What do you think?
Rate this book
Batman: Arkham Unhinged #4
Batman: Arkham Unhinged, Vol. 4
The prequel series to the best-selling video game BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY!
The mysterious new villian known as the Bookbinder has corrupted Gotham City's food supply leaving the Dark Knight in a race against time to find out the true motive and identity of this threat to the city.
Collects Batman Arkham Unhinged 16-20
The mysterious new villian known as the Bookbinder has corrupted Gotham City's food supply leaving the Dark Knight in a race against time to find out the true motive and identity of this threat to the city.
Collects Batman Arkham Unhinged 16-20
168 pages, Hardcover
First published August 26, 2014
7 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Karen Traviss
130 books1,540 followers#1 New York Times best-selling novelist, scriptwriter and comics author Karen Traviss has received critical acclaim for her award-nominated Wess'har series, and her work on Halo, Gears of War, Batman, G.I. Joe, and other major franchises has earned her a broad range of fans. She's best known for military science fiction, but GOING GREY and BLACK RUN, the first books in her new techno-thriller series RINGER, are set in the real world of today. A former defence correspondent and TV and newspaper journalist, she lives in Wiltshire, England. She's currently working on SACRIFICIAL RED, the third book in the Ringer series, and HERE WE STAND, book three in the NOMAD series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 10, 2020
A nice conclusion to a series that was far from brilliant, but still surprisingly enjoyable.
October 3, 2014
I had no idea this was the fourth book in the series. I grabbed it off the shelf, thinking it was the follow up to Batman: Arkham City. It does seems like it does pick up soon after that book ended.
Overall, I was bored with this graphic novel. Not very much happened. It was more of a mystery/police procedural, which isn't bad in itself. However, there was no real excitement or build in the story. I found myself just trying to finish it.
For those who ship Batman and Catwoman, there were some interesting flirting bits. Bats is different with her. I don't know if indulgent is the right word. He seems more emotive than usual, at any rate.
My verdict is I didn't care that much for this book. It wasn't terrible, although I wasn't that fond of the way Bats is drawn. Just kind of middle of the road for me.
Overall rating: 2.5/5.0 stars
Overall, I was bored with this graphic novel. Not very much happened. It was more of a mystery/police procedural, which isn't bad in itself. However, there was no real excitement or build in the story. I found myself just trying to finish it.
For those who ship Batman and Catwoman, there were some interesting flirting bits. Bats is different with her. I don't know if indulgent is the right word. He seems more emotive than usual, at any rate.
My verdict is I didn't care that much for this book. It wasn't terrible, although I wasn't that fond of the way Bats is drawn. Just kind of middle of the road for me.
Overall rating: 2.5/5.0 stars
August 3, 2018
This is incredibly relevant to today, which is kind of funny considering it came out 2013/2014. Also, Alfred is officially my favorite character. He is the literal definition of 'keep calm and carry on'.
April 20, 2020
An alright story than ends abruptly.
February 24, 2023
This story is more mature, but long-winded AF. I feel it could have been shorter and more focused that is was. Still, the solid dialogue and basic plot are things worthy of a recommendation. Too bad all that running around doesn't offer a satisfying end. Major spoiler: Batman doesn't get his man. Ohhhh, how unheard of! And I actually wanted to give this book 3 stars, but 2 is enough. It's not a page turner.
A seemingly innocuous letter pops out of nowhere, written by someone calling themselves the Bookbinder and highlighting how ignorance is degrading society. The authorities have no other lead, so they ignore the letter until a popular show host is kidnapped, forced to admit the show is rigged and left to die, very much like the show's ratings. Batman begins to look into this. But does so nice and slow, like he has all the time in the world. Or maybe the author was asked to stretch out the story until you can barely tell what's going on. Unrest rises among the regular citizens of Gotham who want Arkham to be shut down. More and more contribute to a rising crime wave. This worries Batman who feels he can't do anything against it. And the Bookbinder is only making things worse.
A seemingly innocuous letter pops out of nowhere, written by someone calling themselves the Bookbinder and highlighting how ignorance is degrading society. The authorities have no other lead, so they ignore the letter until a popular show host is kidnapped, forced to admit the show is rigged and left to die, very much like the show's ratings. Batman begins to look into this. But does so nice and slow, like he has all the time in the world. Or maybe the author was asked to stretch out the story until you can barely tell what's going on. Unrest rises among the regular citizens of Gotham who want Arkham to be shut down. More and more contribute to a rising crime wave. This worries Batman who feels he can't do anything against it. And the Bookbinder is only making things worse.
