Batman And Psychology: A Dark And Stormy Knight

Description

A journey behind the mask and into the mind of Gotham City's Caped Crusader, timed for the summer 2012 release of "The Dark Knight Rises". Batman is one of the most compelling and enduring characters to come from the Golden Age of Comics, and interest in his story has only increased through countless incarnations since his first appearance in "Detective Comics" numbered 27 in 1939. Why does this superhero without superpowers fascinate us? What does that fascination say about us? "Batman and Psychology" explores these and other intriguing questions about the masked vigilante, including: Does Batman have PTSD? Why does he fight crime? Why as a vigilante? Why the mask, the bat, and the underage partner? Why are his most intimate relationships with "bad girls" he ought to lock up? And why won't he kill that homicidal, green-haired clown? It gives you fresh insights into the complex inner world of Batman and Bruce Wayne and the life and characters of Gotham City. It explains psychological theory and concepts through the lens of one of the world's most popular comic book characters. It is written by a psychology professor and "Superherologist" (scholar of superheroes).

Author description

TRAVIS LANGLEY is a professor of psychology at Henderson State University. An organizer for the Comics Arts Conference, he is a psychologist who speaks regularly on the psychology of superheroes at conventions like San Diego Comic-Con--especially the psychology of Gotham's Dark Knight.

Table of contents

Acknowledgments: My Bat-Family vii Foreword by Michael Uslan, Bat-Films executive producer xi Introduction by Dennis O'Neil, comic book writer/editor 1 1 Beneath the Cowl: Who Is Batman? 5 2 Which Batman? 8 Case File 2--1: King Tut Case File 2--2: Mr. Freeze 3 The Trauma 35 4 Why the Mask? 54 5 Why the Bat? 67 Case File 5--1: Scarecrow Case File 5--2: Hugo Strange 6 The "Superstitious, Cowardly Lot": Criminal Nature 90 Case File 6--1: Bane 7 The Halloween Party: Why All the Costumed Crooks? 110 Case File 7--1: The Riddler Case File 7--2: The Penguin Case File 7--3: Poison Ivy 8 The Madhouse: What Insanity? 130 Case File 8--1: The Mad Hatter Case File 8--2: Harley Quinn Case File 8--3: The Joker 9 The Psychodynamic Duo: Freud and Jung on Batman and Robin 158 Case File 9--1: Two-Face 10 The Kids: Why Robin? 178 Case File 10--1: Red Hood Case File 10--2: Dr. Fredric Wertham 11 The Women: Why the Cat? 211 Case File 11--1: Catwoman 12 The Fathers: Why Do We Fall? 237 Case File 12--1: Ra's al Ghul 13 Why So Serious? 257 14 The Assessment: Bats in His Belfry? 266 Notes 272 References: Comic Books and Graphic Novels 291 References: Not Comic Books or Graphic Novels 304 Index 332