos. Whether or not you follow Batman comics, you might get a kick out of Arkham Asylum.

By Sci-Guy-John