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Catman (Thomas Reese Blake) is a character appearing in
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
s published by
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
. He is part of
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
’s growing roster of enemies, debuting in the mid-1960s. For decades, the character rarely appeared in comic books, as Batman stories returned to darker themes. A modern revival of the character in the pages of ''
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
'' many years later depicted a Catman down on his luck, clinging to past glories, overweight, and pathetic. In 2006, however, the character was rehabilitated by writer
Gail Simone Gail Simone (born July 29, 1974) is an American writer best known for her work in comics on DC Comics, DC's ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'', ''Batgirl'', Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja, and for being the longest running female write ...
, depicting Blake as having picked himself up from the gutter, restoring his physical fitness and gaining a new sense of purpose and dignity while living with lions in Africa. Stories since then have depicted him as an
antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...
and the leader of the mercenary team Secret Six.


Publication history

Catman first appeared in ''
Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'' #311 (January 1963) and was created by
Bill Finger Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – ) was an American comic book writer who co-created the DC Comics character Batman with Bob Kane. Despite making major (sometimes, signature) contributions as an innovative writer, visionary mythos/world ...
and
Jim Mooney James Noel Mooney (August 13, 1919 – March 30, 2008) was an Americans, American comics artist best known for his long tenure at DC Comics and as the signature artist of Supergirl, as well as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, both ...
. A different Cat-Man once opposed the Blackhawks in ''Blackhawk'' #141, but he has no connection with the more prominent Batman villain.


Fictional character biography


Origins


Pre-''Crisis''

Catman was Thomas Reese Blake, a world-famous hunter who turned to crime because he had grown bored with the job and squandered most of his money. He became a burglar who committed his crimes in a catsuit made of ancient African cloth and modeled after
Catwoman Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...
's disguise. Catwoman was none too pleased to have her modus operandi copied, which resulted in Catwoman being wrongly implicated in Catman's crimes at least once, so she initially helped Batman against him. As with many Batman villains in their first appearances, Catman was originally a
gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out ...
ed villain who stole cat-themed items. His weapons of choice were steel claw-tipped gloves and the razor edged "catarang". Catman would reappear once more, this time revealing that the orange African cloth in his uniform gave him nine lives. The character first shows his capability for good causes when he rescues
Batwoman Batwoman is a name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies of Batman similarly to Batgirl. The original version of the character, Kathy Kane (eventually given t ...
from nearly dying. He gives her some of his costume fabric, believing she too will have nine lives. He resumes his criminalistic ways, but Batwoman (temporarily infiltrating his trust to be his new partner, with a new costume as "Cat-Woman") reasons the entire cloth has only nine lives, not individual pieces, and manipulates events until Catman only has one remaining. Batwoman attempts to convince him to turn himself in, but Catman attempts to kill her so he can escape, before being defeated by Batman and Robin.


Outcast

In 1992, Catman appeared in '' Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' as a member of a team called "the Misfits", led by
Killer Moth Killer Moth (Drury Walker) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as an adversary and dedicated original foil personality of Batman (prior to the creations of Wrath, Prometheus, and Hush). Like Batman, he ha ...
. The Misfits were portrayed as third-rate villains trying to prove themselves, foreshadowing
Brad Meltzer Brad Meltzer (born April 1, 1970) is an Americans, American novelist, non-fiction writer, TV show creator, and comic book author. His novels touch on the political thriller, legal thriller and conspiracy fiction genres, while he has also written ...
's treatment of the character in ''
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
''. Catman reappeared in a 1995 crossover between ''Shadow of the Bat'' and ''Catwoman''. In this story, the cloth that Catman's costume was made from was
retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
ned 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 imlook tougher".
Monsieur Mallah Monsieur Mallah is a supervillain appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani, the character first appeared in ''Doom Patrol'' #86 (March 1964). He is the gorilla servan ...
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 Mallah, he comments that he has no desire to see the gorilla's stomach again.''Green Arrow'' (vol. 3) #20 (March 2003)


