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The Many Lives of Catwoman: The Felonious History of a Feline Fatale
For more than seventy-five years, Catwoman has forged her own path in a clear-cut world of stalwart heroes, diabolical villains, and damsels in distress. Sometimes a thief, sometimes a vigilante, sometimes neither, and sometimes both, the mercurial Catwoman gleefully defies classification. Her relentless independence across comic books, television, and film set her apart from the rest of the superhero world. When female characters were limited to little more than romantic roles, Catwoman used her feminine wiles to manipulate Batman and escape justice at every turn. When male villains dominated Gotham on the small screen, Catwoman entered the mix and outshone them all. When female-led comics were few and far between, Catwoman headlined her own series for over twenty years. True to her nature, Catwoman stole the show everywhere she appeared, regardless of the medium. But her unique path had its downsides as well. Her existence on the periphery of the superhero world made her expendable, and she was prone to lengthy absences. Her villainous origins also made her susceptible to sexualized and degrading depictions from her primarily male creators in ways that most conventional heroines didn't face. For good and ill, Catwoman serves as a stark counterpart to the typical evolution of the history of women in comics, and in popular culture generally. The standard tropes rarely applied to Catwoman; instead, her adventures have charted an inimitably varied journey of empowerment and exploitation. Exploring the many incarnations of this cultural icon offers a new perspective on the superhero genre and showcases the fierce resiliency that has made Catwoman a fan favorite for decades.
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First published July 1, 2017
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About the author
Tim Hanley
14 books44 followersTim Hanley is the author of Wonder Woman Unbound and Investigating Lois Lane. He is also a comic book historian. His blog, Straitened Circumstances, discusses Wonder Woman and women in comics, and his column "Gendercrunching" runs monthly on Bleeding Cool. He has contributed to several comic book sites, including DC Women Kicking Ass and Women Write About Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
June 25, 2017
Of all the Tim Hanley books I have read, Catwoman is the book that I know the least about. I know a lot of people think my opinion is weird but I have just never been a very big fan of Batman. I liked Batman's cast of villains more than I actually like Batman. I really enjoyed learning more about Catwoman because she works in a more gray area than the characters of Lois Lane or Wonder Woman. I hope Hanley will continue to write these in-depth histories of these comic book characters because I would love to read more.
February 23, 2020
I've enjoyed all of Hanley's "biographies" of DC heroines, and this was no exception. The focus is marginally different than his work on Lois Lane and Wonder Woman, however, because Catwoman has had much less of a solid portrayal through the years. She's suffered from being a woman with agency in a medium that doesn't usually allow that - remember, Wonder Woman had to be created specifically for that reason in order to get away with it. Catwoman has been fridged (repeatedly; looking at you Frank "The Fridge" Miller), sexualized, objectified, had her race changed (and not in the Lois Lane "I am (Black) Curious" way), and been the butt of many jokes about her body, and that's when she wasn't shelved for years at a time.
Catwoman, and all of the other female characters like her, deserve better, and while Hanley doesn't explicitly say that, it's the takeaway of the book. If you've ever followed Batman as a series, you owe it to Selina Kyle to read this book.
Catwoman, and all of the other female characters like her, deserve better, and while Hanley doesn't explicitly say that, it's the takeaway of the book. If you've ever followed Batman as a series, you owe it to Selina Kyle to read this book.
July 2, 2017
Book received from Edelweiss.
This is the first book I have read by this author. So far his books seem to focus on the women in the comics and how they have traditionally been treated by the creators. I requested this one because Catwoman has always been my favorite Batman villain. While my first introduction to her was in the campy 60's TV show, I quickly picked up the few comics I could find that had her in it. I think he did really well explaining the reasons the character changed so much from her introduction to the present day. I really loved the book and hope to get myself a copy soon to add to my shelves.
This is the first book I have read by this author. So far his books seem to focus on the women in the comics and how they have traditionally been treated by the creators. I requested this one because Catwoman has always been my favorite Batman villain. While my first introduction to her was in the campy 60's TV show, I quickly picked up the few comics I could find that had her in it. I think he did really well explaining the reasons the character changed so much from her introduction to the present day. I really loved the book and hope to get myself a copy soon to add to my shelves.
September 9, 2017
This was a really informative and fun read. It tackles all of Catwoman's history, and did a good job of analyzing the ups and downs of her various depictions. It's a relatively short book. A good 60+ pages at the end are just notes on sources. But it feels like it's the right length for the subject matter. Some information was very much new to me, and it wanted me to explore more of the media the character is used in.
July 17, 2017
Excellent read. Before reading this book I had no idea that the character of Cat Woman had been around for 75 years! as long as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Thoroughly researched and a fascinating read.
June 13, 2019
An entertaining and thorough examination of the history of the Catwoman character, though my favorite parts of the book related to her only peripherally. For example, I was fascinated to learn about Batman creator Bob Keene's reputation as a shyster, and how public controversy resulting from the publication of Fredric Wertham's SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT in 1954 led to Catwoman disappearing from Batman stories for well over a decade.