February 4, 2023
Batman: Arkham Unhinged, Volume 4
#44 – “I’ll keep an ear on the police radio, then, sir.” - Alfred
#45 – “Junk food and junk culture for junk people.”
#46 - “The judge’s name was lord hate-good. Now it’s time for him to be judged.” – letter
#47 – “You’re gonna pay for this, whoever you are!” – thugs
#48 – “What if we PAID them to move out of Gotham?” – Councillor Grove
#49 – “How the hell are we going to enforce a curfew?” – Police Officer
#50 – “Some love the meat, some love to pick the bone..” - quote
#51 – “Eat it.” – The Bookbinder. “I cant. I’ve seen what goes into those things.” – Johnson
#52 – “Let’s take a closer look …” - Batman
#53 – “Tell me about the bookbinder.” – Batman
#54 – “Maybe LIBRARIANS. You want me to call every library and alert them too, sir?”
#55 – “Because I don’t KILL people. I just break a few hearts.” - Catwoman
#56 – “I wonder if you could repair this first edition.” – Selina Kyle (Catwoman)
#57 – “It’s a POWDER KEG waiting to blow.”- Bruce Wayne to Mayor Sharp on TV
#58 – “Alfred, where else do these tunnels go?” – Batman
…
#44 – “I’ll keep an ear on the police radio, then, sir.” - Alfred
#45 – “Junk food and junk culture for junk people.”
#46 - “The judge’s name was lord hate-good. Now it’s time for him to be judged.” – letter
#47 – “You’re gonna pay for this, whoever you are!” – thugs
#48 – “What if we PAID them to move out of Gotham?” – Councillor Grove
#49 – “How the hell are we going to enforce a curfew?” – Police Officer
#50 – “Some love the meat, some love to pick the bone..” - quote
#51 – “Eat it.” – The Bookbinder. “I cant. I’ve seen what goes into those things.” – Johnson
#52 – “Let’s take a closer look …” - Batman
#53 – “Tell me about the bookbinder.” – Batman
#54 – “Maybe LIBRARIANS. You want me to call every library and alert them too, sir?”
#55 – “Because I don’t KILL people. I just break a few hearts.” - Catwoman
#56 – “I wonder if you could repair this first edition.” – Selina Kyle (Catwoman)
#57 – “It’s a POWDER KEG waiting to blow.”- Bruce Wayne to Mayor Sharp on TV
#58 – “Alfred, where else do these tunnels go?” – Batman
…
September 11, 2023
Como 17 o 28 nùmeros para una historia inconclusa y aburrida.
La idea de un "villano", vigilante, o antihèroe siempre es buena. Hasta me ha gusta El Arquitecto y el Emperador Pinguino; pero Bookbinder ni siquiera se revelò. Ni se concluyò la historia.
Y sonaba bien, los nùmeros se manejan como esos viejos "detective còmics" tipo Noir, de un crimen sin resolver, varios sospechosos y blabla, pero fue demasiado y algo que no funciona en un còmic. Menos que estè ambientado en el universo de Arkham, cuando ya terminò la historia y Bookbinder no puede tener mucho protagonismo.
La idea de un "villano", vigilante, o antihèroe siempre es buena. Hasta me ha gusta El Arquitecto y el Emperador Pinguino; pero Bookbinder ni siquiera se revelò. Ni se concluyò la historia.
Y sonaba bien, los nùmeros se manejan como esos viejos "detective còmics" tipo Noir, de un crimen sin resolver, varios sospechosos y blabla, pero fue demasiado y algo que no funciona en un còmic. Menos que estè ambientado en el universo de Arkham, cuando ya terminò la historia y Bookbinder no puede tener mucho protagonismo.
April 2, 2022
I now remember why I forgot about this story. Aside from being loosely connected to the Arkham City game there is nothing in here that’s enjoyable.
The mystery is awful, the villains plan makes no sense and the pacing is practically non existent.
If you’re reading this review before reading this, do yourself a favour. Don’t read this story.
The two stars are for the art and the snippets of dialogue that made me laugh a little.
The mystery is awful, the villains plan makes no sense and the pacing is practically non existent.
If you’re reading this review before reading this, do yourself a favour. Don’t read this story.
The two stars are for the art and the snippets of dialogue that made me laugh a little.
