[Quirky Quokka]

As some of you are aware, there are two different versions of Catman. The original American version of Catman first appeared in 1940 and was later acquired by Holyoke publications. The Australian version first appeared in the 1950s. Although they have similarities, there are also many differences, such that the Australian version is not just a clone of the American one. I thought it would be interesting to compare the two versions.

For the American one, I’ve chosen Catman #17 from Holyoke, with art by Charles M. Quinlan. I thought this one was interesting as it’s set in Australia during WWII, with Catman’s alter ego being an officer in the US army. I’ll say more about the Australian connection later in the fortnight. By all means, read and comment on the other stories in the issue if you would like to, but I’m especially interested in your impressions of the Catman story.

https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69145



For the Australian one, I’ve chosen Catman #21 from 1959, with art by John Dixon. I thought this one was interesting because it features robotics and also gives a larger part to Catman’s fiancée Terry West who works at the United Nations. This one is a shorter comic book and the Catman story takes up the whole book.

https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=61178



I’d be interested in your comparisons of the art, stories, backstories, sidekicks and anything else that strikes you. I hope you enjoy these comics.

Cheers

Quirky Quokka

[The Australian Panther]

QQ,
Looking forward to the comments.
Enjoy your time at the beach. Wear a hat!
[The last from my reminiscences of doing playground duty during teacher training in QLD.]

Cheers!

[Quirky Quokka]

QQ,
Looking forward to the comments.
Enjoy your time at the beach. Wear a hat!
[The last from my reminiscences of doing playground duty during teacher training in QLD.]

Cheers!

Thanks Panther. Beach is still 3 weeks away. That's why I swapped my dates to this fortnight, but I'm counting the days 

Cheers

QQ

[FraBig]

Cool! This is an interesting comparison. When I'll find time to read the issues I'll gladly come back with my opinions.

[Quirky Quokka]

Cool! This is an interesting comparison. When I'll find time to read the issues I'll gladly come back with my opinions.

Thanks FraBig. I only just noticed now that you had posted a compilation of Catman stories on the site earlier this month. I thought of this forum discussion topic ages ago, so it's possibly good timing. If people like these stories, they might like to check out the compilation. I'll look forward to your impressions.

For those who missed it, here is the link for a compilation of stories featuring the American Catman.

https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=87571

Cheers

QQ

[SuperScrounge]

Cat-Man Comics #17

Rajah of Destruction
Not bad, although I thought private Binks had been killed and yet at the end it's mentioned he had recovered (insert "I got better" joke here) but double-checking the newspaper article it doesn't actually mention if he was alive or dead, although saying "The body of Private Robert Binks" does indicate dead.

The Sinister Seance of Doom
And the writing in the book plummets. The murder 'mystery' was very amateurish. It also ignores how long it can be from an arrest to a trial & conviction, and actual execution, minimum months, if not longer. And yet Poldini conveniently kept all the evidence that would convict him and not Gregory. *shakes head*

Demon of Destruction
Simplistic, but not as annoying to read as the previous story. So what about all the contaminated money already out there?

The Burning Ship
Okay, but nothing special, text story.

Little Leaders
Somedays it's just better not to answer the door, especially if you're an enemy spy with a comically bad accent. 

Slaves of the New Order!!!
Can you really just sneak around a city wearing a superhero costume? Seems to me that people are more likely to ignore you if you dressed as an ordinary citizen.

A Nest of Rattlesnakes
Nice action-packed story, with a few typos, but otherwise entertaining.

General Douglas MacArthur
Nice illustration.

The Mysterious Bomber
Ummmmm... okay. Not sure if I should take this story seriously or take it as a tall tale.

Men Against the Sea
I swear I've seen a drawing like that shark on page 3, panel 2. Whether the artist referenced an earlier picture or a later artist referenced this I'm not sure.

[SuperScrounge]

The Adventures of Catman #21

The Electronic Monster
Ivan Claux? Is that supposed to be pronounced Claw?

Terry West aka Australian Lois Lane (although not as obnoxious). 

"I thought those things were strictly for comic books" There are cracks in the fourth wall. 

How heavy is Brutus? I should think getting him in and out of that rubber raft would be a problem.

Catman letting the sub get away because "They were only following orders" is a strange attitude to have. I could see an argument that trying to hold a whole submarine's crew until the authorities get there might be difficult, but since their orders involved violating Australian laws is just dumb.

Fun story and nice artwork. Similar, but not quite as flamboyant as Batman stories tended to be.

How Jack Seymour Changed From a Puny Weakling To a Real He-Man!
Oh, wow, a Charles Atlas ad knockoff!

Ah, the days when you could impress a chick by beating someone up. [Tim Allen style grunting] 


American versus Australian Catmen
Both fall into the heroic mold, although the American has the advantage of some superpowers, whereas the Australian appears to be powerless. Both favor brightly colored garments and kid shields sidekicks.  Both seem to have entertaining stories.