Author Tim Hanley explores virtually every Catwoman appearance you can think of: comics, movies, TV, toys, video games, and DVD extras. (No mention of the prose novel TIGER HUNT, however!) He engages in way too much plot summary for my taste, but I nonetheless enjoyed it overall.
Also wearying is Hanley's need to critique everything from a progressive/feminist perspective. I'm not saying he's wrong...but we get it already. Pointing out that Catwoman is often objectified and hyper-sexualized is as much a revelation as saying that Sylvester Stallone movies are violent and geared toward men. That being said, I do appreciate Hanley's willingness to moderate his outlook on much older comics, recognizing the importance of viewing them within the cultural context of that period. At no point does he come across as a finger-wagging SJW woke-scold, but I admit to being utterly exhausted with modern America's fixation on gender and racial politics. I agree completely with his critiques, but they have nothing to do with why I picked up the book in the first place.
Regarding Catwoman's evolution over the years, I was most intrigued by Hanley's behind-the-scenes look at her film appearances, first in BATMAN RETURNS, then in CATWOMAN, and finally in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. His analysis of the Burton film revealed a layer of subtext I hadn't noticed before, and his postmortem of Halle Berry's turn as the feline hero went a long way toward explaining the ruinous decisions that inevitably led to that cinematic train wreck.
As a casual fan of the whole BATMAN franchise juggernaut, I gleaned lots of great tidbits from this book. I just wish Hanley hadn't spent so much time regurgitating the plots of every Catwoman comic in DC history.
Author Tim Hanley explores virtually every Catwoman appearance you can think of: comics, movies, TV, toys, video games, and DVD extras. (No mention of the prose novel TIGER HUNT, however!) He engages in way too much plot summary for my taste, but I nonetheless enjoyed it overall.
Also wearying is Hanley's need to critique everything from a progressive/feminist perspective. I'm not saying he's wrong...but we get it already. Pointing out that Catwoman is often objectified and hyper-sexualized is as much a revelation as saying that Sylvester Stallone movies are violent and geared toward men. That being said, I do appreciate Hanley's willingness to moderate his outlook on much older comics, recognizing the importance of viewing them within the cultural context of that period. At no point does he come across as a finger-wagging SJW woke-scold, but I admit to being utterly exhausted with modern America's fixation on gender and racial politics. I agree completely with his critiques, but they have nothing to do with why I picked up the book in the first place.
Regarding Catwoman's evolution over the years, I was most intrigued by Hanley's behind-the-scenes look at her film appearances, first in BATMAN RETURNS, then in CATWOMAN, and finally in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. His analysis of the Burton film revealed a layer of subtext I hadn't noticed before, and his postmortem of Halle Berry's turn as the feline hero went a long way toward explaining the ruinous decisions that inevitably led to that cinematic train wreck.
As a casual fan of the whole BATMAN franchise juggernaut, I gleaned lots of great tidbits from this book. I just wish Hanley hadn't spent so much time regurgitating the plots of every Catwoman comic in DC history.
November 28, 2017
Much as I enjoyed this book, I had to knock a star off for my rating, because I found the author's interpretation of Selina's ending in 'The Dark Knight Rises' as Batman/Bruce's 'reward'/'prize' to be aggravatingly wrong [I'll go a step further and say that to me, it even looked like he was pushing the feminist angle -with which I had agreed up until then; even appreciated it- *too* hard; to me, that particular point had echoes of the harmful and, frankly, dumb idea that female characters cannot be truly independent/ empowered if they happen to find love and/or a happy ending with a man].
It's true that the 'Dark Knight' trilogy's treatment of female characters was far from perfect; it's also true, in my opinion, that Selina was the one exception. She was a hero in her own right, and, more importantly, one of the very few characters/entities who got their own complete arcs over the course of these 3 movies [the others being Bruce, Harvey and Gotham City itself]. Hanley had accurately made this observation of Selina in 'Batman Returns'- I found it frustrating, to say the least, that he did not seem to apply the same type of analysis here, instead choosing to cast Burton's Selina in a more favourable light because she had kept her 'independence' [which, incidentally, also meant her continued loneliness, but hey] by the end of BR.
I have a lot of respect and admiration for all the research and careful, affectionate effort that seems to have been put into this book [not to mention Hanley's own subtly sassy, engaging style] and I realise I'm being rather unfair by giving this relatively minor point so much weight, but I just could not let it slide- the Nolans' trilogy, and particularly its ending, mean too much to me, as someone who's loved Batman and Catwoman (both individually and together) since childhood.
My own biases aside, I do warmly recommend the book to any and everyone even remotely interested in comic book history and, of course, in the Princess of Plunder herself.
It's true that the 'Dark Knight' trilogy's treatment of female characters was far from perfect; it's also true, in my opinion, that Selina was the one exception. She was a hero in her own right, and, more importantly, one of the very few characters/entities who got their own complete arcs over the course of these 3 movies [the others being Bruce, Harvey and Gotham City itself]. Hanley had accurately made this observation of Selina in 'Batman Returns'- I found it frustrating, to say the least, that he did not seem to apply the same type of analysis here, instead choosing to cast Burton's Selina in a more favourable light because she had kept her 'independence' [which, incidentally, also meant her continued loneliness, but hey] by the end of BR.