April 18, 2022
“Jim Gordon stopped asking me who I really was years ago. Maybe that’s just as well. Because I’m damned if I know now.”
The Bookbinder is hard at work in Gotham. A criminal? A murderer? Or another vigilante?
The art style in this series is phenomenal (some panels had me stopping to stare for a good 30 seconds) and I always love a good cameo from Catwoman.
The Bookbinder is hard at work in Gotham. A criminal? A murderer? Or another vigilante?
The art style in this series is phenomenal (some panels had me stopping to stare for a good 30 seconds) and I always love a good cameo from Catwoman.
January 2, 2026
44 - 58 Welcome to the Slough of Despond. Who knows when this is in the story. Bruce and the mayor aren’t in Arkham City so it’s before that story. These are just a jumbled mess. I stopped trying to get any continuity going, because there isn’t any. The art is good though. This whole volume seems to be this one storyline somewhere early on, and it never really finishes to any satisfaction.
September 21, 2018
As a "Batfan" since before the late '60s television series I think that I'm qualified to "pass judgement" on some of the more recent offerings and the story presented here is a link to the "great detective" aspect of Batman. I loved it! I've loved all the "Arkham Unhinged" series, great art and scripts. 10/10!
March 6, 2019
Not great visuals and the story was full and boring all throughout.
July 1, 2019
Muster my about criminal called bookbinder. Doesn’t directly say it-but is councilman groves. Engaging, need to play game to find out
February 24, 2020
Good the story of Arkham keeps going...….
September 28, 2020
How has Gordon not figured out who Batman is under the mask? I mean, he is a smart man so...he should know by now.
November 11, 2020
Nothing special or out of the ordinary but a decent storyline. Based off the video game. A solid 3 stars.
August 5, 2022
Easily the best of the four volumes. Containing four parts of the Bookbinder story makes this one quite enjoyable.
June 21, 2024
Wouldn’t even bother getting this volume, very boring issues. Just get the first 3 volumes.
December 31, 2024
Started alright, but ended abruptly.
March 28, 2025
A good graphic novel.
July 20, 2025
I'm annoyed I read this.
November 20, 2021
Could have been better, but the ending was such a let down. What happens with Bookbinder? It's not stated, the climax begins and then...it ends, with not even a whimper. Such a let down.
February 8, 2017
I got this at the library and didn't know this was series and was thinking it was a stand alone comic. I think reading it by itself was OK though and I am sure there was more to it, but its fine. I also never played the game. The graphics were good, except for Bruce Wayne. I didn't really care for what he looked like.
February 20, 2022
This might be my shortest review yet: this was rubbish.
Karen Traviss takes over from Derek Fridolfs for the last volume of Arkham Unhinged. It’s all one story, set after Arkham City called Welcome to the Slough of Despond featuring a new serial killer villain called The Bookbinder who is killing those in power who he sees as uneducated and ignorant.
That’s not a bad set up, though it feels like a Riddler story in that sense. It even sprinkles in small appearances from Catwoman, Calendar Man, Vicki Vale and the Penguin. But there are two big problems with this book.
Firstly, the identity of Bookbinder is blindingly obvious from the start. Councilman Jack Grove is the only new character introduced and the only suspect and has the exact same attitude to ignorance as Bookbinder but you have to get right to the end of the book to find out: yep, he’s Bookbinder.
Secondly, the story drags on and then doesn’t end. It takes five issues for Batman to make any progress then he meets Grove as Bruce Wayne and says he’s checking out the opposition. That’s the end of the book. There’s no continuation anywhere. The book just runs out of pages. I can only assume the series was cancelled.
I recently replayed the Arkham games and decided to re-read the tie in comics too. This was the only one I couldn’t bring myself to re-read.
Karen Traviss takes over from Derek Fridolfs for the last volume of Arkham Unhinged. It’s all one story, set after Arkham City called Welcome to the Slough of Despond featuring a new serial killer villain called The Bookbinder who is killing those in power who he sees as uneducated and ignorant.
That’s not a bad set up, though it feels like a Riddler story in that sense. It even sprinkles in small appearances from Catwoman, Calendar Man, Vicki Vale and the Penguin. But there are two big problems with this book.
Firstly, the identity of Bookbinder is blindingly obvious from the start. Councilman Jack Grove is the only new character introduced and the only suspect and has the exact same attitude to ignorance as Bookbinder but you have to get right to the end of the book to find out: yep, he’s Bookbinder.
