Arkham Asylum houses some of Gotham City's most disturbed villains. But are they truly "insane?" Eisner-nominated writer Tom King (Batman, The Sheriff of Babylon, The Vision)-mastermind of this summer's Batman story arc, The War of Jokes and Riddles- joins real-life forensic psychiatrists Praveen R. Kambam, MD and Vasilis K. Pozios, MD (Broadcast Thought) to explore the mental disorders that plague the Dark Knight's rogues' gallery, offering behavioral analyses of the Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, the Riddler, and other Bat-villains. Are these characters psychotic, or are they psychopaths? What's the difference? The forensic psychiatrists discuss the meaning of these terms and explain how criminal defendants are found "not guilty by reason of insanity" and what happens when they are committed to a real-world Arkham Asylum. Attorney Jeff Trexler (The Comics Journal, The Beat) offers a historical contextualization of the various depictions of the Bat-villains, proving once again that truth really is stranger than fiction! Moderated by Susan Karlin (Fast Company).
