Catman (comics)

:"This article is about the DC Comics character. For the Marvel character, see Cat-Man (Marvel Comics). For the 1940s Holyoke Publishing character, see Cat-Man and Kitten."Superherobox|

caption=Catman featured in the artwork for the cover of the third printing of "Villains United" #1.
Art by Dale Eaglesham
character_name=Catman|real_name=Thomas Blake|publisher=DC Comics
debut="Detective Comics" #311 (Jan. 1963)
creators=Bill Finger
Jim Mooney
alliances=Secret Six
The Misfits
aliases=King of the Cats
powers=Superb hand-to-hand combatant, skilled in use of bladed weapons, high intelligence|

Catman is a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was initially a supervillain and foe of Batman, although in recent years has developed into a more capable and anti-heroic figure. He first appeared in "Detective Comics" #311 (Jan. 1963).Citation | last = Wallace | first = Dan | author-link = | contribution = Cat-Man | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia | pages = 73 | publisher = Dorling Kindersley | place = New York | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4119-5 | oclc = 213309017]

Fictional character history

Origins

Catman was originally Tom Blake, a world-famous trapper of jungle cats who turned to crime because he had grown bored with hunting and had squandered most of his fortune. He became a burglar who committed his crimes in a catsuit made out of an ancient African cloth he believed gave him a cat's nine lives. His costume was modeled after Catwoman's disguise. Catwoman was none too pleased to have her modus operandi copied, and initially helped Batman apprehend him. The two costumed criminals would have a competitive, love/hate relationship for many years afterward which included Selina Kyle (Catwoman) being wrongly implicated for Catman's crimes at least once. As with many Batman villains in their first appearances, Catman was originally a gimmicked villain who stole items along a "cat" theme, such as cat statues, "cat's eyes" emeralds, etc. His weapon of choice was a cat-o-nine-tails.

In the late 1980s, Catman was revived in the pages of "Detective Comics", this time working alongside Catwoman in battle against Batman. This alliance wouldn't last, however, as Catwoman became tired of Catman's abusive attitude towards women, and turned against her former partner.

Outcast

In 1993, Catman appeared in "" as a member of a team called "the Misfits", led by Killer Moth. The Misfits were portrayed as third-rate villains trying to prove themselves, foreshadowing Brad Meltzer's treatment of the character in "Green Arrow". Catman reappeared in a 1995 crossover between "Shadow of the Bat" and "Catwoman". In this story the cloth Catman's costume was made from was retconned as belonging to a South Sea cat cult. Catwoman was hired by the cult to return the cloth, but gave them a fake.

Catman remained in limbo until 2003, when he resurfaced as a foe of "Green Arrow". Written by Brad Meltzer, Catman was portrayed as a pathetic, overweight loser who was looked down upon by other villains and who is easily defeated by Green Arrow. His hair had been dyed black, which he thought "made [him] look tougher". In issue 20 vol 3, Monsieur Mallah sends Warp to abduct Blake, the implication being that Catman had met a rather grisly end as Mallah's dinner (This situation is alluded to by Blake, when he joins the Secret Six: "You know you've hit rock bottom when a monkey and a frenchman don't consider you worth killing"). When he later meets Monsieur Mallah, he comments that he has no desire to see the gorilla's stomach again.

ecret Six

In the 2005 mini-series "Villains United", Catman resurfaced in Africa, where, after a failed attempt at suicide, he attempted to resalvage his life and began living with a pride of lions. He used this time to lose weight and regain his sense of self-worth and fighting skills. This 'perfect existence' would be shattered by the arrival of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, however. Seeking to unite all of Earth's super-villains under his control, Lex Luthor (secretly Alexander Luthor, Jr. in disguise) sought to recruit Catman into the fold as a minion, only to be rejected. It was initially believed that an angry Lex Luthor had Deathstroke the Terminator kill the lions Catman was living with in retaliation for being rejected by a "nobody" but this was later revealed to have been misdirection.

