"I love Gotham, and it's time I paid her back." Set in a world where the Clown Prince of Crime has been cured of his madness, Batman: White Knight follows the man now known as Jack Napier as he embarks on a quest to heal the city he once terrorized. After reconiciling with his long-suffering partner, Harley Quinn, he sets in motion a carefully plotted campaign to discredit the one person whom he views as Gotham City's true enemy: Batman. His crusade exposes a decades-long history of corruption within the Gotham City Police Department and transforms Napier into a city councilman and civic hero. But when the sins of his past return to threaten everything that he has accomplished, the distinctions between savior and destroyer begin to break down for both the Joker and Batman alike—and with them any hope for Gotham's future. Superstar graphic novelist Sean Murphy delivers an extraordinary examination of comics' greatest antagonists in Batman: White Knight, exploring justice, corruption, activism, and the darkest depths of mental illness. This deluxe hardcover edition collects all eight issues of the acclaimed miniseries and features a special behind-the-scenes showcase of Murphy's character designs and preliminary artwork.

Collecting the Eisner Award-nominated series in Deluxe Edition format! Batman: White Knight follows the transformation of The Joker into a sane citizen of Gotham City known as Jack Napier. After reconciling with his long-suffering partner, Harley Quinn, he sets in motion a carefully plotted campaign to discredit the one person whom he views as Gotham City's true enemy: Batman. Napier's crusade exposes a decades-long history of corruption within the Gotham City Police Department and transforms him into a city councilman and civic hero. But when the sins of his past return to threaten everything that he has accomplished, the distinctions between savior and destroyer begin to break down for both The Joker and Batman alike-and with them, any hope for Gotham's future. Collecting the acclaimed eight-issue miniseries, plus extras including sketches, designs, and Sean Murphy's original inked pages, and a brand-new cover by Murphy!

From superstar writer/artist Sean Murphy comes the second thrilling chapter in the White Knight saga. After the events of Batman: White Knight, The Joker is behind bars, the Bat-Family has integrated Batman’s mobile arsenal into the GTO, and Harley Quinn has moved on with her life. But unbeknownst to them, the Clown Prince of Crime still has an ace up his sleeve: he knows a dark secret about the Wayne family that threatens to change their legacy! To help even the playing field, The Joker recruits his own avenging angel, Azrael, to carry out this final act of revenge. Will Gotham City burn under the sword of Azrael, and will the Wayne name forever be tainted? This deluxe edition of the acclaimed story collects the entire eight-issue series as well as the Batman: White Knight Presents Von Freeze one-shot written by Murphy and illustrated by Batman: The Dark Knight Returns inker Klaus Janson, and features a brand-new cover by Murphy.

Batman has been one of the world’s most beloved superheroes since his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. Clad in his dark cowl and cape, he has captured the imagination of millions with his single-minded mission to create a better world for the people of Gotham City by fighting crime, making use of expert detective skills, high-tech crime-fighting gadgets, and an extensive network of sidekicks and partners. But why has this self-made hero enjoyed such enduring popularity? And why are his choices so often the subject of intense debate among his fans and philosophers alike? Batman and Ethics goes behind the mask to shed new light on the complexities and contradictions of the Dark Knight’s moral code. From the logic behind his aversion to killing to the moral status of vigilantism and his use of torture in pursuit of justice (or perhaps revenge), Batman’s ethical precepts are compelling but often inconsistent and controversial. Philosopher and pop culture expert Mark D. White uses the tools of moral philosophy to track Batman’s most striking ethical dilemmas and decisions across his most prominent storylines from the early 1970s through the launch of the New 52, and suggests how understanding the mercurial moral character of the caped crusader might help us reconcile our own. A thought-provoking and entertaining journey through four decades of Batman’s struggles and triumphs in time for the franchise’s 80th anniversary, Batman and Ethics is a perfect gateway into the complex questions of moral philosophy through a focused character study of this most famous of fictional superheroes.

Covering genres from adventure and fantasy to horror, science fiction, and superheroes, this guide maps the vast terrain of graphic novels, describing and organizing titles to help librarians balance their graphic novel collections and direct patrons to read-alikes. New subgenres, new authors, new artists, and new titles appear daily in the comic book and manga world, joining thousands of existing titles—some of which are very popular and well-known to the enthusiastic readers of books in this genre. How do you determine which graphic novels to purchase, and which to recommend to teen and adult readers? This updated guide is intended to help you start, update, or maintain a graphic novel collection and advise readers about the genre. Containing mostly new information as compared to the previous edition, the book covers iconic super-hero comics and other classic and contemporary crime fighter-based comics; action and adventure comics, including prehistoric, heroic, explorer, and Far East adventure as well as Western adventure; science fiction titles that encompass space opera/fantasy, aliens, post-apocalyptic themes, and comics with storylines revolving around computers, robots, and artificial intelligence. There are also chapters dedicated to fantasy titles; horror titles, such as comics about vampires, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, and the occult; crime and mystery titles regarding detectives, police officers, junior sleuths, and true crime; comics on contemporary life, covering romance, coming-of-age stories, sports, and social and political issues; humorous titles; and various nonfiction graphic novels.

