The Stunning, Influential Art of 'Batman: Arkham' (Exclusive)

The Batman: Arkham video-game series has been wildly successful, earning rave reviews, setting sales records, and creating a “hyperrealistic” aesthetic that has suffused not just comic books, but Warner Bros. and DC’s television shows and films, including the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. The new book The Art of Rocksteady’s Batman (Abrams, $40) provides insight into the creative process behind the groundbreaking games, from 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum to this year’s Batman: Arkham Knight, tracing the revamped designs of Gotham’s iconic heroes and rogues, and their environs, from sketches to final renders. Here’s an exclusive peek inside the so-called “Arkhamverse.”