I have a lot of respect and admiration for all the research and careful, affectionate effort that seems to have been put into this book [not to mention Hanley's own subtly sassy, engaging style] and I realise I'm being rather unfair by giving this relatively minor point so much weight, but I just could not let it slide- the Nolans' trilogy, and particularly its ending, mean too much to me, as someone who's loved Batman and Catwoman (both individually and together) since childhood.
My own biases aside, I do warmly recommend the book to any and everyone even remotely interested in comic book history and, of course, in the Princess of Plunder herself.
October 27, 2017
The Many Lives of Catwoman
Author: Tim Hanley
Audio: Rachel Dulude
Publisher: Tantor Media
Date: 2017
Disposition: CD-ROM Audiobook
_________________________________________________
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
Catwoman clawed her way through comic book history. The Kane and Finger wars that weren’t fought paint the credited creator in a deservedly bad light. Catwoman plays stark counterpart to the typical evolution of the history of women in comics. The character walked the line between empowerment and exploitation, forefront in one and falling into the depths of the other. This follows her from her origins through her evolution.
_________________________________________________
Genre:
Comics
Supervillains
History
Literature
Character
Why this book:
Came to me via a free for review.
_________________________________________________
Favorite Character:
Catwoman. Her villain to hero to villain , etc forte is very keeping with her cat motif. Her portrayal in the comics ran counter to the prevailing stereotypes of both women and villains, though Batman’s reaction and collusion were pure stereotype. Her role and character kept her on a juxtaposed path in comparison to both women in comics, heroes, and villains. This free her to be a true original in portrayals that in other characters fell deeply into stereotypes. The kiss Batman and escape trope was very overused during her early years. Her mistress-of-disguise routine largely disappeared when her Selina Kyle identity came into tighter focus and her breaking-and-entering phase came more to the fore. My favorite Catwoman was the animal rights activist.
Loeb and Sale rescuing the Catwoman character from the sithian darkness that Miller’s woman hating had left the character mired in.
Least Favorite Character:
Toss up between Bob Kane, Fredric Wertham, and Frank Miller. Miller didn’t create the refrigerating of female leads, but you can see the roots of the concept in his work, in almost every single female lead that Miller wrote. He was bad business for female characters. Miller’s horrible misogyny...how in the hell did some of this crap ever get to print? Frank Miller shouldn’t EVER be allowed anywhere near Catwoman...or any female character, ever, ever again.
The Feel:
A history lesson.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
Her personality and continuity were all over the place from her origins into the 70s, worse after her returns from hiatus.
Hmm Moments:
Love that Catwoman in the Batman television show got some coverage..
Despite the uneven treatment of Catwoman, she had a huge fandom.
Between the Joker and the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Catwoman went back to her fully criminal ways.
Catwoman’s origins and continuity are confused enough, but it was nice seeing the Earth-2 story where Bruce and Selina were married and were mother and father to the Huntress, even with the continuity of this story being erased.
Burton’s Batman Returns had a ton of actresses wanting the part of Catwoman; Ellen Barkin, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Beals, Lorraine Bracco, Cher, Bridget Fonda, Geena Davis, Jodie Foster, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Madonna, Demi Moore, Lena Olin, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields, Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, Annette Benning, Raquel Welch, Sean Young. Benning got the role, but discovered she was pregnant just before shooting; leading to another round of casting with Michelle Pfeiffer getting the role.
WTF Moments:
Hard to believe that the Bat books went 12 years through the Seduction of the Innocent-Wertham era without a Catwoman appearance. The author almost lost me agreeing with some of Wertham’s points. I see them as fruit of the poison tree. Wertham was focused way too much on Robin’s genitals, if you ask me. He went looking for answers he expected and massaged and bent his data to support it, including concatenating patient testimony and changing it to more closely align with his suppositions. For such an “ethical” crusader, out to save children, Wertham certainly had a lack of ethics. Wertham played the Batman and Robin are gay, Wonder Woman is a lesbian, and Superman is a Nazi card. The jackass had no freaking clue. Based on the evidence, it wouldn’t surprise me if Wertham was the king of leading questions.
Catwoman’s popularity in the television series and their desire for a female hero lead DC to create Batgirl in 1967. And Catwoman’s comic reappearance in Lois Lane gave impetus to her return to the Batman comic family.
They let Bruceman be a total dick to Catwoman when they linked the two characters romantically. His double identity gave him a uneven power dynamic since she didn’t know he was both and he did know she was.
Though being a hero in her 80s solo series and meting out rough justice, she was having a guilt reaction about Bruce. Psychobabble bullshit.
Playing Catwoman as a hopelessly romantic foil harmed the character.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
It was the Golden Age. A shaving nick gives away who Batman is to a one shot femme fatale character. Well...meh.
The whole Robin vs Catwoman dynamic for Batman’s attention.
Miller’s post-Crisis reimagining of Catwoman was pitiful. Going from her classic criminal background and schizophrenic continuity to the prostitute-dominatrix that he turned her into was too much of a headsnapper. Meh.
