My new book, Batgirl and Beyond: The Dynamic History of the Heroines of Gotham City, is coming out very soon, and that means it’s time for promo to ramp up and for me to talk about it constantly. The release date’s a little wiggly at the moment – the original plan was November, though it seems we may be slipping into December now. But the larger point remains: The book is coming! And you can pre-order it from a variety of fine retailers for your own reading fun or as a wonderful holiday gift for all of your friends. I’m sure every friend you have would enjoy it.
If you know my work, you know how the book will go! It delves into the history of all the Batgirls, from comics to television to film, and we’ll spend lots of time with Betty Kane, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown. Plus the Birds of Prey! And Batman and several Robins too. The book covers the history of how the characters were presented, what was going on behind the scenes, and how each character tied into larger trends within the superhero genre and pop culture as a whole. Each Batgirl has attracted a new, unique subset of marginalized fans, and tracing this history along with the industry’s penchant for ignoring such fans adds a particularly fascinating arc to the book. It all culminates in the shelved Batgirl film, the apotheosis of the industry failing to understand the character’s appeal as well as a decision that looks increasingly foolish as each subsequent DC film has bombed spectacularly (I’m looking at you, Joker: Folie a Deux).
I’ve started some early promo on social media, highlighting key moments from the history of the Batgirls with pictures and other images that I couldn’t show in the book. The book is descriptive, of course, but it’s nice to be able to see comic book panels, letter columns, and other images that showcase the evolution of each character. We started in the 1950s with Kathy and Betty Kane this week, and you can follow along with the threads on Twitter or Bluesky, or take a look at my long ignored but now active Instagram, where I’m posting the images as well. Give it a follow for all the fun to come in the weeks ahead!
It’s early days for reviews, but we did get a lovely one from Martin Maenza on his blog Martin’s View, where he wrote that “Hanley does a fantastic job with the history; comic fans and fans of the Gotham heroines who shared the Batgirl name will appreciate his work.” Thanks so much, Martin! He’s a big Batgirl fan, and I appreciate his kind words.
In other news, I was also interviewed for this fascinating Inverse article by Hoai-Tran Bui, “A History of Superhero Kink,” where I discuss things like bondage in early Wonder Woman comic books and the BDSM angle in the X-Men’s “Dark Phoenix” saga. It’s a really cool piece, and does a great job of spotlighting the superhero genre’s complex relationship with kink, queerness, and female power.
So yeah, busy week! Keep your eyes peeled for more Batgirl and Beyond fun moving forward as the release date nears. It’s such a fun book and I’m super proud of it, and I look forward to telling you more about it in the days to come!
Published by Tim Hanley
Tim Hanley is a comic book historian and the author of Wonder Woman Unbound, Investigating Lois Lane, The Many Lives of Catwoman, Betty and Veronica: The Leading Ladies of Riverdale, and Not All Supermen. View more posts
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