Since both are public domain someone familiar with both could probably write a good story of Cat-Man & Kitten teaming up with Catman & Kit.

[Quirky Quokka]

The Adventures of Catman #21

The Electronic Monster
Ivan Claux? Is that supposed to be pronounced Claw?

Terry West aka Australian Lois Lane (although not as obnoxious). 

"I thought those things were strictly for comic books" There are cracks in the fourth wall. 

How heavy is Brutus? I should think getting him in and out of that rubber raft would be a problem.

Catman letting the sub get away because "They were only following orders" is a strange attitude to have. I could see an argument that trying to hold a whole submarine's crew until the authorities get there might be difficult, but since their orders involved violating Australian laws is just dumb.

Fun story and nice artwork. Similar, but not quite as flamboyant as Batman stories tended to be.

Thanks for your comments on both comics, SuperScrounge, and for your comparison of the two. I'll say more about that at the end of the fortnight. Your comment about Australian law did make me ponder though. Place names have been left out, unless I missed them. But since Terry West is at the United Nations, I assumed that was in New York. So does that mean Aussie Catman was in the US for that story? I've read another Aussie Catman story where he's in South America, so he seems to get around.

Cheers

QQ

[SuperScrounge]

Place names have been left out, unless I missed them. But since Terry West is at the United Nations, I assumed that was in New York. So does that mean Aussie Catman was in the US for that story? I've read another Aussie Catman story where he's in South America, so he seems to get around.

Interesting. The building they are in does look like the UN, although I believe it takes 16 hours to fly from Australia to New York, so Maletchek must have been driving really slow for Catman's plane to catch up. 

[Quirky Quokka]

Place names have been left out, unless I missed them. But since Terry West is at the United Nations, I assumed that was in New York. So does that mean Aussie Catman was in the US for that story? I've read another Aussie Catman story where he's in South America, so he seems to get around.

Interesting. The building they are in does look like the UN, although I believe it takes 16 hours to fly from Australia to New York, so Maletchek must have been driving really slow for Catman's plane to catch up. 

Good point, SuperScrounge, and it would have taken even longer in the 1950s. So I did a little searching. According to this article, Aussie Catman had a supersonic Cat Jet, so I guess he could pop up anywhere when needed 

https://comicsdownunder.blogspot.com/2007/04/catman-transplanted-superhero.html?q=catman

Cheers

QQ

[Morgus]

CAT MAN (Americano) was a lot of fun. Great golden age art, and the story moved along at a decent clip. Liked him being teamed up with the Blue Beetle in the ad at the end of the comic. ‘Super, I bailed on reading the rest after I took a gander at that title (‘Super Seance of Doom”), figuring nothing good could come of it. The art sometimes worked, but most of the time...

CAT MAN (Australian) I liked the art and wished it had been coloured. Nice early 60’s/spy vibe to it. But man, oh man, that Cat Man suit was REALLY close to a Bat Man steal. I don’t think the goggles would have saved them from an infringement case. But part of me is glad they pulled it off. And DC had bigger fish to fry.

Thanks Q.Q. I can’t remember if I knew about the Australian Cat Man or not, but it was nice reading through one. And Vintage Cat Man is always worth a look.

[Quirky Quokka]

CAT MAN (Americano) was a lot of fun. Great golden age art, and the story moved along at a decent clip. Liked him being teamed up with the Blue Beetle in the ad at the end of the comic. ‘Super, I bailed on reading the rest after I took a gander at that title (‘Super Seance of Doom”), figuring nothing good could come of it. The art sometimes worked, but most of the time...

CAT MAN (Australian) I liked the art and wished it had been coloured. Nice early 60’s/spy vibe to it. But man, oh man, that Cat Man suit was REALLY close to a Bat Man steal. I don’t think the goggles would have saved them from an infringement case. But part of me is glad they pulled it off. And DC had bigger fish to fry.

Thanks Q.Q. I can’t remember if I knew about the Australian Cat Man or not, but it was nice reading through one. And Vintage Cat Man is always worth a look.

Thanks Morgus. I thought 'The Sinister Seance of Doom' and 'Demon of Destruction' would have been right up your alley.  B-grade horror films, anyone? But yes, I agree the Cat-Man story was the pick of the bunch. And a nice touch indeed that Cat-Man and Blue Beetle are plugging each other's comics. It seems everyone had to have a young sidekick.

The Australian Catman does get a little close to Batman, especially with the costume, boy sidekick, Catjet and Cat Cave, though not as dark as Batman. I do like the art and stories, though. Would be interesting to see what they would have made of it in colour. I think Panther has mentioned elsewhere that it was probably a cost-cutting measure in those postwar years when there was an ban on American comic book imports. As you say, though, it does give it a 60s/spy vibe which I kind of like.

