I can't say I loved this novel but I certainly liked it. It is one of Grant Morrison's earlier stories and therefore it goes for more interesting concepts than what a comic might typically attempt. Like many young minds turned on by intellectual things, however, Morrison is a bit like a hummingbird, flitting from one idea to the next without unifying a comprehensive underlying concept. Also, there might be a little nonsense involved.

From the notes on the text by Morrison:

"PAGE 20: The idea of the Joker's 'super-sanity' haunted me for years and eventually developed into my theories of multiple personality complexes as the next stage in human consciousness development."

Yeah... so that happened.

Despite the cocaine-paced mind wanderings of a guy who is really interested in theoretical ideas the end result is, well, intriguing. Dave McKean's artwork pulls the story into an atmospheric dimension of chaos and is able to excuse much of the eclectic "theory projects" Grant sets out to write by allowing them to fall under the umbrella of unsettling madness. That is where this story shines the most. There is enough dread and emotional violence in the narrative that the spilling out of Morrison's ambitions becomes yet another rabbit-hole which fits neatly in the tale.

Here's an example of what I mean, again from Morrison's notes:

"In Qabalistic numerology, Christ = Satan = Messiah, which is why Croc appears here in crucifixion pose, taking the place of Christ on this blasphemous cross. In this scene, Batman reunites Christ and Serpent, then confronts and overcomes his own attachment to his Mother in a perverse nightmare of lizards, lace and bridal embroidery.

"Much of this subtextual material was lost on the casual reader but that didn't seem to stop us from shifting mega-amounts of copies. I do believe that people respond emotionally to deep mythical patterns whether or not they actually recognize or "understand" them as such, but the fact that book launched at the time of the outrageously successful Batman film by Tim Burton probably helped more than anything else."

I'd say that last line is a pretty huge understatement. The first Tim Burton Batman film inspired feverish consumption. However, I'm glad this book landed success. While there may not be much to take away from this novel, per say, Morrison's ambitions are unlike much before it in the history of the genre. His early success gave him the space he needed to develop his ideas further without having to dig himself out of a failed project.

There is value to this novel. It's creative energy, intellectual ambition, and re-imagining of the genre all make it a worthwhile read.