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Cat-Man and Kitten

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Cat-Man
Publication information
PublisherFrank Z. Temerson
Holyoke Publishing
First appearanceCrash Comics Adventures#4 (Sept. 1940)
Created byArtistIrwin Hasenand an unknown writer[1]
In-story information
Alter egoDavid Merryweather
PartnershipsKitten
AbilitiesSuper-strength, agility, night vision, nine lives
Kitten
Kitten, in her classic costume.
Publication information
PublisherFrank Z. Temerson,Holyoke Publishing
First appearanceCat-Man Comicsvol. 1 #10 (#5 on cover) (Dec. 1941)
Created byArtist Charles M. Quinlan and an unknown writer[2]
In-story information
Alter egoKatie Conn
PartnershipsCat-Man
AbilitiesTrained fighter,acrobat

Cat-Man and Kitten(alsoCatman and Kitten) are a pair of fictionalsuperherocharacterscreated by artistsIrwin Hasen(Cat-Man)[1][3]and Charles M. Quinlan (Kitten)[2]with unknown writers. Cat-Man was first published in 1940 by variousFrank Z. Temersoncompanies. Due to circumstances duringWorld War II,an altered version of Cat-Man was published inAustraliaand reprinted in the 1950s.AC Comicslater revived the characters in the 1980s.

Raised in the Burmese jungle by tigers and then returning to America to fight crime in the big city, the character has been described as "an odd amalgam ofBatmanandTarzan".[4]

Golden Age

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Publishing history

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In 1940, Tem Publishing Co. (one of Temerson's several companies)[5]published a periodical titledCrash Comics.Issue #4 featured the origin and first appearance of the Cat-Man.[1]

Crash Comicswas replaced byCat-Man Comicsin May 1941, although, like its predecessor, this new title was a superhero and adventure anthology merely headlined by the titular character.[6]In 1942,Holyoke Publishingacquired the character, and continued publishingCat-Man Comics.[7]

Cat-Man Comicsran for 33 issues (12 published byHolyoke Publishing) with the last issue being numbered 32 due to some numbering inconsistencies, through 1946, when Temerson's Continental Magazines folded.[8]Eventually, the characters fell into thepublic domain.

Fictional character biography

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David Merrywether (Cat-Man) was raised inBurmaby atigressafter his parents had been killed. From living with tigers for years, he gainedsuperhumanabilities, such as super-strength, enhanced agility, naturalnight vision,and the legendary "nine lives" of cats.[9]Eventually, David returned to theU.S.where he was horrified by criminals preying on the innocent. To stop this, he became aprivate investigator.Later, he would become anofficerin theUS Army.Assigned to stateside duties, he donned anoliveandorangecostume with ablackcat-head symbol and became Cat-Man.[10]

InCat-Man Comicsvol. 1, issue #10 (#5 on the cover), Cat-Man encountered Katie Conn,[2]an 11-year-old circus acrobat who fell under the guardianship of her unscrupulous uncle after her parents died in a fire. The uncle forced Katie to steal things for him. Cat-Man intervened on her behalf and made sure her uncle was brought to justice. Since she no longer had a guardian, David adopted Katie. She tried to help him fight crime, sewing a matchingredandyellowcostume and calling herself the Kitten.[11]At first, David tried to keep her from helping him, but Katie eventually proved herself as hissidekickand the two became partners. As the series continued, Katie matured and David was promoted to the rank ofcaptain.

According toJess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes,Cat-Man "fights everything from jungle natives, ordinary criminals, and Nazis to the Bridge Destroyer, a lost city of the Aztecs, ghouls, and the runty Nazi crime-master Doctor Sinister".[12]

Cat-Man Comicsvol. 2 #13 (#8 on cover), began a new feature called "Little Leaders", again illustrated by Quinlan with an unknown writer.[13]Cat-Man sent Katie to a summer camp where she ran into Mickey Mathews, sidekick of the Deacon, another hero featured inCat-Man Comics.When Cat-Man and Kitten moved to Central City (the Deacon's home town) they continued having adventures both in and out of costume. The "Little Leaders" feature lasted untilCat-Man Comics'cancellation.

Australian revision

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Cat-Man would appear in a radically altered,black-and-whiteversion by Australian publisher Gordon & Gotch when Americanimportlaws during World War II hindered access to the Holyoke comics. In this Australian revision, Cat-Man had no secret identity or powers, and continued to wear theCrash Comicsoutfit. However, Cat-Man was a superb fighter and a brilliantinventor,armed with aLuger pistol,a pair ofnight vision goggleswith the ability to temporarilyblindfoes with alightthat emanated from the goggles, and autility beltsimilar toBatman's.

Cat-Man was based in a mountaintop headquarters, with his primaryarea of operationsbeing that of theAustralian outback.However, when situations needed, he would range all over the globe to fight crime. When he did so, he was assisted by his male sidekick, Kit; his fiancée, Terri West, an employee of theUnited Nations;and her father, Professor West, a famous scientist.

