DC Comics new six-part comic series BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY, takes place after the events of the one of the most acclaimed video games of 2009, BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM. With the sequel to this game to be released later this year, DC have published a limited series to bridge the gap between both games and is the perfect supplement to appease those gamers who simply cannot wait.

Written by Paul Dini (Batman: the Animated Series) who also wrote both games, this comic takes place a year after the conclusion of the video game which saw the Joker a broken and defeated man, thanks to Batman ending his deadly onslaught within the walls of Arkham Asylum. Unfortunately for Batman, the drug called Titan that turned the Joker into an even more powerful maniacal villain (ala Bane) is now on the streets of Gotham.

Issue one of the comic nicely sets up the key players to the new video game and how the former warden of Arkham, now newly elected Mayor, Quincy Sharp will turn a portion of Gotham City into a maximum security institution, hence the title Arkham City. I enjoyed the fact that Dini has given the perspectives of the aftermath of the video game through the eyes of various players from the original game such as Harley Quinn and Batman. There's also some great cameos in the comic from Vicky Vale to Jack Ryder (The Creeper) and Two-Face.

Without spoiling the story too much, it appears that Mayor Quincy Sharp is being used as a puppet for a far superior villain and Dini does a great job at creating this mystery in the first issue. Batman once again shines as the staunch hero as he attempts to solve the leak of Titan onto the streets of Gotham with a clichéd and overtop battle near the end of the issue which was the catalyst to creating a city Asylum. However if you've been falling the news about the video game, you probably already know who the villain will be in the new video game.

The best part of this comic and the video game is that it feels like a real Batman comic as opposed to those writers who have tried to put their own twist on this classic character. Matched with the impressive art of Carlos D'Anda, BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY #1 is a short yet entertaining read that serves as the perfect precursor to the following issues and the upcoming video game. Even though there may be parallels between the Kurt Russell movie Escape from New York, I'm sure the Batman spin will be far more entertaining, especially once the reader and the player has control of Batman.