Thanks for commenting.

Cheers

QQ

[Robb_K]

Cat-Man 17

CatMan and The Kitten - Penciled and Inked by Charles Quinlan

This 1943 World War II story is very compelling because of both its unusual, edgy art style, and interesting plot.  Quinlan created an edgy mood by giving a sinister character to all the villains, by drawing them with grotesque features and body poses, while leaving the protagonists and normal background characters very bland, being much less defined, and providing the dark mood by drawing the panels chopped off in unorthodox ways.  The main story plot was fairly typical.  But the subplot of a British Colonial subject (South Asian Indian) racketeer running a spy ring out of his gambling operation in Australia, selling Allied military secrets to The Japanese Military was very clever, because it was so appropriate.  That subplot was very plausible, given that India supplied 2.5 million of its young men "voluntary" soldiers to The British military to fight Japan, while their nation was in the middle of a movement for independence from British rule.  There were many Indians who naively believed that IF The Japanese would defeat The Allies in Asia, that victory would help their Asian "Brothers" to bring about India's full independence.   

The gambling house boss had his henchmen lure Allied (US, British, Australian, and possibly a few Canadian, soldiers into their establishment to try to win some money in their rigged games.  They'd get their victims drunk, and give them credit to try to win back their losses, and get them into so much debt they couldn't pay, that they'd give up top secret information about their military units' plans when threatened with their commanding officers being told about their activities.

CatMan and Kitten, in their US Military uniforms, keep watch over US soldiers, and go into action to get a US soldier victim out of his trouble, and to keep any information he gave out from getting to The Japanese.   The US soldier is murdered by The Indian Crime Boss to keep him from telling the local authorities about the crooked gaming and the spy ring.  CatMan and Kitten investigate the murder having seen the victim lured into the gambling house the night before.  The rest of the story is fairly typical of masked mystery men crime fighters, with a chase to keep the bad guys from getting what they want.

For its above average plausibility for this type of comic book story, I liked this story more than most I've read from this genre.  The artwork was reasonably good, and the colours were strong, and helped make it easier to see the action and to discern what was going on better than with random colouring I've seen in some comics of that period.  I enjoyed reading this story, and it held my interest at a fairly consistent level all through.  That indicates that it's plotting was well-paced.

[The Australian Panther]

Cat-Man Comics 17
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69145
Both the cover and the splash page are well-designed.
The cover is eye-catching. Quinlan is a talented artiist.
The story;-
Page two is a good set-up for the story proper.
{Curiously there is a line of dialogue missing on both the top of page 3 and page 4. Looks like there was tape there)
The script-writer, like many at that time,didn't think visually, so we have a few pages of basically dialogue, no fault of the artist, who is underused, until the last four pages.
OK, How would a lieutenant in the army fly to Australia with an underage young girl? Sensibly, Kitten doesn't appear in the story till the very end, she could hardly go into a gambling den.
Americans should never attempt to write 'Aussie' dialogue, they always get it wrong. And that's irritating, to put it mildly, if you are an Australian.   The dialogue on page 2 is in fact, basically cockney.
"Money isn't necessary to make one man like another"
To get serious, Money is a strong mitigating factor in perception and relationships.
A common saying at the time about US Servicemen, was, 'They are Over-sexed, over-paid and over here!'  That sentiment  wasn't universal but there was a lot of friction.
Yanks down under - 'Over-sexed, over-paid and over here'
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/world-war-ii-1939-1945/resources/all-australian-homefront-1939-1945/emergency-home-defence/yanks-down-under-over-sexed-over-paid
Also unsaid here was the competition for female companionship posed by the Americans.
[My mother was courted by a Texan officer, who I met 2 decades later when he visited Australia with his wife and paid a courtesy call on my then married mother and father.]
Also unsaid in that article, was that America exported its racial tension. There were several notable altercations between black and white US troops. 
Do not make me out to be anti-American, I'm just pointing out the reality of the situation then.
Not going to say much about the rest of the book, since the focus is on Cat-man.
However,
Interesting to see Sol Brodsky's early work pre-Marvel.
Q? why would you give a character called BLACKOUT a sidekick called 'Happy?
The Hood;- Early Dan Barry! [signed] He must have been a teenager!
Quinlan's MacArthur is a great portrait.
The Mysterious Bomber and Men against the Sea are probably true stories.
There is another story of a US aircrew who crashed in Northern Australia, in very wild and inhospitable country and were eventual found by an Aboriginal tribe. I've seen a documentary on that. 
Bomb em! Blast Em! is just the game we called Battleships! Cheeky!
Regardless of my comments, I found this an enjoyable book for its type and age.
cheers!


