Tim HanleyBesprekingen

Well researched and engaging history of my gal Lois.

Earnest and illuminating, this is Hanley’s most insightfully informative book yet.

With the same engaging tone and thorough research that readers of Hanley’s works have come to expect, the surprisingly turbulent history of Betty and Veronica will leave Archie fans and newcomers alike entranced.

With the same engaging tone and thorough research that readers of Hanley’s works have come to expect, the surprisingly turbulent history of Betty and Veronica will leave Archie fans and newcomers alike entranced.

Of all the [a:Tim Hanley|7279927|Tim Hanley|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] 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.

much like the wonder woman book, this was incredible! I have always loved Lois Lane probably even more than I love wonder woman so I was very excited to read this so I could know more about Lois' history. Now I am going to jump right into Hanley's book about catwoman, which of the three is the one I know the least about so I am very excited.

This was a very well researched history of Wonder Woman that I thoroughly enjoyed making my way through. This is basically a research paper but it doesn't read like one - it's much more engaging and interesting to read. I certainly feel very informed about the history of Wonder Woman now. I have read a few of her comics but and I knew a bit of her back story but I was not fully versed of any of it. I knew of Wonder Woman as an icon and this book really helped me understand her complicated history and somewhat neglected storylines. I was very excited about the new Wonder Woman movie and now I feel like I have the necessary knowledge to truly enjoy the story. I own Tim Hanley's other two novels and I may jump into the nest one which is about Lois Lane right away!

I came to know about this book via this excellent (in my opinion) review.

I never liked Superman. He was too goody-goody two shoes. But there are some excellent comics out there that do make him more interesting. Still Lois Lane was in my opinion never a very interesting character. Mainly because she always had to be saved in the few comics I read. So I never saw her as someone to look up to. also I was encouraged to read X-men comics because they had more diversity in their superheroes when I was growing up. Also we were team Marvel (except for Static) so superman and by extension Lois Lane was a big no.

Still the artikel/review brought up excellent points and I for one are very interested in reading this book!

Now...what to do...Eat or buy and read...

Fascinating look at a character whose moral ambiguity is interesting in a way that early writers perhaps did not intend, and which contemporary writers still struggle with today. I was particularly interested by the history of her devolution into a sex object, and how later writers were able to rehabilitate her into a more complex character. I'd love to know Hanley's opinion on the current depiction of Catwoman in the ongoing Batman series.

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.

I read The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore some years ago, so I was familiar with the creator of Wonder Woman, William Moulton Marston, and his proclivities and motivations, but this book goes beyond the creation of Wonder Woman and brings us a full history of her legacy. It dives deeper into the way that Wonder Woman has been received by the masses and talks about each of her writers, in comics and on screen. Except, of course, for the new movie that is still out in theaters.

I'd been wanting to read this book for a while and had been waiting on hold for it. I've also been a follower of Tim Hanley here on Wordpress and his blog, Straightened Circumstances, which was how I came to be familiar with this book in the first place. He's actually written on Lois Lane and recently published a book on Catwoman as well. In this book, and I imagine the others, he takes a really deep look into the feminism that Wonder Woman has had and that she hasn't had. He looks at the way her character has been idealized at times and turned into a role model at other times and what exactly she's modeling.

There's a lot to love here. First of all, Hanley goes into the evolution of Wonder Woman, which means that he starts at the beginning and works through each writer and artist and discusses them and their growth as writers of Wonder Woman. Second, in order to do this he also displays some great feminist terminology and herstory. I get that Wonder Woman's compatibility with feminism isn't always the greatest but I like to think of her as a Bad Feminist in much the same way so many of us are. Imperfect at what we do but always striving toward progress, even when we hit a few snags. There's also the way he paints the contrasts with other characters throughout the years to give context to what was happening with Wonder Woman and why it was or wasn't the most palatable thing for audiences. I love the delineation of the Ages of Comics, which was not something I was well versed in and would have been lost without. Also, the many changing origins are annoying and seem to have digressed, especially having watched the movie and seen what they did there. I like the original better.

Overall, a great book about a great character. I look forward to reading the other two and probably whatever else he puts out. Hanley does post reviews for new Wonder Woman comics as they come out on his earlier mentioned blog and if you read this and get curious about his take on the movie, he's got a review up there too. For a preview of his writing, he has been posting about the new Catwoman book, but here's a link to the movie review.

I'm not a big comic book fan except for Wonder Woman lol. I received this book from Early Reviews and I am happy that I was chosen to review it. I have to say that I learned a lot about this character and would love to read more books by Tim Hanley. He had a take no prisoner attitude it seems when writing this book. I like his style of writing and the audio narrator was great. I look forward to more of Mr. Hanley's work.

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.

There is a classic website (I forget the name) that collects examples of the phrase "Superman is a dick." After reading this historical treatment of how Lois Lane is portrayed and treated in comics, movies, and other mediums, I think it's fair to say that (most (but not all) of the) editors and writers are also dicks.

