by Robert Richardson

Behind the Mask| The love and appreciation of comic books can often go far beyond merely being a collector.

firing up the generators…To devote ourselves to a character, a series, a publisher, a writer or an artist is merely one of the attractions of picking up a title and thumbing through the pages.

tachyons accelerating…There are elements to the process that call out to be further explored. None more so than the motivations of our favorite heroes and villains.

configuring… We would give everything for a quick glimpse behind the mask and see the workings of such an intriguing mind.

broadcasting in 3..2..1.. Dr. Travis Langley offers just that in Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight.

*begin transmission*

The tenured Professor of Psychology at Henderson State University, comic convention veteran and “Superherologist� explores the intense emotions, motivations and mind set of Batman and a whole host of his adversaries.

Another unique look behind-the-curtain is Write or Wrong: A Writer’s Guide to Creating Comics. Dirk Manning, creator of the outstanding Nightmare World and contributor to many publishing houses from Image to Zenescope, has put together a guide to writing comic books – for writers. While there are many How To… books out there, this is a must for anyone serious about getting into the industry we know and love.

Couch-bound Caped Crusader

Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight

Written by: Dr. Travis Langley

Introduction by: Dennis O’Neil

Foreword: Michael Uslan

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Billionaire eccentric playboy with unlimited resources chooses – rather then spend his wealth on a lifestyle of excess – to dress as giant bat and jump across the rooftops catching murderers, jewel thieves and serial killers in an attempt to bring his own personal justice to atone for the death of his parents at the hands of a mugger when he was a child?

Of course he does. And his name is Bruce Wayne. Or Batman.

Dr. Travis Langley takes us along on a journey of exploration and reasoning into the psyche of a man, tortured by some level of survivor guilt with elements of post traumatic stress disorder (or has he?), as he takes to the streets of Gotham and faces off a rogues gallery who similarly represent facets of his fractured personality.

This book is not only an ode to one of pop culture’s most famous mythical figures but an analytical look at an intriguing character; one who all invest in. Whether we simply know his name or are well versed in his many legends, Batman has touched some part of all our lives.

But could he be crazy? And how about those who stand beside him; Robin, Alfred and the rest of the Bat-family? Have the actors portraying the character over the years really done justice to a potential lunatic?

More so, what of the villains? With Arkham Asylum a wonderfully curious and exotic locale within Gotham, who really is mad? Victor Fries, maybe or perhaps the victim of a broken heart. The Joker? You’d think so but after Langley has finished deconstructing the Dark Knight’s nemesis you may find him to be strangely in control…

Langley uses insightful examples throughout Batman lore, across many mediums, citing the comics, movies, animated and live action TV series along the way. Langley uses models such as the Kubler-Ross’ Stages of Grief to pull apart the main players.

Far from just being a compliment for every Batman story ever written, this book is a credible academic tome that really will leave you looking at the Caped Crusader from an entirely new perspective once you’ve finished.

An intriguing read and a fascinating book.

10 out of 10 Mega Bytes

Doing What’s Write

Write or Wrong: A Writer’s Guide to Creating Comics

Written by: Dirk Manning

Published by: Transfuzion Publishing

Write or Wrong originally started life for Dirk Manning as a column on Newsarama. The published version collects the many, many highlights and wonderful tips, peppered with Manning’s unique perspective and wit.

It’s a fun read and one that really helps. Rather than hammer home a list of do’s and don’ts, Write or Wrong is more of a field guide full of constructive advice for anyone wanting to start out writing comic books.

It’s an incredibly useful book. Shelves are filled with How To Draw Comic’s books – I know, I’ve seen just about them all, and being a writer, it can sometimes be difficult to find any sort of guide or handbook out there. Yes, there are numerous books on developing screenplays and scripts but rarely can one be found that focuses on comics.

See, Manning concentrates on the development of a comic; from creative teams to collaborations to finding the right artist. The collaborative process is detailed in full. Manning makes sure that this in particular is not overlooked.

The distinction between comic book writer and comic book artist is often looked as two separate entities but Write or Wrong ensures that this important aspect of comics is not ignored.

Write or Wrong is an essential guide for not just the comic book writer but the comic book creator.

9 out of 10 Mega Bytes

The ROBotiX Network Ordnance

Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight: 10

Write or Wrong: A Writer’s Guide to Creating Comics: 9

*end transmission*

Monsters, robots, dinosaurs and zombies…well that’s where it starts. Each week Rob Richardson, our ROBotiX brings you the sci-fi, horror and macabre of comics, movies and TV with the eXpertComics.com style. He will also be doing con coverage, movie reviews and even classic sci-fi movie reviews from the beginning of the genre to present. Join us here for his preview column Circuit Breakers, review piece Mega Bytes and also his more focused topical column ROBotiX of course…

eXpect eXcellence. We are eXPress News on eXpertComics.com

Column : INVASION | Columnist: Rob Richardson | Twitter – @robbrichardson | Email – ROBotiX@expertcomics.com

© 2013 eXpertComics.com | ROBotiX/Rob Richardson

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Comments (1)

Dan Robertson

February 8th, 2013 @ 17:29 Fantastic, just whetted my appetite for the interview!

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