Secret Six

In the 2005 mini-series ''
Villains United ''Villains United'' is a six-issue 2005 comic book limited series, published by DC Comics, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, and later by Val Semeiks and Prentis Rollins. Publication history ''V ...
'', Catman resurfaced in Africa, where he attempted to resalvage his life and began living with a pride of
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
s. 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 Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League, Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #1 ...
, however. Seeking to unite all of Earth's super-villains under his control,
Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...
(secretly
Alexander Luthor Jr. Alexander Luthor Jr. is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The son of Earth-Three's Lex Luthor, he played a large role in the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and ''Infinite Crisis'' events. Publication history ...
of the original
Earth-Three Earth-Three, or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3, is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #29 (August 1964), and the concept has ...
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 Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...
kill the lions Catman was living with in retaliation for being rejected by a "nobody" but this was later revealed to have been a 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 Deadshot is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer David Vern Reed and artist Lew Sayre Schwartz based on a concept from Bob Kane, the character first appeared in ''Batman (comic book), Batman ...
who had killed his lions, so that he would join the organization. Deadshot would later apologize, 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 ''Villains United'' is a six-issue 2005 comic book limited series, published by DC Comics, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, and later by Val Semeiks and Prentis Rollins. Publication history ''V ...
'' writer
Gail Simone Gail Simone (born July 29, 1974) is an American writer best known for her work in comics on DC Comics, DC's ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'', ''Batgirl'', Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja, and for being the longest running female write ...
, Catman has achieved a new level of fame. Portrayed as a cunning warrior with a sense of honor, the character is now a potent
antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...
. He is depicted with physical abilities that allow him to fight Monsieur Mallah to a standstill and blind Captain Nazi. He is different from most other Batman villains in the sense that he has noble and heroic qualities. While
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
notes that Blake behaves more like a hero than a villain, he sees heroes such as the
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
as being arrogant and abusive of their power, as seen when he confronts
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
about the Doctor Light incident. It has been revealed that during his time with the Six he impregnated Cheshire and that the two now have a son, Thomas Jr. In Gail Simone's ''
Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
'' #104, the Secret Six run into
Barbara Gordon Barbara Joan Gordon is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Ga ...
'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 Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
. Commenting upon Catman's reasonings, Knockout claimed that he had "gone soft". In 2008's ''
Salvation Run ''Salvation Run'' is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie into the company's major event series ''Final Crisis'' in 2008. Premise The series, which is based on a pitch from George R. R. Martin, follows a wor ...
'' #3, Catman and former Secret Six teammates
Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...
and
Rag Doll A rag doll is a doll made from scraps of fabric. They are one of the oldest children's toys in existence. Today, many rag dolls are commercially produced to mimic aspects of the original home-made dolls, such as simple features, soft cloth bodies, ...
are depicted amongst DC's larger villain population, exiled on a faraway planet. Catman reappeared in the new ''Secret Six'' ongoing series, which takes place after the events of Salvation Run. Blake spent some time back in Africa, where he brutally attacked a gang of poachers and may have left them for dead. His actions have led Catman to wonder if he has the temperament to be on the side of the angels. It was in his role as leader of the Secret Six that Catman faced Batman again after many years. Batman tried to warn Catman and his team to not accept their mission to break someone out of Alcatraz. The non-personal warning did not work, so Batman went to confront Catman. Catman said in response: "The old me? Probably would've whooped his milk and cookies". He made no hesitation to throw the first punch at the Dark Knight. During the fight, Batman even offered to pay the Secret Six off, but to no avail. Catman's main goal was just to keep Batman distracted as the Secret Six broke
Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
out of prison.


''The New 52''

After the cancellation of the series in August 2011, Gail Simone revealed that Catman will be written as bisexual, and that she had planned to reveal this in a story arc that was cut short by the September 2011 DC relaunch. Simone has also said that she plans to make this canon the next time she writes Catman in a book. In ''
The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
'' continuity reboot, Catman made his debut, with an updated outfit, in the December 2014 reboot of ''Secret Six''. In the first issue of the series, he is captured by a mysterious group and is put in a strange holding cell with the new team. As Simone had promised in her earlier tweet, his bisexuality was confirmed in the issue when he is seen flirting with both a man and a woman.


Powers and abilities

Catman is an Olympic-level athlete and skilled hand-to-hand combatant, able to hold his own against some of the most proficient beings and fighters in the DC universe, including
Bronze Tiger Bronze Tiger (Benjamin "Ben" Turner) is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dennis O'Neil, Leopoldo Durañona, and Jim Berry, he first appeared in ''Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter'' #1 (May 1975) durin ...
, Batman, and an actual lion. He is also one of the world's foremost hunters and trackers, possessing an extraordinary sense of smell and sight. He is also a skillful observant with the accurate ability to notice and perceive things. He wears razor-tipped gauntlets and uses a sharp-edged Catarang, modeled after Batman's Batarang, and a utility belt similar to Batman's. The belt frequently has a smiley face button, a trophy he claimed from a misleading pilot on a mission with the Secret Six. Catman has claimed several times, both in his early appearances and modern ones, that his cape is mystical and able to restore mortal wounds. He was once the owner of a pet Siberian tiger named Rasputin, which was trained and helped him commit crimes. Rasputin has not been utilized in his modern appearances to date.