The Many Lives of Catwoman
Author: Tim Hanley
Audio: Rachel Dulude
Publisher: Tantor Media
Date: 2017
Disposition: CD-ROM Audiobook
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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.
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Genre:
Comics
Supervillains
History
Literature
Character

Why this book:
Came to me via a free for review.
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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.
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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
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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.
I won this book through LibraryThing.

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.

I received this through the Early Reviewers program. This was very interesting. Strictly a year by year history of the character Catwoman. Very detailed history as well as short concise chapters made this a good book to listen to in the car on the way to work. The narrator was very good and the subject was interesting. My only complaint was the MP3 disc would not play in any but the most elite CD players, leaving out a lot of people who could enjoy this story.

A really good audibook read by Rachel Dulude as perfectly as can be done. Covers the whole career of the comic character in print, TV, and movie presentations. Although the author begins to backtrack on his treatment of objectification of Catwoman (for various reasons) near the end of the book, this does not seem to be a selfcriticism of his own approach to doing the book as a whole. Hanley takes it to mean that Catwoman had gone through necessary evolutions to incorporate more socially conscious attitudes into the character. I don't personally see that as logically consistent but the book is still pretty exhaustive about Catwoman so I can't fault the book for trying to the best book published thus far. Sufficent time was spent on the successful TV series and movies and the obligatory coverage of the flops where she appeared. I wish I had received the physical book to review but I did get to hear a great narrator who never disappointed. Not of interest to most people outside the comic book world but this is actually a valuable book for the most part as summing up one of the central female characters ever in comic history, besides Wonder Woman. Hanley treats the material seriously and never dismisses comics as culturally lowbrow or financially insignificant.

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.

After I received my copy of "The Many Lives of Catwoman . . ." By Tim Hanley, I popped it into my car CD player planning on listening when I drove. It came in a nice format with the ability to convert it to MP3 format if desired. Two people saw the case sitting in the car and asked about, ultimately stating they wouldn't mind listening to it after I was done. First person was a co-worker and fellow geek, the second was someone who has been exposed to geek culture but doesn't immerse herself in it. As I listened to the book, I pondered who would get more out of listening to the CD. My recommendation would be my fellow geek and historian over the casual reader.

The book deals with the history and publishing of the Batman comics and the history of Batman n the media starting with the controversy of who was involved in the creation of Batman and the Batman mythos. I didn't feel there were any great revelations for those who have studied the medium but if you weren't a history geek about comics it could be interesting. A lot of discussion of the early years also gave way to discussion of the comic book medium itself. A lot of interesting stuff with Catwoman not always being in the forefront. Because of the insight and depth of the material, I don't know if the casual reader wanting to know about Catwoman and what makes her tick would enjoy the book. I say this because the book is more about politics of comics and characterization then about the character herself. There are recaps of most of her appearances but they are used to talk about the times and the market. Being that comics have been a mercurial market you find that Catwoman's characterization has been mercurial too.

Because it is a book on CD, I feel obligated to mention the narrator. Rachel Dulude has a pleasant voice and it may lessen the impact of some of the feminist leaning views. That isn't a dig towards feminism but that this was researched and written by a man. It really is a perception piece when listening to the narrator.

All in all, I enjoyed the jaunt down memory lane and marveled at the work that went into deciphering a very enigmatic character.

A detailed and unflinching look at the creation, exploitation, and evolution of one of Gotham's most iconic super villains. Like so many other talented people laboring in obscurity, the original creators of Batman spent most of their lives relatively unknown. Meanwhile, the man who claimed all rewards and total ownership lived a life of relative ease - farming out all his artistic responsibilities to a string of underlings. Beginning as a complicated and shadowy figure serving as a love interest for Batman, Catwoman has been reinvented countless times. Throughout most of her career she has been little more than a busty cutout used to give the story sex appeal or a needed emotional punch. Still her fanbase endures and continues to grow as more recent writers have refreshed her character.

A fascinating little history lesson about comic books, movies, and role of the untamed woman in American culture.

As a fan of the original Batman TV show(Adam West version)as well as the animated series back in the day, this book about Catwoman was a must-have for me!

Tim Hanley chronicles the creation of the Caped Crusader's ultimate nemesis and possibly true soul mate in all of her incarnations over the years, giving great insights into the evolving character development(and at times, cheesy exploitation) that the Princess of Plunder has been given from print to screen.

Yes, the infamous Catwoman movie is covered here-it gets a full chapter of it's own!-and other media is taken on as well. Hanley has also written books about Wonder Woman and Lois Lane, both of which are fascinating in-depth looks at these iconic fictional females and Catwoman completes this trilogy purr-fectly!

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.

Thanks to its less ubiquitous character-focus of choice, Hanley's latest book feels even more insightful and researched than his prior...which is not an easy feat to accomplish.