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A 15% BUYER'S PREMIUM WILL BE ADDED TO THIS ITEM AT CONCLUSION OF THE AUCTION
white pages; Edgar Church / Mile High copy
scarce; WWII cover (12/43)
Ruben Blades Copy
Highest Graded


This classic Catman comic features a typically wild Charles Quinlan cover as a laughing Catman and Kitten leap across rooftops while battling gun-toting Japanese soldiers. Backup stories include a Little Leaders tale featuring Kitten and Mickey (the sidekick of regular Catman backup star The Deacon) in civilian clothes. (Here, the typical teens go after Japanese saboteurs.) There's more wartime action as heroic (and blind) Blackout takes on the Son of the Red Baron, while The Deacon and Mickey fight crime at home when bank robbers start dressing as demons.

Catman Comics was publisher Frank Z. Temerson's attempt to cash in on the sudden superhero boom, resulting in a colorful costumed crimefighter with an origin combining elements of Tarzan, Batman, and Captain America. Catman (aka David Merrywether) originally fought crime as a private detective, and later became a U.S. Army officer. He'd also adopted child acrobat Katie Conn, saving her from a life of crime as she became his sidekick Kitten.

The beloved Axis-bashing hero found a dedicated following despite an often-troubled distribution. (In a unique twist, Catman and Kitten were also the only superhero team who'd age somewhat realistically over the years.) The scarcity of the run, due to scattered distribution and WWII paper drives, has made Catman Comics one of the toughest and most rewarding of hero titles to collect. There's also the challenge of Golden Age collectors particularly drawn to the book's amazing WWII-era covers from Quinlan and (occasionally) L.B. Cole.


This striking Catman Comics #22 is part of the Ruben Blades Collection, and also a typically impressive book from the Edgar Church/Mile High pedigree. This copy is also the highest-graded of only 23 copies on the CGC Census. The book preserves Charles Quinlan’s classic cover with a vivid color palette and impressively tight spine, plus exceptional centering. This rare and sought-after relic is sure to be a top investment target at auction.

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