I disagree with the love lauded on Miller’s Dark Knight, always have.
Geez. Tracing pornography and putting masks on the images to portray female characters...double geez. RUFKM.
Balent and the defense of Balent sounds like mansplaining.
I wondered if they were going to cover that Catwoman movie. Whew! Waves hand to clear the air. Waste of a good actress and decent source material.
Wisdom:
DC should have done something about the image plagiarism and the subcontractor model that Kane was employing. How many unheralded and uncredited artists and writers were swallowed up by the Golden Age shysters?
Comic book universes based on daddy issues. Damn. Just damn.
_________________________________________________
Last Page Sound:
Interesting, long winded, but interesting.
Author Assessment:
Definitely look at other stuff by this author.
Knee Jerk Reaction:
glad I read it
_________________________________________________
Author: Tim Hanley
Audio: Rachel Dulude
Publisher: Tantor Media
Date: 2017
Disposition: CD-ROM Audiobook
_________________________________________________
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
Catwoman clawed her way through comic book history. The Kane and Finger wars that weren’t fought paint the credited creator in a deservedly bad light. Catwoman plays stark counterpart to the typical evolution of the history of women in comics. The character walked the line between empowerment and exploitation, forefront in one and falling into the depths of the other. This follows her from her origins through her evolution.
_________________________________________________
Genre:
Comics
Supervillains
History
Literature
Character
Why this book:
Came to me via a free for review.
_________________________________________________
Favorite Character:
Catwoman. Her villain to hero to villain , etc forte is very keeping with her cat motif. Her portrayal in the comics ran counter to the prevailing stereotypes of both women and villains, though Batman’s reaction and collusion were pure stereotype. Her role and character kept her on a juxtaposed path in comparison to both women in comics, heroes, and villains. This free her to be a true original in portrayals that in other characters fell deeply into stereotypes. The kiss Batman and escape trope was very overused during her early years. Her mistress-of-disguise routine largely disappeared when her Selina Kyle identity came into tighter focus and her breaking-and-entering phase came more to the fore. My favorite Catwoman was the animal rights activist.
Loeb and Sale rescuing the Catwoman character from the sithian darkness that Miller’s woman hating had left the character mired in.
Least Favorite Character:
Toss up between Bob Kane, Fredric Wertham, and Frank Miller. Miller didn’t create the refrigerating of female leads, but you can see the roots of the concept in his work, in almost every single female lead that Miller wrote. He was bad business for female characters. Miller’s horrible misogyny...how in the hell did some of this crap ever get to print? Frank Miller shouldn’t EVER be allowed anywhere near Catwoman...or any female character, ever, ever again.
The Feel:
A history lesson.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
Her personality and continuity were all over the place from her origins into the 70s, worse after her returns from hiatus.
Hmm Moments:
Love that Catwoman in the Batman television show got some coverage..
Despite the uneven treatment of Catwoman, she had a huge fandom.
Between the Joker and the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Catwoman went back to her fully criminal ways.
Catwoman’s origins and continuity are confused enough, but it was nice seeing the Earth-2 story where Bruce and Selina were married and were mother and father to the Huntress, even with the continuity of this story being erased.
Burton’s Batman Returns had a ton of actresses wanting the part of Catwoman; Ellen Barkin, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Beals, Lorraine Bracco, Cher, Bridget Fonda, Geena Davis, Jodie Foster, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Madonna, Demi Moore, Lena Olin, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields, Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, Annette Benning, Raquel Welch, Sean Young. Benning got the role, but discovered she was pregnant just before shooting; leading to another round of casting with Michelle Pfeiffer getting the role.
WTF Moments:
Hard to believe that the Bat books went 12 years through the Seduction of the Innocent-Wertham era without a Catwoman appearance. The author almost lost me agreeing with some of Wertham’s points. I see them as fruit of the poison tree. Wertham was focused way too much on Robin’s genitals, if you ask me. He went looking for answers he expected and massaged and bent his data to support it, including concatenating patient testimony and changing it to more closely align with his suppositions. For such an “ethical” crusader, out to save children, Wertham certainly had a lack of ethics. Wertham played the Batman and Robin are gay, Wonder Woman is a lesbian, and Superman is a Nazi card. The jackass had no freaking clue. Based on the evidence, it wouldn’t surprise me if Wertham was the king of leading questions.
Catwoman’s popularity in the television series and their desire for a female hero lead DC to create Batgirl in 1967. And Catwoman’s comic reappearance in Lois Lane gave impetus to her return to the Batman comic family.
They let Bruceman be a total dick to Catwoman when they linked the two characters romantically. His double identity gave him a uneven power dynamic since she didn’t know he was both and he did know she was.
Though being a hero in her 80s solo series and meting out rough justice, she was having a guilt reaction about Bruce. Psychobabble bullshit.
Playing Catwoman as a hopelessly romantic foil harmed the character.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
It was the Golden Age. A shaving nick gives away who Batman is to a one shot femme fatale character. Well...meh.
The whole Robin vs Catwoman dynamic for Batman’s attention.
