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Alongside superheroes, supervillains, too, have become one of today's most popular and globally recognizable figures. However, it is not merely their popularity that marks their significance. Supervillains are also central to superhero storytelling to the extent that the superhero genre cannot survive without supervillains. Bringing together different approaches and critical perspectives across disciplines, author Nao Tomabechi troubles overly hero-centered works in comics studies to reconsider the modern American myths of the superheroes. Considering the likes of Lex Luthor, the Joker, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Loki, Venom, and more, Supervillians explores themes such as gender and sexuality, disability, and many forms of Otherness in relation to the notion of evil as it appears in the superhero genre. The book investigates how supervillains uphold and, at times, trouble dominant ideals expressed by the heroism of our superheroes.

While much of the scholarship on superhero narratives has focused on the heroes themselves, Batman's Villains and Villainesses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Arkham's Souls takes into view the depiction of the villains and their lives, arguing that they often function as proxies for larger societal and philosophical themes. Approaching Gotham's villains from a number of disciplinary backgrounds, the essays in this collection highlight how the villains'multifaceted backgrounds, experiences, motivations, and behaviors allow for in-depth character analysis across varying levels of social life. Through investigating their cultural and scholarly relevance across the humanities and social sciences, the volume encourages both thoughtful reflection on the relationship between individuals and their social contexts and the use of villains (inside and outside of Gotham) as subjects of pedagogical and scholarly inquiry.

A fun, frightening, and fascinating deep dive into the psyche of a madman: Batman's nemesis, the Clown Prince of Crime. Since he first fought Batman in 1940, The Joker has evolved into one of popular culture's most complex and confounding psychological creations: both a criminal mastermind and an unhinged psychopath. In The Joker Psychology: Evil Clowns and the Women Who Love Them, Dr. Travis Langley, author of the bestselling Batman and Psychology, returns to Gotham City to explore the twisted psyche of this great supervillain, as well as the personalities who are inexorably drawn to it. Paying special attention to the strange dynamics of relationships like the one between The Joker and Harley Quinn, this collection includes some very special interviews with people who brought The Joker and Harley Quinn to life in comics and onscreen, and analyzes: · Why a bright, laughing monster who looks like a clown could be the ultimate antagonist to a grim, brooding hero who looks like a monster · The relationship between a therapist and her patient—and what happens when a therapist crosses the line, as Harley Quinn does when she falls for The Joker · How a smart person could fall for the most dangerous of criminals · Why so many fans find Harley Quinn inspirational · How different kinds of therapy could (or could not) help twisted minds like Mister J and Harley Quinn The development of a fictional character that so completely embodies psychopathy (including interviews with creators who have shaped The Joker's character over the years), and more