Catman vowed revenge against Luthor, and was subsequently recruited into a criminal syndicate known as the Secret Six. Together, the Secret Six waged war against the Secret Society of Super-Villains under the direction of an individual known only as Mockingbird. During that time he found out that it was in fact fellow Secret Six member Deadshot who had killed his lions, so that he would join the organization. Deadshot would later apologise, and Catman forgave him. Although the two were reluctant allies at first, the two soon bonded and became what one could loosely call friends.

Under "Villains United" writer Gail Simone, Catman has achieved a new level of fame. Portrayed as a cunning warrior with a sense of honor, the character is now a potent anti-hero. He is depicted with physical abilities that allow him to fight Mallah to a standstill and to blind Captain Nazi. He is different from most other villains in the sense that he has noble and heroic qualities (The character Cheshire notes that Blake behaves more like a hero than a villain), yet he sees heroes such as the Justice League as being arrogant and abusive of their power, as seen when he confronts Green Arrow about the Doctor Light incident. It has been revealed that during his time with the society he impregnated Cheshire and that the two now have a son, Thomas Jr.

In Gail Simone's "Birds of Prey" #104, the Secret Six run into Barbara Gordon's team. Huntress and Catman - out of disguise, dance together, with hints of an attraction. The two teams battle, six members for six, Catman paired against Huntress amidst sexual innuendo, but the fray ends with the resurrection of Ice. The teams' unsuccessful confrontations led to the destabilizing of the group, ultimately breaking up. Commenting upon Catman's reasonings, Knockout claimed that he had "gone soft". In 2008's "Salvation Run" #3, Catman and former Secret Six teammates Scandal and Ragdoll are depicted amongst DC's larger villain population, exiled on a faraway planet.

Powers and abilities

The Cat-Man is an Olympic-level athlete and skilled hand-to-hand combatant.

He wears razor-tipped gauntlets and uses a sharp-edged Catarang modeled after Batman's Batarang. Cat-Man claims his costume gives him the proverbial nine lives of a cat.

Other versions

A character similar to Catman debuted in the 1950s named King of the Cats. In reality, he was Karl Kyle, brother of Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman. This version of the character is also a burglar motivated to steal by an intense sibling rivalry with his sister. His crimes torment Catwoman, as she has loyalties to both her brother and her nemesis/love interest, Batman.

"Batman: Legend of the Dark Knight" #46-49 would reinvent Catman yet again, this time as a leather catsuit-wearing serial killer who used knife-like claws to slash young women to death because they remind him of his abusive mother. Batman and Catwoman form a shaky alliance to stop him, although they have different agendas; Batman wants to apprehend him, while Catwoman wants him dead. They eventually catch him and, between the two of them, beat him to a bloody pulp, although Batman is able to restrain Catwoman from committing murder.

In other media

Thomas Blake appeared in a 1998 episode of "The New Batman Adventures" ("Cult Of The Cat") not as an archcriminal, but as the leader of a cat-worshiping cult. As in previous incarnations, he wore gloves equipped with knives as claws but otherwise dressed in a simple black shirt and pants. He was voiced by Scott Cleverdon.

A version of Catman previously appeared in the "Batman Adventures" comic series prior to Blake's appearance on the actual series. This version was closer to the comic book version of Thomas Blake, calling himself Catman and wearing a Catman suit with colors similar to the "Batman: The Animated Series" version of Catwoman.

Also, an entirely different character named Catman from an alternate reality was featured in "Justice League" the two-part episode "Legends," a pastiche of the Golden Age Batman and Golden Age Wildcat.

Adam West appears in a few episodes of "The Fairly OddParents" as himself, an actor who in turn plays a superhero named Catman. In this version he had the colors of the original Catman and was a lot like the Batman of the 1960s television series (in which West played Batman).

References

Other sources

* [http://wf.toonzone.net/WF/sections/backstage/unused/batman/catman.php Toonzone.net]
* [http://www.dccomics.com/heroes_and_villains/?hv=origin_stories/catman Catman's secret origin on dccomics.com]