Official Press Release

FORENSIC PSYCHIATRISTS AND FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT PROFILE COMIC BOOK SERIAL KILLERS

Upcoming Panel at Comic-Con International 2011 Applies Real-Life Forensic Psychiatry and Behavioral Profiling to Serial Killers in the Batman Universe to Enhance Accurate Understanding of Serial Murder

Los Angeles, CA, July 2011 – For the first time at Comic-Con International, forensic psychiatrists and an FBI profiler will analyze the behavior of some of the most prolific murderers among Batman’s rogues’ gallery. The panel of behavioral experts will present Detecting Deviants in the Dark Night: Profiling Gotham City’s Serial Killers on Thursday, June 21st, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., in Room 8 of the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.

At Comic-Con International 2009 and WonderCon 2010, Broadcast Thought outlined aspects of real-life forensic psychiatry and applied it to various characters at Arkham Asylum, the infamous institution for the “criminally insane” in the Batman comics. At Comic-Con 2010 and WonderCon 2011, the three forensic psychiatrists examined the effects of psychological trauma on the development of the hero and villain.

Now, H. Eric Bender, M.D., Praveen R. Kambam, M.D., and Vasilis K. Pozios, M.D., return to Comic-Con and team up with Mark E. Safarik, M.S., V.S.M., FBI Ret., Supervisory Special Agent, Behavioral Analysis Unit, to apply cutting-edge forensic psychiatric knowledge and law enforcement perspectives to notorious Batman villains including the Joker, Mr. Zsasz, Alberto “Holiday” Falcone, Onomatopoeia, Abbatoir, James Gordon, Jr., and others. To enhance the accurate understanding of real-world serial murder, the panelists will expose the personality constructs, motivations, and criminal styles of these fascinating characters.

During the panel, Broadcast Thought and Mark Safarik will explore how violent criminals who plague Gotham would be examined and profiled in real life. Learn whether these villains are actually serial murderers. Understand what characteristics and patterns define serial murder. What role, if any, does mental illness play in the development of serial murderers? How does law enforcement detect these deviants in the dark night? Could Batman, the Dark Night Detective himself, apply these same principles to solve Gotham’s most gruesome murders? The audience will enter into the minds of murderers as they explore the concept of psychopathy, apply techniques of behavioral analysis (“profiling”) to characters and their crimes, and compare Batman villains to actual serial murderers.

Detecting Deviants in the Dark Night: Profiling Gotham City’s Serial Killers takes place at Comic-Con 2011 on Thursday, July 21st, 2011, from 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., in Room 8 of the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California. Drs. Bender, Kambam, and Pozios, along with Mr. Safarik, will be available for interviews before and after the panel.

About Broadcast Thought:

Broadcast Thought is comprised of H. Eric Bender, M.D., Praveen R. Kambam, M.D., and Vasilis K. Pozios, M.D., three physicians specializing in forensic, child and adolescent, and adult psychiatry. These psychiatrists are both medical professionals and fans of film, television, comic books, and other popular media. Broadcast Thought provides expert consultation to the media and entertainment industries. Through “Accuracy in Entertainment and Entertainment in Accuracy,” Broadcast Thought adds new dimensions to portrayals of mental illness, evolves perceptions of mental health matters, and advances popular media in innovative directions.

Broadcast Thought’s Comic-Con and WonderCon appearances have drawn capacity crowds, and their approach has been featured on AOLNews.com, ABCNews.com, Entertainment Weekly’s “PopWatch” Blog, Discover’s “Science Not Fiction” Blog, and both the Comic News Insider and Crazy Sexy Geeks podcasts.

About Mark Safarik:

Mark E. Safarik, M.S., V.S.M., (FBI Ret.), is a former Supervisory Special Agent of the FBI’s famed Behavioral Analysis Unit. Mr. Safarik is Executive Director of Forensic Behavioral Services, Inc. He has appeared as an expert on Dateline, Court TV, Forensic Files, and The Discovery Channel, and is currently a consultant to CSI: Las Vegas and Bones. Mr. Safarik currently stars in his own new television series, Killer Instinct, based on high profile murder cases from his career. The series, produced by NBC, premieres in September on Sleuth network.