Description
This issue of Golden Age Greats Spotlight is dedicated to complete coverage on the Golden Age version of the late, great duo of CAT-MAN and KITTEN!! Originating in Frank W. Temerson’s Crash Comics #4 in 1940, and continuing (after a partial revamp) through a six-year, 33-issue run of his own title published by Holyoke Comics; the Feline Fury and his distaff sidekick KITTEN formed one of the most interesting and unique crimefighting pairs of the 1940’s. Never before have this many complete classic CAT-MAN stories ever been reprinted in any one volume; starting with his first TWO appearances (from Crash Comics #’s 4 AND 5 ), drawn by the great Irwin Hasen; through a quartet of tales written and drawn by Charles Quinlan, including “Larceny In Liquid” and “The Eyes of Justice”- plus TWO NEVER PREVIOUSLY REPRINTED Quinlan stories, one each from Cat-Man #2 and #10. Don Rico’s lone CAT-MAN tale(originally seen in Cat-Man #23) is here, too- as well as THREE Bob Fujitani-illustrated gems; one each from Cat-Man comics #’s 27, 29 and 31, two of which feature CM’s arch-nemesis, the evil genius, Dr. MACABRE!! The FINAL CAT-MAN story from the original Holyoke run is here, as well; the untitled showdown with Dr. MACABRE rendered by Maxwell Elkans. The progression of the KITTEN character is fascinating, starting out in the series as a pre-teen “little” girl, evolving into a mature woman by the end of the feature’s run. KITTEN’s second origin (she had one in her first appearance, in Cat-Man #5, and a second, very different one after Fujitani took over the series) from issue #27 is contained in this collection, as well as TWO NEVER PREVIOUSLY REPRINTED installments in the LITTLE LEADERS strip which ran as a back-up in CM. LITTLE LEADERS teamed up a youthful KITTEN with MICKEY, a teenage sidekick from another CM strip, The DEACON. The two LL strips include an untitled, Rudy Palais-drawn story from Cat-Man Comics #26A (due to a numbering error, there were actually TWO Cat-Man issue number 26s!) guest-starring CAT-MAN and The DEACON, and “The Swordsman of Death”, drawn by Lou Ferstadt, from Cat-Man #25. Compared to other 1940’s era super-types, CAT-MAN stories tended to have very complicated plots and a LOT of dialogue, and even though the early, Charles Quinlan stories often ended up with very little CAT-MAN in costumed action, all of the tales were interesting, mature and involving.. Oddly enough, a package of the original Holyoke CAT-MAN stories was licensed to an Australian publishing company known as Frews in the early 1950’s. These American retreads proved unpopular Down Under and were soon dropped. A somewhat more successful “revival” of CM was tried in Australia in 1958; this time in an updated, revamped format, done by the great Australian artist John Dixon. This was really a completely different CAT-MAN character, complete with a male sidekick named KIT. A full-length adventure from that Australian series, “The Phantom Mummy” is included in this collection to round out the package. All of that within a cover rendered by L. B. Cole, originally seen on Cat-Man #32. The CAT-MAN series is an exellent example that shows that not ALL the great costumed characters of the Golden Age came from the biggest companies; even lesser publishers like Holyoke could- and sometimes did- create characters whose stories were consistantly compelling and literate. Golden Age Greats Spotlight Volume 9 is 140 pages in length, featuring 13 full vintage stories, cover repros, and a breif history of CAT-MAN and KITTEN. It is standatd comic book size; black & white interiors with color covers, and is saddle-stitched. Released by AC Comics in 2012.
