Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Black Panther Vs. Cat-Man



Cat-Man is the perfect example of a character just needing the right take.  He had been around for decades as a C-list Batman villain that nobody took particularly seriously.  Gail Simone made him a key member of the revamped Secret Six and gave him a new depth and back story that really impressed me. Now, instead of a joke, he's an interesting and highly competent character in the DCU that I always keep an eye out for.

16 comments:

  1. Yeah, but that bright yellow costume... zoinks! :D It's kinda cool to see that even his costume got a little grittier.

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  2. @ AirDave: that was probably due to the Golden Age Catman proving to have a similar costume after his public domain revival by AC and Dynamite Entertainment (among other indie publishers).

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  3. Nice, feline-themed cover. And I agree that Cat-Man just needed the right literary angle to make him work.

    On a similar theme, I dreamed last about a cover with Black Panther versus Catwoman... in the heart of a coal mine, at midnight... :) It could be your easiest cover ever! (Maybe f0r April 1?)

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  4. @Bob: And there could be two versions, one risque and one censored (although you would have to guess which one was which!)

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  5. Bob Greenwade said...
    "On a similar theme, I dreamed last about a cover with Black Panther versus Catwoman... in the heart of a coal mine, at midnight... :) It could be your easiest cover ever! (Maybe f0r April 1?)"

    Marvel. 1980s. "Assistant Editors' Month". Alpha Flight. Snowbird (in her mostly-white costume) fighting against one of the 'Great Beasts' (which happened to have white fur) in a snowstorm. Several pages of white panels enlivened only by sound effects, speech balloons, and maybe thought balloons...

    (And I think that the Black Panther fighting somebody else with a black costume in a coal cellar occurred in either 'What The!" or one of the jokier issues of 'What If?', too...)

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  6. Simreeve said "Marvel. 1980s... Several pages of white panels enlivened only by sound effects, speech balloons, and maybe thought balloons..."

    1977 (earlier in French) Asterix and the Great Crossing. Same thing, but in a fog.

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  7. I think people will remember Cat-Man from the Nickelodeon show he was on.

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  8. @lakero45: I think you're confusing him with "Cat-Dog."

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    2. I don't think lakero45 is confusing him with Cat-Dog. In Fairly Odd Parents, Adam West had a recurring role as himself and his superhero alter ego, Catman, who is intended to be a patische of the Sixties TV series incarnation of Batman.

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  9. And in the next issue they Cat-Man and Black Panther team up to fight off Mad-Dog and Werewolf By Night!!

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  10. And Aqualad and Nemo. And Hawkman and the Blue Falcon. We could go on all day.

    Does anyone remember the Golden Age Cat-Man in either the superpowered US or regular Australian versions?

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  11. Actually, FOP Catman is more like the Sixties Batman than the others you mentioned since both Catman and Sixties Batman have the same actor: Adam West.

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  12. @Mateus: As in "Catman" from the Justice Squadron episode of JLU?

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  13. @Anonymous #1: I'm only acquainted with the AC Comics revival of the Golden Age American version.

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  14. Ross, have you ever teamed up Snagglepuss with the Pink Panther?

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