Linda Fiteis an American writer and editor who wrote the entire four issue run of theMarvel ComicsseriesThe Cat(1972).[1]
Biography
editLinda Fite was hired by Marvel as an editorial assistant/production assistant. Though she continually appealed to editorRoy Thomasfor writing assignments,[1]from 1968–1971 she was given only short back-up features inThe Uncanny X-MenandRawhide Kid.In 1972 she got her first offer to be a regular writer, onClaws of the Cat,an early and unsuccessful attempt to appeal to female superhero comic readers. Fite was selected because Marvel's editorial staff thought a series targeted toward female readers should have a female creative team.[1]
Fite has said that she found the character unappealing: "I thought, 'A cat? Oh, my God, how original. We’ll have a woman and we’ll call her Cat and she can be in catfights.' But I was just happy to have the chance to do it."[1]She infused the series with awoman's liberationtone, but it was cancelled after four issues due to poor sales. She had already completed the never-published fifth issue.[1]
Other stories she wrote included a fill-in issue ofNight Nurse.Fite wrote and illustrated a one-page story for an East Coast independent/underground comic published byFlo Steinberg,Big Apple Comix(Sept. 1975).
While serving as an assistant to Marvel editor-in-chiefStan Lee,Fite helped bring fledgling artistBarry Windsor-Smithto the company. After she responded with an encouraging note to art he had sent to the Marvel offices, Smith and a friend, Steve Parkhouse, flew from England and camped out near the Marvel Comics offices, seeking work.[2]
Fite worked for theTimes Herald-Record,a daily newspaper based inMiddletown, New York,[3]and she is currently managing editor of the BlueStone Press in Ulster County, New York.
Fite was married to, and then divorced, Marvel Comics artistHerb Trimpe.[4]They had three children together.[5]
References
edit- ^abcdeCassell, Dewey (August 2006). "Talking About Tigra: From the Cat to Were-Woman".Back Issue!(17).TwoMorrows Publishing:26–33.
- ^Cooke, Jon B."Alias Barry Smith" (Barry Smith interview),Comic Book Artist#2, 1998.
- ^Times Herald-Record:"Linda Fite" search resultsandLinda Fite personnel page
- ^Trimpe, Herb, "Old Superheroes Never Die, They Join the Real World",The New York Timeseducation supplement, January 7, 2000, via HulkLibraryArchivedMay 17, 2011, at theWayback Machine
- ^Porch Dogs:"The Illustrators – Herb Trimpe"ArchivedFebruary 13, 2005, at theWayback Machine