Miller’s post-Crisis reimagining of Catwoman was pitiful. Going from her classic criminal background and schizophrenic continuity to the prostitute-dominatrix that he turned her into was too much of a headsnapper. Meh.
I disagree with the love lauded on Miller’s Dark Knight, always have.
Geez. Tracing pornography and putting masks on the images to portray female characters...double geez. RUFKM.
Balent and the defense of Balent sounds like mansplaining.
I wondered if they were going to cover that Catwoman movie. Whew! Waves hand to clear the air. Waste of a good actress and decent source material.
Wisdom:
DC should have done something about the image plagiarism and the subcontractor model that Kane was employing. How many unheralded and uncredited artists and writers were swallowed up by the Golden Age shysters?
Comic book universes based on daddy issues. Damn. Just damn.
_________________________________________________
Last Page Sound:
Interesting, long winded, but interesting.
Author Assessment:
Definitely look at other stuff by this author.
Knee Jerk Reaction:
glad I read it
_________________________________________________
June 7, 2017
I really enjoyed Tim Hanley's previous exposé on Lois Lane, so I was excited to get my claws on his newest book - The Many Lives of Catwoman! And what lives she has lived! The chapters are expertly researched and chronologically organized, pouncing on everything from Selina Kyle's early days as cutting edge cat burglar to Julie Newmar's 1960s kickass kitten to Michelle Pfeiffer's purrfect purrformance in "Batman Returns" to the modern take on Catwoman as noirish protector of Gotham City's East End. Every single one of Catwoman's 9 lives is explored in depth, with careful critique of how the decades defined her free-spirited character, and how she defined herself.
Here's hoping Mr. Hanley publishes more books on the history of DC's highest profile heroines - Black Canary, Batgirl, Supergirl - who's next?
Here's hoping Mr. Hanley publishes more books on the history of DC's highest profile heroines - Black Canary, Batgirl, Supergirl - who's next?
August 29, 2017
This was a great book. I think I liked it better than Wonder Woman Unbound. Catwoman just has a more interesting history (no offense Diana). Hanley has some stand out moments, such as when he rips Bob Kane a new one for lying about Bill Finger's involvement in Batman's creation or when he takes Hollywood to task for letting Catwoman (2004) kill female led superhero movies for over a decade when male superhero flops keep on trucking. Even if you're not really into comics, I think you'd find this enjoyable. And Hanley does a good job of breaking things down so that, even if you're not a comics person, you can understand the context.
October 3, 2019
Thorough and brimming with affection for the subject, Tim Hanley's latest examination of the publication history of a female comic book protagonist will keep fans entertained, newbies informed, and provide plenty of enrichment for both.
May 18, 2024
struggled for a while to figure out what to say about this. 2.5/5, rounding up because there was inherent fun in this since selina is great, and she's one of my favorite characters of all time, but it felt a little bland - a thorough recap of her appearances but not a lot of focus on her character, occasional analyses of her visual portrayal but not consistent.* i grant that not all readers did a paper on her in college like myself (and apparently retained a lot more info than i remembered 💪) but i felt mainly this was really lacking a lens or angle of some kind - idk... WHY is she so hard to write consistently? how did it affect the entire batverse that there’s a consistent throughline of romance between the hero and a morally ambiguous current/former criminal? etc. if his only real point was “catwoman has been around for a long time and she’s important” i got that just from the title of the book, and i think there’s more nuance in her history than that.
nb: i listened to this. starting to feel like maybe i react differently to audio nonfiction vs on paper, another reason to round up since if that's the case that's on me.
*i can’t figure out how to phrase this problem so i’ll just sort of be stream of consciousness and try to edit later but: being narrated by a woman was simultaneously nice (girl power + no reason a book needs to be narrated by the author or someone of the same gender) and… a conspicuous decision. notably, there’s a discussion of jim balendt’s laughable claim that he wanted to empower women with large breasts with his nearly pornographic illustrations, which hanley approaches with skepticism (👍) but sort of ends by saying “but anyway that’s what he felt he was doing.” a female narrator kind of masks that it’s a cop-out ending to keep the book feeling light, because now it has a kind of tacit Woman Approval that wouldn’t fly coming from text on a page or a man’s voice.
**bloggy personal side note:
nb: i listened to this. starting to feel like maybe i react differently to audio nonfiction vs on paper, another reason to round up since if that's the case that's on me.
*i can’t figure out how to phrase this problem so i’ll just sort of be stream of consciousness and try to edit later but: being narrated by a woman was simultaneously nice (girl power + no reason a book needs to be narrated by the author or someone of the same gender) and… a conspicuous decision. notably, there’s a discussion of jim balendt’s laughable claim that he wanted to empower women with large breasts with his nearly pornographic illustrations, which hanley approaches with skepticism (👍) but sort of ends by saying “but anyway that’s what he felt he was doing.” a female narrator kind of masks that it’s a cop-out ending to keep the book feeling light, because now it has a kind of tacit Woman Approval that wouldn’t fly coming from text on a page or a man’s voice.
