Don’t let these pets paw for your attention! The playful pets of Gotham’s Super-Villains are teaming up for an escape adventure in the upcoming middle-grade graphic novel, Barkham Asylum, created by writer and artist Yehudi Mercado (Shazam! Thundercrack), available at retailers everywhere on February 6, 2024.

Featuring the lineup art by Yehudi Mercado, the story follows what happens when the Super-Villains of Gotham are thrown into Arkham Asylum and their hench-pets are sent to the maximum-security pound known as Barkham Asylum. When Jester, The Joker’s dog, gets a tough-talking stray cat named Penny tossed into lockup with him, fur flies. But they’ll have to put their differences aside and work together to uncover the evil plans of Dr. Hugo Mange. The only way to stop this terrifying team-up is to win the talent show and earn a visit with their masters at Arkham on the hill. Surely, The Joker will lend a hand. What could possibly go wrong with that plan?

Preview pages from Barkham Asylum, illustrated by Yehudi Mercado, are available to view. When asked about the inspiration behind the graphic novel, creator Yehudi Mercado said, “When crafting this graphic novel, I drew inspiration from my own experience growing up. As a class clown, I spent a lot of time in detention and I can relate to the lead dog, Jester, in my own way. All Jester wants is to make people laugh, so in his mind, his master isn’t such a bad guy. Locked up with him is an innocent stray cat named Penny, a loner who initially rejects Jester’s request to join his pack. But if they’re going to get out of this mess, they will have to team up. And if a stray cat and The Joker’s dog can get along, then maybe there’s hope for all of us!”

DC’s Barkham Asylum is a middle-grade book for readers ages 8-12 by writer and artist Yehudi Mercado, releasing on February 6, 2024.