The Australian Cat-Man would run for a shorter period than its predecessor, spanning twelve issues. In the 1950s,Trichowould reprint them asCatman Comics#13–22. The characters also appeared in theGiant Phantom Comicsseries.

Modern Age

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AC Comics

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AC Comics' revival of Cat-Man and Kitten.

In the 1980s, publisherAC Comicscreated aretconnedversion of the characters as part of their universe. In this version, Katie's change from a young girl to an adult was given an explanation: mortally wounded by one of their enemies, Katie's life was saved when Cat-Man transferred one of his 9 lives into her. However, this had the effect of automatically aging her into adulthood, although she still retained a child's mentality, causing Cat-Man some consternation in his secret identity. Eventually, her emotional maturity caught up with her physical form, and the pair were married. They soon after decided to enter the Vault of Superheroes, a suspended animation program being run by the US government to preserve heroes should they be needed in the future.

Released from the Vault in the 1980s, they adapted to modern life and became allies toMiss Victoryand the members ofFemforce.Their primarynemesis,Dr. Macabre, was also revived from a similar hibernation and continues to pose a threat to the Merryweathers.

AC Comics has printed modern stories of Cat-Man and Kitten in itsMen of Mysteryanthology; it also reprints some of the Holyoke stories that do not contradict its currentcontinuity.

Due to thefemale-oriented nature of theAC Comicsuniverse, the duo is sometimes billed asKitten and Cat-Man.

Dynamite Entertainment

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In 2008, Cat-Man and Kitten appeared in flashbacks inDynamite Entertainment'sProject Superpowers.[14]In theProject Superpowers: Chapter Two Preludeone-shot,[15]it was stated that the two heroes would appear in future issues in this line — Cat-Man as a feral being called Man-Cat[16]and Kitten as part of a team of kid heroes and sidekicks.

Project Superpowers: Chapter Twoshowcased an increasing line of public domain superheroes including Cat-Man and Kitten. After being freed from the urn, the Kitten finds herself allied with several teen sidekicks, including the Boy King and his Giant. The group of young heroes sets out to find some of their missing mentors and begin to discover they were not just blessed with increased abilities, but in some instances cursed by them. Kitten discovers Cat-Man living like a feral beast in the jungle. His senses, strength and agility increased to the level of the great cats he emulated, but his intelligence and demeanor regressed to a similar state and the teen heroes had to snare Cat-Man like a wild beast.

Cat-Man and Kitten become pivotal characters in one of the side stories throughout this series. By series end, Cat-Man regains enough of his senses for Kitten to know the man is still inside the beast.

A new series titled Cat-man and Kitten was announced July 2022 and the creative team is Jeff Parker & Joseph Cooper.[17]

In other media

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Webseries

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In September 2023, YouTuber Austin McConnell released apilotfor ananimatedweb seriesonYouTubetitledThe Sensational Cat-Manbased on the public-domain comic.[18]

References

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  1. ^abcCrash Comics Adventures #4, Cat-Man storyat theGrand Comics Database
  2. ^abcCat-Man Comics v1#10 (5), Cat-Man storyat the Grand Comics Database
  3. ^"Alter Ego #1 – Irwin Hasen Interview".TwoMorrows.com.Retrieved2010-05-12.
  4. ^Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019).American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944.TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 42.ISBN978-1605490892.
  5. ^Temerson / Helnit / Continental indicia publishersat the Grand Comics Database
  6. ^Benton, Mike (1992).Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History.Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 92.ISBN0-87833-808-X.Retrieved1 April2020.
  7. ^Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019).American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944.TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 162.ISBN978-1605490892.
  8. ^Continental Magazines, Inc.at the Grand Comics Database
  9. ^Mougin, Lou (2020).Secondary Superheroes of Golden Age Comics.McFarland & Co. p. 321.ISBN9781476638607.
  10. ^Yoe, Craig (2016).Super Weird Heroes:Outrageous But Real!.Yoe Books/IDW. p. 103.ISBN978-1631407451.
  11. ^Markstein, Don."Cat-Man and Kitten".Don Markstein's Toonopedia.Retrieved2 April2020.
  12. ^Nevins, Jess (2013).Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes.High Rock Press. pp. 55–56.ISBN978-1-61318-023-5.
  13. ^Cat-Man Comics v2#13 (8), Little Leaders storyat the Grand Comics Database
  14. ^Project Superpowers#0at the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)
  15. ^Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Preludeat the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)
  16. ^Cat-Manat the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)
  17. ^Johnston, Rich (2022-07-19)."Jeff Parker & Joseph Cooper Bring Back Cat-Man & Kitten".Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.Retrieved2022-07-19.
  18. ^"Cat-Man Animated Series Launches on YouTube".Anime.Retrieved2023-10-03.
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