**bloggy personal side note:
October 9, 2017
THE MANY LIVES OF CATWOMAN: The Felonious History of a Feline Fatale by Tim Hanley is the second study of a comic book icon I have read in the past few months. The other was about Wonder Woman. In both cases they have a long history and are fascinating studies of the writers, inkers, pencilers, and in the case of Catwoman, the actresses who have portrayed her on the big screen, television, and as voice characters for the various animated series she has been apart of.
Unlike WW, Catwoman is not a hero character. She has been portrayed as everything from a cat burglar, prostitute, mob boss, heir to a mafia fortune, seductress, lunatic and more. She has fared well on both the big screen and small (sorry Halle Berry, but your take on the Cat was off the mark and I think it had less to do with you than those around you) but in the books, not so much.
I’ve noticed that many of the writers seem to have used her to unleash their inner demons or desires and turned her into something other than a regular foe for the Batman. But no matter how they have abused her, the Catwoman seems to have come out all the stronger for it. After all, name any other female opponent to a super hero that has stood the test of time. Female characters in comic books come and go, usually fatally, but Selina Kyle has managed to come back, time and again, no matter what the interpretation has been.
Mr. Hanley draws many conclusions in this work and is free with his opinions. You can argue the entire book point by point, attempt to refute his understanding of the material, but I liked it. He has managed to look at every incarnation of Ms. Kyle, whether in the books created by Bill Finger (even though Bob Kane got the credit), the POW! BAM!, KABLOOIE! of the television show, the cartoons, the figurines, and any other versions you could think of. His determination to reveal Catwoman’s entire being and, moreover, her impact on both the Batman and his devoted readers, shows through in every chapter.
I listened to this in the MP3 format and was delighted byRachel Dulude’s reading. She brought the necessary joy to the material while also giving a certain amount of formality to this view into the Queen of Comic Villains. Her performance enhanced my experience.
Unlike WW, Catwoman is not a hero character. She has been portrayed as everything from a cat burglar, prostitute, mob boss, heir to a mafia fortune, seductress, lunatic and more. She has fared well on both the big screen and small (sorry Halle Berry, but your take on the Cat was off the mark and I think it had less to do with you than those around you) but in the books, not so much.
I’ve noticed that many of the writers seem to have used her to unleash their inner demons or desires and turned her into something other than a regular foe for the Batman. But no matter how they have abused her, the Catwoman seems to have come out all the stronger for it. After all, name any other female opponent to a super hero that has stood the test of time. Female characters in comic books come and go, usually fatally, but Selina Kyle has managed to come back, time and again, no matter what the interpretation has been.
Mr. Hanley draws many conclusions in this work and is free with his opinions. You can argue the entire book point by point, attempt to refute his understanding of the material, but I liked it. He has managed to look at every incarnation of Ms. Kyle, whether in the books created by Bill Finger (even though Bob Kane got the credit), the POW! BAM!, KABLOOIE! of the television show, the cartoons, the figurines, and any other versions you could think of. His determination to reveal Catwoman’s entire being and, moreover, her impact on both the Batman and his devoted readers, shows through in every chapter.
I listened to this in the MP3 format and was delighted byRachel Dulude’s reading. She brought the necessary joy to the material while also giving a certain amount of formality to this view into the Queen of Comic Villains. Her performance enhanced my experience.
October 30, 2017
This review is for the audio CD version of The Many Lives of Catwoman, written by Tim Hanley and read by Rachel Dulude. I am generally a person who prefers print nonfiction books for both note-taking and references. This is no exception since it is rich in detail and nuance. That said, as an audio book designed for casual listening this is a remarkable edition.
For starters, the research and analysis is thorough yet does not bog down the main text of the book. Hanley's insights are both compelling and interesting and brings a wonderful new perspective to both the character of Catwoman as well as the Batman franchise. There are both fun facts any fan will enjoy and detailed analysis to illustrate the changes over the years.
I usually prefer a reader to be the same gender as the writer, for instance I was disappointed that Molly Haskell's book on Steven Spielberg was read by a male, the voice seemed wrong. In this case, however, Dulude adds to the strength of the book. Because so much dialogue is incorporated into the text her ability to read the parts in character provided an additional level to the argument Hanley was presenting. This is by far one of my favorite nonfiction audiobooks.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in comic books in general, Batman in particular, and gender roles in comic books both within the narrative and sociologically. For those who might want to study or use this in further research I would recommend adding a physical copy as well. I hope to do so at some point.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
For starters, the research and analysis is thorough yet does not bog down the main text of the book. Hanley's insights are both compelling and interesting and brings a wonderful new perspective to both the character of Catwoman as well as the Batman franchise. There are both fun facts any fan will enjoy and detailed analysis to illustrate the changes over the years.
I usually prefer a reader to be the same gender as the writer, for instance I was disappointed that Molly Haskell's book on Steven Spielberg was read by a male, the voice seemed wrong. In this case, however, Dulude adds to the strength of the book. Because so much dialogue is incorporated into the text her ability to read the parts in character provided an additional level to the argument Hanley was presenting. This is by far one of my favorite nonfiction audiobooks.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in comic books in general, Batman in particular, and gender roles in comic books both within the narrative and sociologically. For those who might want to study or use this in further research I would recommend adding a physical copy as well. I hope to do so at some point.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
October 11, 2024
Hanley takes the reader on a tour of the evolution of Catwoman from her introduction in the comics as the villain who could outwit Batman (even before she donned a costume), through her many incarnations in art, television, and the movies. He explains why she disappeared from the comics for periods of time and how creative team after creative team has attempted to reinvent her, only to have her be brought back to her roots again and again.
