[Quirky Quokka]

I'd never heard of this Aussie comic before. The story was quite good and I liked the pace. Though I did wonder how they got away with so many similarities to Batman - the name, the cowl with pointy ears, the utility belt, the Cat Cave, the Catjet, and the boy sidekick. Lots of similarities.

Link to the book: Catman 09

[The Australian Panther]

Some of the Catman stories by John Dixon are currently being reprinted by Frew in their Giant-size Phantom comic, the latest of which is on  the stands right now. Issue #21 -second last -can still be found on the stands in some newsagents and has in facsimile style, including the original covers. reprints of 7 60's Frew characters and some new  stories. # 22 has reprints of 4 and no new stories.   
This includes facsimiles of Dixon's Catman #10 and his original character, the Crimson Comet [#20]
If you were a child of the 60's and read the strips in your parents newspapers - my introduction to comics - you may remember his strip 'Air Hawk and the flying doctors'
John Dixon (20 February 1929, Australia - 7 May 2015, USA)
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/d/dixon_john.htm

cheers!
         

[Quirky Quokka]

Some of the Catman stories by John Dixon are currently being reprinted by Frew in their Giant-size Phantom comic, the latest of which is on  the stands right now. Issue #21 -second last -can still be found on the stands in some newsagents and has in facsimile style, including the original covers. reprints of 7 60's Frew characters and some new  stories. # 22 has reprints of 4 and no new stories.   
This includes facsimiles of Dixon's Catman #10 and his original character, the Crimson Comet [#20]
If you were a child of the 60's and read the strips in your parents newspapers - my introduction to comics - you may remember his strip 'Air Hawk and the flying doctors'
John Dixon (20 February 1929, Australia - 7 May 2015, USA)
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/d/dixon_john.htm

cheers!
       

Thanks for the info. I stopped by my local newsagent this morning to look for that comic, but alas missed them by 5 mins, so will try through the week.  I really like John Dixon's art in the Catman comic I read. I just thought the similarities to Batman were interesting. Now that you mention Airhawk, I think I do remember that as a newspaper strip, though I can't remember much about it. Thanks for the link. I'll have a look. My hubby and I were trying to think of some Australian comics and couldn't come up with much apart from newspaper strips, so it was interesting to see some on this site I hadn't heard of.

[paw broon]

Oh Quirky, that's a shame as Australia has an interesting history as part of the world of comics.  There is a lot to discover,  many titles and some very good artists.  Well worth digging into.
I think you wondered about landscape format.  Many early Australian comics were in landscape and there are a couple of variations that didn't crop up in landscape format comics in other countries - Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands.
Keep asking, keep digging, keep reading.
As I'm a dyed in the wool Phantom Phan, I  collect Frew comics. Not easy here in Scotland.  Thank goodness for the internet.
It doesn't surprise me that some Australians think The Phantom is an Australian character. And the Frew comics are the only way I get to read the new Scandinavian stories as I can't read Swedish etc.

[Quirky Quokka]

Oh Quirky, that's a shame as Australia has an interesting history as part of the world of comics.  There is a lot to discover,  many titles and some very good artists.  Well worth digging into.
I think you wondered about landscape format.  Many early Australian comics were in landscape and there are a couple of variations that didn't crop up in landscape format comics in other countries - Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands.
Keep asking, keep digging, keep reading.
As I'm a dyed in the wool Phantom Phan, I  collect Frew comics. Not easy here in Scotland.  Thank goodness for the internet.
It doesn't surprise me that some Australians think The Phantom is an Australian character. And the Frew comics are the only way I get to read the new Scandinavian stories as I can't read Swedish etc.

Phantom and Archie are about the only comics they have in newsagents here now. Lucky I live in a town that has a comic books store, but I mainly keep an eye out for the retro stuff. Marvel and DC have been releasing some facsimile copies of old issues and they're usually the things I buy. I also have some volumes of old comics that have been reprinted, so am only just discovering a lot of these now. And there's enough on this site to keep me going for the rest of my life I think. I'll work my way through the Aussie ones, but there are so many other ones I'm interested in too. I'm a big fan of pop culture.

[SuperScrounge]

I believe the Australian Catman continued on from the American Cat-Man which was put out by Temerson https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=3295 and Holyoke https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=1081

I've heard that when the American imports on the title stopped the Australian publisher kept it going and changed the hero's sidekick from a girl to a boy (not sure if there were any other changes).

So if DC didn't file a lawsuit against the American Cat-Man it seems unlikely they would go after the Australian Catman.

[paw broon]

Yes, that's right, I believe. The same sort of thing as happened when Miller lost the Cap Marvel stories after the lawsuit and "created" Marvelnan.
I wrote a few words about Catman, American and Australian,  in an issue of Sequential.  If anyone would like a look at it, let me know.

[Quirky Quokka]

I believe the Australian Catman continued on from the American Cat-Man which was put out by Temerson https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=3295 and Holyoke https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=1081

I've heard that when the American imports on the title stopped the Australian publisher kept it going and changed the hero's sidekick from a girl to a boy (not sure if there were any other changes).

So if DC didn't file a lawsuit against the American Cat-Man it seems unlikely they would go after the Australian Catman.

Thanks for that. That makes sense. I was just surprised how many similarities there were to Batman. Thanks for those links too. I'll have a look.

[Quirky Quokka]

Yes, that's right, I believe. The same sort of thing as happened when Miller lost the Cap Marvel stories after the lawsuit and "created" Marvelnan.
I wrote a few words about Catman, American and Australian,  in an issue of Sequential.  If anyone would like a look at it, let me know.

I found the Sequential website. How can I find the article? Or do you have to subscribe in order to download?

[The Australian Panther]

So if DC didn't file a lawsuit against the American Cat-Man it seems unlikely they would go after the Australian Catman. 

DC currently have a Catman character, who was mainly re-introduced in their revived - for about the third time- the secret six - this time about around a group of villains - or rather, characters who were perceived to be on the wrong side of the law.   

[paw broon]

I'll send you a copy, if that's ok.  It's a fanzine. Nobody makes any money from it.  We do it because we're comic book nuts