About this item
A journey behind the mask and into the mind of Gotham City's Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight who inspires fear in evildoers everywhere 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 #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?Gives you fresh insights into the complex inner world of Batman and Bruce Wayne and the life and characters of Gotham CityExplains psychological theory and concepts through the lens of one of the world's most popular comic book charactersWritten by a psychology professor and "Superherologist" (scholar of superheroes).
About the Author
Travis Langley, Ph.D., authored the acclaimed book BATMAN AND PSYCHOLOGY: A DARK AND STORMY KNIGHT (Wiley; Turner Publishing) . He is the editor and lead writer for Sterling Publishing's Popular Culture Psychology series, including THE WALKING DEAD PSYCHOLOGY: PSYCH OF THE LIVING DEAD, WONDER WOMAN PSYCHOLOGY: LASSOING THE TRUTH, and CAPTAIN AMERICA VS. IRON MAN: FREEDOM, SECURITY, PSYCHOLOGY (with foreword by Stan Lee) along with looks at Star Wars, Star Trek, Game of Thrones, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Daredevil, Westworld, and more. A distinguished professor of psychology at Henderson State University, he teaches on the psychology of crime, mental illness, media, social behavior.Travis has also been a child abuse investigator, courtroom expert, and undefeated champion on the "Wheel of Fortune" game show. He received his degrees in psychology from Hendrix College and Tulane University. The film "Legends of the Knight" features a segment on how he uses fictional characters to teach real psychology. He appears as an expert interviewee in documentaries such as "Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics," "Superheroes Decoded," and "Batman and Bill." The New York Times (front page) , CNN, MTV, and many other news outlets have covered his work.Over 100,000 follow him as @Superherologist on Twitter, where he ranks among the ten most popular psychologists. An organizer of the Comics Arts Conference, he regularly speaks as a panelist discussing the psychology of superheroes at conventions like San Diego Comic-Con International, Wizard World, and New York Comic Con, joined by people like Bat-Films executive producer Michael Uslan, legendary comic book writers (Steve Englehart, Danny Fingeroth, Dennis O'Neil, Scott Snyder, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman) , renowned artists (Neal Adams, Greg Capullo, Jerry Robinson) , Star Trek captains (Scott Bakula, Sir Patrick Stewart) , Supermen (Dean Cain, Brandon Routh) , Batmen (Kevin Conroy, Adam West) , a Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) , and many more. PsychologyToday.com runs his online column, "Beyond Heroes and Villains."
