Well received at the time of its publication, comic book contributors have also praised the story, including illustrator Norm Breyfogle, who came to appreciate the character as his favorite of Alan Grant's creations.

Originally inspired by his personal political leanings, Alan Grant entertained the idea of interjecting anarchist philosophy into Batman comic books.

[2] In response to deadline pressures, and not recognizing the character's potential, Breyfogle "made no preliminary sketches, simply draping him in long red sheets".

The character was also intended to wear a costume that disguised his youth, and so was fitted with a crude "head extender" that elongated his neck, creating a jarring appearance.

Dennis O'Neil, then editor of Detective Comics, requested that Grant "tone down" the script, as he felt Anarky becoming a murderer at such a young age was morally reprehensible.

As a child prodigy with extensive knowledge of both radical philosophy and improvised munitions, Lonnie was confident that violent change is necessary to improve social conditions.

This was in fact intended as a ruse on the part of writer Alan Grant to disguise the character's true identity, and to confuse the reader into believing Anarky to be an adult.

Comic book industry critic Greg Burgas appreciated the contrasting attitudes presented in this debut, writing that "Lonnie is a fascinating character in that he has a sense of humor... and he's very smart".

[14] Although Grant had not created the character to be used beyond the two-part debut story, positive reactions from reader letters and his editor caused him to change his mind.

He then decided to make Lonnie Machin the third Robin, following Jason Todd, desiring a new sidekick who would act as a foil to Batman, and not have the same motivations for vengeance.

[2] Throughout the early 90s, Anarky was a lesser known, but established antagonist in the Batman franchise, frequently depicted as escaping from the detention center and peregrinating around Gotham City.