Celebrating the legacy of the Dark Knight, DETECTIVE COMICS: 80 YEARS OF BATMAN follows the best-selling ACTION COMICS: 80 YEARS OF SUPERMAN. Curated by guest editor Paul Levitz, it features reprints of the Dark KnightÕs most memorable adventures, from his first appearance to the debuts of Robin, Batwoman, Bat-Mite and Batgirl, as well as villains including Two-Face, the Riddler, Clayface, Man-Bat and more. This hardcover also spotlights crime-fighters including Slam Bradley, Air Wave, the Boy Commandos, the Martian Manhunter and the 1970s Manhunter, Paul Kirk! And, published for the first time anywhere: a new tale of a traumatic early moment in Bruce WayneÕs life written by Paul Levitz with art by Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz, and an extraordinary look at a long-ago work in progressÑthe original layouts for the Batman tale from DETECTIVE COMICS #200, as illustrated by Lew Sayre Schwartz (and signed ÒBob KaneÓ). As if thatÕs not enough, this volume includes essays on Batman from contributors including Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Glen David Gold, Dennis OÕNeil, former San Diego police chief Shelley Zimmerman and pulp historian Anthony Tollin.

Frank Miller, along with co-writer Brian Azarrello and artist John Romita Jr., revisit the gritty world of to the best-selling and genre-defining graphic novel, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, with this time telling prequel, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: THE LAST CRUSADE, The tale of Batman’s last adventure before his retirement and eventual return years later. As the Joker is manically returned to Arkham Asylum, Bruce Wayne is struggling to train his sidekick and heir apparent, the new Robin, Jason Todd. While a new string of bizarre killing sprees involving Gotham City’s elite take up Batman and Robin’s attention, critics begin to question if the Dark Knight has a right to endanger the life of a child. What does night after night of danger and brutality do to a child? And what is the Joker planning? THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: THE LAST CRUSADE presents this prequel story to THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS plus a variant cover gallery, pages from Frank Miller's original script and pencils by John Romita Jr.

Writer/Artist Sean Gordon Murphy returns to the White Knight universe with a new take on Neo-Gotham and Terry McGinnis in a deluxe hardcover from DC Black Label. When a recently incarcerated Bruce Wayne hears there's a new Batman running around Gotham in a hi-tech bat suit, it's time to escape from behind bars and put this Batman to bed. With Derek Powers working behind the scenes on a new Gotham police force, it's only a matter of time before Bruce recruits his forgotten Robins to aid in the battle for the future of Neo-Gotham. Blockbuster writer/artist Sean Gordon Murphy invites DC fans into a new Gotham like they've never seen before in the sequel to Batman: White Knight and Batman: Beyond the White Knight. Collects: Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1-8; Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood #1-2.

Bill Willingham's hit series FABLES continues here, as issues #28-33 are collected for the first time in hardcover, along with the original graphic novel FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL.

In the summer of 2000 X-Men surpassed all box office expectations and ushered in an era of unprecedented production of comic book film adaptations. This trend, now in its second decade, has blossomed into Hollywood's leading genre. From superheroes to Spartan warriors, The Comic Book Film Adaptation offers the first dedicated study to examine how comic books moved from the fringes of popular culture to the center of mainstream film production. Through in-depth analysis, industry interviews, and audience research, this book charts the cause-and-effect of this influential trend. It considers the cultural traumas, business demands, and digital possibilities that Hollywood faced at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The industry managed to meet these challenges by exploiting comics and their existing audiences. However, studios were caught off-guard when these comic book fans, empowered by digital media, began to influence the success of these adaptations. Nonetheless, filmmakers soon developed strategies to take advantage of this intense fanbase, while codifying the trend into a more lucrative genre, the comic book movie, which appealed to an even wider audience. Central to this vibrant trend is a comic aesthetic in which filmmakers utilize digital filmmaking technologies to engage with the language and conventions of comics like never before. The Comic Book Film Adaptation explores this unique moment in which cinema is stimulated, challenged, and enriched by the once-dismissed medium of comics.