There are fun chapters on her appearance in the 1960s Batman television series, and the many animated series. There are also serious discussions of her movie appearances, how each actress approached the role, and why the Catwoman movie was such a disaster that it scared the movie accompanies away from featuring a solo superheroine for years afterwards.
Perhaps most interesting is the tension that appears between the characters intriguing personality that is built on a foundation of moral ambiguity that constantly has her shifting back and forth over the line of criminal and heroine, and the desire of creative teams to emphasize an unrealistic physical appearance. This is a character that, handled properly, was in control of her own sexuality in a way that no other female characters of the time were—and yet that sexy feminist version of the character still had to endure panel after panel of titillating drawings that didn’t actually advance the storyline in any way.
What we are left with is a character that men and women alike have found compelling for decades. It’s a highly informative and very entertaining read.
There are fun chapters on her appearance in the 1960s Batman television series, and the many animated series. There are also serious discussions of her movie appearances, how each actress approached the role, and why the Catwoman movie was such a disaster that it scared the movie accompanies away from featuring a solo superheroine for years afterwards.
Perhaps most interesting is the tension that appears between the characters intriguing personality that is built on a foundation of moral ambiguity that constantly has her shifting back and forth over the line of criminal and heroine, and the desire of creative teams to emphasize an unrealistic physical appearance. This is a character that, handled properly, was in control of her own sexuality in a way that no other female characters of the time were—and yet that sexy feminist version of the character still had to endure panel after panel of titillating drawings that didn’t actually advance the storyline in any way.
What we are left with is a character that men and women alike have found compelling for decades. It’s a highly informative and very entertaining read.
January 6, 2018
Hanley's history of Catwoman is detailed, thoughtful, and engrossing. Starting with her cloudy creation, finishing with her hiatus from the comics, and visiting all of her onscreen time along the way, Hanley catalogs her many iterations while also providing witty commentary and expert analysis. His voice makes the book engaging and easy to read, something that I was not at all expecting. Perhaps because I am more familiar with Catwoman's portrayals on the big and silver screens, I found his histories of her appearances there to be most interesting. Hanley has expert insight an analysis around Halle Berry's 2004 Catwoman which seems so leagues away from the boom of Marvel superhero movies of today but as Hanley points out has had a distinct impact on them. Additionally, his analysis of Michelle Pfeiffer (Legendery Queen)'s portrayal to be provocative and wide reaching. The comic book chapters were also fascinating but with less of a grounding I don't think I got as much out of them. Perfect for any comic book nerds in your life but also good for any culture junkies, like myself, or anyone interested in sexuality on screen.
May 30, 2019
My familiarity with Catwoman comes mostly (read: nigh exclusively) from Batman the Animated Series, so when I stumbled across The Many Lives of Catwoman I thought it would be a good way to get to know the whole history of the character and I wasn't disappointed. Thorough and meticulous, Hanley traces the history of Catwoman through her origin in some of the first Batman comics (including a short history on the real world creation of the Batman universe, because it has information relevant to the character) all the way up through the most recent comic and game incarnations. Hanley did a great job of describing the various incarnations of Catwoman, how those incarnations came to be, what the great and not-so-great things about them were, and the real world response to them and how that affected character going forward. I learned a lot about one of my favorite female characters over the course of this book. The Many Lives of Catwoman is a book that I'm happy to have purchased and would gladly recommend to others.
September 20, 2017
This is a very interesting biography of a fictional villain known as Catwoman. Author Hanley covers creation of the character, actor who played the character on television, in the movies, and in literature. Besides reviewing Catwoman’s social and economic environments, he examines the character’s impact on feminism and sexual stereotypes. Source notes, bibliography, and an index are provided in the Kindle and paperback versions.
Rachel Dulude is an experience narrator. Rachel captured the essence of Catwoman and distinctly spoke each word. She did an excellent job narrating the book for the audio version.
LibraryThing Early Reviewers Giveaway randomly chose me to receive this book. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Rachel Dulude is an experience narrator. Rachel captured the essence of Catwoman and distinctly spoke each word. She did an excellent job narrating the book for the audio version.
LibraryThing Early Reviewers Giveaway randomly chose me to receive this book. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
October 6, 2019
Hanley, who blogs about women in comics, does a good job chronicling the history of Selina Kyle from her debut as "the Cat" to her donning a costume (multiple costumes over the years) to the multiple reboots and retcons (she's an amnesiac! she's a hooker! she's a crime boss! she's a mommy!) tinkering with her. And of course, the movie and TV versions.
Hanley's overall take is that when she's done right, she's a female character who plays by her own rules and laughs at the idea of being good; when she's done wrong, she's sexualized to an absurd degree.
