Who Owns Arkham Asylum Anyway? And Why Isn’t It Batman? (Spoilers)

Recently in Detective Comics, we learned that Arkham Arkham – or the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane was built on land owned by Anatol Orgham, passed down the line to Loricius Orgham, who changed his name to Loricius Arkham, with his own descendent Amadeus Arkham building the institution.

We also met the demonic-laced Shavhod, Prince Arzen and Neang, who claim their family have a prior claim on the land. And, after the events of A-Day, are coming to claim it back from those who represent the estate, in today’s Detective Comics #1065.

And we get the kind of power play you might be more likely to expect from the likes of Succession.

Throwing around money like it doesn’t matter, taking the wind out of people’s sales, using the full force of wealth to get what you want…

Hang on, isn’t that the kind of thing Batman does? Or at least use to, at any road?

Which also asks the question, why didn’t Bruce Wayne buy up Arkham? You know, back when he could afford to? Reddit asked once but never got a decent answer. The best meta-version is that Arkham Asylum, if run by Bruce Wayne would probably work, keep the inmates in their cells and prevent all those breakouts, and where’s the storytelling fun in that? Anyway, too late now that Bruce Wayne is only medium obscenely wealthy. And some real demonic-laced money has come to town along with the potential deeds to the mayorship of Gotham as well. Old Money Vs New Money, which will win?

DETECTIVE COMICS #1065 CVR A EVAN CAGLE
(W) Ram V.,Si Spurrier (A) Rafael Albuquerque, Hayden Sherman (CA) Evan Cagle
The Orgham family has dramatically arrived after traumatic events at the docks in Gotham, and they are ready to reclaim the land that belongs under their name…an English surname you may better know as Arkham. As Bruce Wayne and the young Orgham prince Arzen discuss how they both want to change Gotham for the better, it seems Batman and the Orghams might have different ways to go about doing so… Retail: $4.99 FOC Date: 10/02/2022