Other versions

* An alternate variant of Catman, Selina Kyle's brother Karl Kyle, is a burglar motivated to steal by an intense sibling rivalry with his sister. * An alternate variant of Catman appears in '' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight''. This version is a serial killer who wields knife-like claws. * An alternate timeline variant of Catman appears in the '' Flashpoint'' event. This version is the leader of a
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
n resistance before being killed by Gorilla Grodd.


In other media


Television

* Thomas Blake appears in ''
The New Batman Adventures ''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Br ...
'' episode "Cult of the Cat", voiced by Scott Cleverdon. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is the leader of a cat-worshiping cult. * An unrelated Catman inspired by Batman and
Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
appears in the ''
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
'' two-part episode "Legends", voiced by
Stephen Root Stephen Root (born November 17, 1951) is an American actor. He has starred as Jimmy James on the NBC sitcom ''NewsRadio'' (1995–1999), as Milton Waddams in the film ''Office Space'' (1999), and voiced Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the a ...
. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. He is a member of the
Justice Guild of America The Justice Guild of America is a superhero team featured in the ''Justice League'' animated series two-part episode "Legends", an homage to the Golden Age Justice Society of America, and to a degree the Silver Age Justice League of America. App ...
, a superhero team from another universe who exist as comic characters in the "prime" universe, and died in a nuclear war. * Catman appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by Thomas F. Wilson.


Film

* Catman makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in '' Superman/Batman: Public Enemies''. * Catman makes a non-speaking appearance in ''
The Lego Batman Movie ''The Lego Batman Movie'' is a 2017 animated superhero comedy film, based on characters created by DC Comics and the Lego Batman toy line. It was directed by Chris McKay (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay that is based on a ...
''. * Catman makes a non-speaking appearance in '' Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold''. * Catman makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in ''
Injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...
''.


Video games

* Catman appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame'', voiced again by Thomas F. Wilson. * Catman appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.


Miscellaneous

* Catman appears in ''
The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...
''. This version hues closer to the comics' Thomas Blake, with a history as a former big game hunter who sells live animals to zoos and circuses. Additionally, he dons a masculine variation of Catwoman's suit and commits copycat crimes in an attempt to gain her romantic attention. * Catman appears in '' Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis'' as an associate of the Joker,
Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...
, and Blockbuster before he is killed by
Jason Todd Jason Peter Todd is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #357 in March 1983, he was created to succeed Dick Grayson as Robin (character), Robin, Batman's partner ...
. * Catman makes a cameo appearance in ''
Batman '66 ''Batman '66'' is an American superhero comic book series published by DC Comics featuring Batman as a continuation of the 1966–1968 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The series was written primarily by ...
'' #30.


Reception

In 2013,
ComicsAlliance ComicsAlliance is an American website dedicated to covering the comic book industry as well as comic-related media, and is owned by Townsquare Media. The site has been nominated for multiple awards including a 2015 Eisner Award win in the categ ...
ranked Catman as #9 on their list of the "50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics".


See also

*
List of Batman family enemies The Batman family enemies are a collection of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters are depicted as adversaries of the superhero Batman and his allies. Since Batman first appeared in ''Detectiv ...
*
List of DC Comics characters This is a list of DC Multiverse fictional characters which were created for and are owned by DC Comics. Alphabetically * List of DC Comics characters: 0–9 * List of DC Comics characters: A * List of DC Comics characters: B * List of DC Comi ...


References


External links


Toonzone.net

Catman's secret origin on dccomics.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catman (Comics) Batman characters Characters created by Bill Finger Comics characters introduced in 1963 DC Comics businesspeople DC Comics LGBTQ superheroes DC Comics LGBTQ supervillains DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics male supervillains DC Comics martial artists Fictional hunters in comics Fictional martial artists Fictional mercenaries in comics Fictional serial killers Vigilante characters in comics Bisexual male characters in comics