While a lot of this (as typical with comics histories) was familiar stuff to me, Hanley also pointed out lots that hadn't occurred to me, such as the Catwoman's long absences from comics compared to Joker or Penguin. Despite a couple of minor errors, overall very good.
Hanley's overall take is that when she's done right, she's a female character who plays by her own rules and laughs at the idea of being good; when she's done wrong, she's sexualized to an absurd degree.
While a lot of this (as typical with comics histories) was familiar stuff to me, Hanley also pointed out lots that hadn't occurred to me, such as the Catwoman's long absences from comics compared to Joker or Penguin. Despite a couple of minor errors, overall very good.
October 16, 2024
she's not my favourite character from the universe, but the book was interesting still.
some fan-non-fiction, which was probably both fun and tedious to write, to go and analyse so many comics and movies and TV shows and whatever else to build a more in-depth profile. i was a bit surprised to see that they chose to reinvent the character so many times, my opinion is that this always ruins the magic of things, every time, chipping a piece away for true fans. why can't we have new characters, instead of the constant, and excessive, revival and reinvention of old ones? feels like the lazy approach.
it's so unfortunate that, while men can go and be heroes, and, why not, villains too, women can't be anything really without being sexualised, at least a bit. i'm glad the book touched on that aspect too.
some fan-non-fiction, which was probably both fun and tedious to write, to go and analyse so many comics and movies and TV shows and whatever else to build a more in-depth profile. i was a bit surprised to see that they chose to reinvent the character so many times, my opinion is that this always ruins the magic of things, every time, chipping a piece away for true fans. why can't we have new characters, instead of the constant, and excessive, revival and reinvention of old ones? feels like the lazy approach.
it's so unfortunate that, while men can go and be heroes, and, why not, villains too, women can't be anything really without being sexualised, at least a bit. i'm glad the book touched on that aspect too.
January 17, 2018
Very well researched book, though sometimes scattered in a way that felt like "I have this data tidbit about book sales and want to work it in". Found it started off a bit slowly and didn't really grab my interest until it got to the 60's and the arrival of the Batman tv show. Once I could better place it in a relatable context and time periods, it was good reading. Detailed discussion of the film versions was appreciated, and I also found the alter dissection of story arc successes and failures to give a good glimpse into how the business of comics approaches shifting characterizations in search of sales.
February 26, 2018
This is a solid non-fiction book about the history and influence of Catwoman, including how she was portrayed and received at various points in history. It's cleanly and clearly written, even if there's nothing stellar about the prose. I, personally, preferred it more when Hanley concentrated on the amylases of the character's portrayal, but I understand the reasoning behind the play-by-play for her various appearances in the Batman comics. It made me even more interested in a feature film with her as the protagonist, regaining her strong and beguiling and ambiguous and flirty-for-herself-on-her-own-terms self.
November 5, 2017
This is a wonderfully written book covering of the history of Catwoman, through the comics to TV, movies, and video games. The book gives a history and explaining the arcs in the comic story, for those that many not be familiar with all the different arcs. This is a must have for Batman, Catwoman, and just plan comic book fans. I loved this book-very entertaining without blogging the reader down with just dates and facts.
A more in depth review can be found on my page: https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...
A more in depth review can be found on my page: https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...
December 19, 2017
Disappointing
After two excellent books looking at Lois LA e and Wonder Woman, this tome looks at sexism in comics which is worthy, but at the expense of looking at the character. Also, the constant descriptions of underwear and nudity in this and other comics becomes suspiciously detailed.
After two excellent books looking at Lois LA e and Wonder Woman, this tome looks at sexism in comics which is worthy, but at the expense of looking at the character. Also, the constant descriptions of underwear and nudity in this and other comics becomes suspiciously detailed.
March 23, 2021
In depth, but somewhat work-a-day exploration of the history of Catwoman from the Batman comic universe. Probably the most interesting element was learning how ill-used the character really was over the years and how seldom (relatively) she actually showed up in the comics, versus what a large impact she seems to have had on that society.
September 17, 2019
A very good chronology of this legendary character. If you enjoy comics, this is a read you’ll enjoy. A bit simple at the end, but I think that just goes to show how little changes have been made to Catwoman.
December 21, 2021
Read as audio. As with all great comic book characters, the creators and DC have no clue what exactly to do with catwoman most of the time. Just continue to make her a sex kitten bad/good girl for batman. This has motivated me to add some of her solo story series to my comic read list.
March 18, 2022
As a fan of the character, I of course got a lot out of this book. Some new information, interesting history and a nice recap of all those comics I read years ago.
Could also be a good research read for those looking to write strong female characters …
Could also be a good research read for those looking to write strong female characters …
August 22, 2022
What an informative read about my fav comic lady, Catwoman. Lots of shade to the writers/artists that only wanted to sexualize her and the “creator” of Batman who doesn’t really know where the inspiration for her came from.
August 20, 2023
I knew Catwoman had been reinvented a few times but I didn't realize the sheer number of times. Following one character especially a so-called second tie character through comics history was a different perspective. Definitely a good example of comics industry serves as modern mythology.
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