Secondly, the story drags on and then doesn’t end. It takes five issues for Batman to make any progress then he meets Grove as Bruce Wayne and says he’s checking out the opposition. That’s the end of the book. There’s no continuation anywhere. The book just runs out of pages. I can only assume the series was cancelled.
I recently replayed the Arkham games and decided to re-read the tie in comics too. This was the only one I couldn’t bring myself to re-read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2015
It's interesting, because this feels to me like the first of the Unhinged series, which tries to step away from the Arkham City game and tries to establish this as an independent Batman AU. Of course Arkham City and the construction thereof is still looming large in the background, but this is about much more than that. Arkham City is a potential cure, but this is about the disease. It's a about the crime in Gotham city and how the ordinary citizens are actually more concerned with the muggings and break-ins committed by various petty criminals than the various super villains going on murder sprees.
It's a very mature comic book, once that dares to ask the hard questions, such as, how do you fight the small crimes when there are just too many of the crooks for Batman to beat up? Does anything he do even make a difference?
It also introduces (I don't remember seeing him before anyway) a new villain, the Bookbinder. One of those bad-guy-has-a-point types that are very tempting to do, but difficult to do right. He's off to a good start here and it will be interesting to see where they take him. Hopefully he won't just end up another self-righteous mass murderer like so many other villains with a plan to fix the crime.
It's a very mature comic book, once that dares to ask the hard questions, such as, how do you fight the small crimes when there are just too many of the crooks for Batman to beat up? Does anything he do even make a difference?
It also introduces (I don't remember seeing him before anyway) a new villain, the Bookbinder. One of those bad-guy-has-a-point types that are very tempting to do, but difficult to do right. He's off to a good start here and it will be interesting to see where they take him. Hopefully he won't just end up another self-righteous mass murderer like so many other villains with a plan to fix the crime.
March 17, 2016
It's been a little while since I've played Arkham City, I admit, but I'm pretty sure this story has nothing to do with the game except for like one poster on some side street that mentions the Bookbinder. That's it. How is this a prequel to the game? Worse yet, the story doesn't even end! It just stops! Batman magically figures out who the Bookbinder is after virtually no detective work, stumbles blindly into a magically old series of aqueducts that just so happened to be secretly hiding right under the city behind a magic-secret wall, confronts the villain who sort-of quotes John Bunyan when he isn't busy killing people and destroying the well-being of the innocent people he is purportedly rescuing only to have the villain say "you have no proof," which makes Batman run away and sulk. You can't possibly accuse me of spoiling the plot, since no such thing exists. Attempts at sub-plots likewise go nowhere, leaving the reader with a series of disappointments - fortunately, it's such a forgettable work, the disappointments will be short-lived. I'm wholly confused what the point of this was: it in no way prepares us for Arkham City, it does not introduce a new villain, it gives us no satisfaction for a stand-alone story. What was this?
February 12, 2016
This was a book based on a video game. That is not necessarily the kiss of death, as certain authors can take video game stories and weave a great tale. This is not one of them. It is not awful, but merely ok. Apparently the Mayor is building something called Arkham City where he wants to put all criminals. There is a Councilman Groves who is also the mysterious Bookbinder who is a hipster criminal who wants good taste (no seriously) and, oh yeah, Batman. This Batman is not very smart, though he still has nice gear. He doesn't really do all that much-he tends to be of the opinion that he is there only to fight the super-villains. It was very underwhelming, to say the least. Well, I am for a fact avoiding the rest of this crap. It was a waste of time. The artwork is not awful, if that helps anyone interested. There is a story underneath all this crap-if anyone cares. I do not.
January 30, 2016
The first two books were amazing, I loved the plot and the characters reactions but in this book I found the plot to be bland and boring, it ran on about the same thing like there was no end, which made me reading it so much slower. I found picking up this book a chore. The other books I was able to fly through them but this book was a disappointment and one of the not so good comics I've ever read.
April 21, 2015
Sadly, vol 3 left a bad taste, so that's coloring my review of vol. 4. However, this one's got a plot! Thus, it works well as a stand alone piece. There were a number of places where you could see that it would segue with the game nicely (if you're into that kind of thing. I'm not.), but it wasn't reliant on them. A nice improvement over the previous volume.
February 16, 2017
I really don't care for the artwork at all. There's always little variations but from one issue to the next some characters are so different I couldn't tell who they were supposed to be. It just ended with no resolution and fell flat.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews