The Many Lives of Catwoman

The Felonious History of a Feline Fatale

By: Tim Hanley

Narrated by: Rachel Dulude

For more than 75 years, Catwoman has forged her own path in a clear-cut world of stalwart heroes, diabolical villains, and damsels in distress. Her relentless independence across comic books, television, and film set her apart from the rest of the superhero world. When female-led comics were few and far between, Catwoman headlined her own series for over 20 years. 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. 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.

©2017 Tim Hanley (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Feed your kitty now, because once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. Tim's words are as mesmerizing as Catwoman herself." (Adrienne Barbeau, actress and voice of Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series)

Puurrrefection!

The only thing missing from this was the most recent outing in 2022 by Zoë Kravitz, but other than that, it was the best if not only deep dive Catwoman book i’ve come across. Long on detail it’s provided in an enjoyable layout that allows the reader to search available media to add to the overall experience.

Another Foray into Comic Book History

Another foray into comic book history by Tim Hanley (his other being a look at the evolution of Wonder Woman). The key word here is evolution. As with Wonder Woman, Hanley demonstrates that Catwoman has evolved over time. What makes Catwoman's saga a little less coherent I suppose is that her origin myth is not as finely crafted as Wonder Woman's. Catwoman is in general a less coherent, even a less cohesive character. Her relationship with Batman is always problematic. Her status as a villain just as much. As Hanley points out, Catwoman is partly sex symbol, partly a foil. I think that a lot of the problem with Catwoman is that for a long time there never was a clear understanding of not only who she was and who she was in relation to Batman, but also who her audience was. Catwoman has a lot of fits and starts as a character, and a lot of what drives the changes have been the highly sexualized screen portrayals of the character. Hanley does a good job chronicling the erratic history of Catwoman. This is an enjoyable dip into pop history.

A Great History

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.