Arkham Asylum was a clever addition to the world of Batman. Having some of Batman's worst enemies locked up together in an insane asylum was an original alternative to prison. But it does have two drawbacks: 1) writers must continually contrive ways of having the villains escape; and 2) if the asylum's guards can keep all the criminals under control, it lessens the importance of Batman; ordinary people shouldn't be able to accomplish what he does, no matter how many there are.
Arkham Asylum: Living Hell sidesteps both of these potential problems: 1) Although some of the criminals do escape, it's temporary and incidental to the story. For the most part Living Hell takes place inside Arkham; 2) Batman only makes a couple of brief appearances. The good guy who gets most of the attention in this story is Aaron, a guard who's had his hand bitten off by Killer Croc. By making Aaron a hero, it isn't as noticeable that "ordinary" people are doing Batman's job.
A lot of Batman’s old enemies show up in Living Hell, including the Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and the Mad Hatter. They play minor roles, but add to the agreeably convoluted background. For example: The Mad Hatter taunts Two-Face, who breaks a mirror, which in turn is put together by Humphry Dumpler; as a result, administrator Dr Jeremiah Arkham, realizes a piece is missing. Doodlebug has it, and uses it to trade with Ms. Magpie for sexual favors, etc.
A few new villains are introduced, some interesting, others not so much. But not all of them are still alive by the end of the book, giving writer Dan Slott some freedom in determining what happens to the characters.
Humphry Dumpler and Warren White are the two inmates who get most of the attention in this story. Right from his first appearance, White (a.k.a. the Great White Shark) is so arrogant he's instantly unlikable. Responsible for the greatest stock fraud in American history, he pleads insanity in order to avoid a prison sentence. He has no powers, none of the bizarre twists that are common to Batman's villains. But White is referred to as "the worst person I've ever met" by others, including (of all people) the murderous Joker. This story acknowledges that white collar crime can be just as life-destroying as other crimes.
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1 - Bryce Eddings
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