     
     

[Robb_K]

The Adventures of CatMan 21 (Australia)

CatMan and Kit - by John Dixon

This Australian version of mystery man/private avowed crime fighter, CatMan, despite having an espionage theme, has a different feel from that of the original American version.  Both have a protege who, at least in both these stories, made no significant contribution (e.g. might as well not have been in the story, and only make it less realistic).  This story's plotline is a bit more streamlined and simple.  But it does have the added element of CatMan's fiancee (Terry West) working for The UN, as a vehicle for getting the self-styled crime fighter involved in breaking up espionage operations.  Dixon's artwork on this story is excellent, with very detailed backgrounds, and detailed faces on the characters, and his knowledge of anatomy is excellent, as well.  His staging is top notch.  I like the artwork on this story much more than on Quinlan's US version.  This is also a fast-paced story.

The Villain, Maletchek (obviously meant to be a Russian) is a spy trying to deliver a miniature electronic brain for use in robots, as well as the scientist's prototype AI robot to his Russian bosses.  The action scenes are quite good, well drawn and well staged.  Very efficient use of page and panel space, despite having a lot of room to tell the story (22 pages).  Not one panel was wasted.  Very realistic.  Maletchek captures Miss West and the US scientist, and tries to deliver them and his robot to a Russian submarine crew at the coast.  CatMan and Kit catch up with them, and CatMan, and the Robot (controlled by Kit) defeat Maletchek, and The Coast Guard destroyer (called by Kit) arrival scares away the submarine, leaving the villain to a long prison sentence in USA.

I enjoyed this story more than The American CatMan, but both were good. 

[The Australian Panther]

Catman 21
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=61178

Frew Publications held the license to publish locally drawn versions of the defunct American superhero, Catman. After an initial series, illustrated by Jeff Wilkinson, appeared in Super Yank Comics between 1951–52, Frew recruited Dixon to create a new solo Catman comic book. Dixon produced 12 issues of Catman between 1957 and 1959,[3][4] which were later reprinted by Photo Type Press between 1960 and 1966.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dixon_(cartoonist)

I was aware of John Dixon primarily because of his daily AIRHAWKE strip but I only came across Catman and Red Raven comics from second-hand shops.I enjoyed them both. To this day I have never read all of them. 
Yes, in Black and White there is a strong resemblance to Batman, except for the gun. Traditionally, since his parents were shot, Batman was anti-gun. The Green and Red coloration also distinguishes him from Batman.
Dixon was a 'life-long aviation enthusiast' so the goggles made sense for an aviation character.
So, this book.
Dixon was a superb illustrator with a very distinct style. Even his panels illustrating dialogue are vibrant and full of life and detail. And yes, I might be biased.
Pretty standard plot, but it comes alive through Dixon's art.
Q. Why would the villain give his name?
Q. Who got the first signal watch, Jimmy Olsen or Terry?
One wonders, 'whatever happened to Brutus?'
While I love John Dixin's art, I never was enthusiastic about the Air Hawke strip. I just could never get interested in the narratives in the daily strips. I don't think Dixon was as good as a plotter than he was an Artist. 
Thanks QQ! On Monday we have a guest spot from CRASH RYAN, in the absence of Kingcat who is indisposed.
Looking forward to it!     
   
     

[Robb_K]

Cat-Man Comics 17
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69145
Both the cover and the splash page are well-designed.
The cover is eye-catching. Quinlan is a talented artist.
The story;-
Page two is a good set-up for the story proper.
{Curiously there is a line of dialogue missing on both the top of page 3 and page 4. Looks like there was tape there)
The script-writer, like many at that time,didn't think visually, so we have a few pages of basically dialogue, no fault of the artist, who is underused, until the last four pages.
(1) OK, How would a lieutenant in the army fly to Australia with an underage young girl? Sensibly, Kitten doesn't appear in the story till the very end, she could hardly go into a gambling den.
(2) Americans should never attempt to write 'Aussie' dialogue, they always get it wrong. And that's irritating, to put it mildly, if you are an Australian.   The dialogue on page 2 is in fact, basically cockney.
"Money isn't necessary to make one man like another"
To get serious, Money is a strong mitigating factor in perception and relationships.
A common saying at the time about US Servicemen, was, 'They are Over-sexed, over-paid and over here!'  That sentiment  wasn't universal but there was a lot of friction.

Do not make me out to be anti-American, I'm just pointing out the reality of the situation then.

(3) Quinlan's MacArthur is a great portrait.

Regardless of my comments, I found this an enjoyable book for its type and age.
cheers!   

(1)  The only possible explanation for them to be able to do that would have been that David Merrywether would have been an authentic Lieutenant in The US Army, stationed in The Southeast Asian/Australian Theatre of WWII, and his niece was  at least 18 when signed by The US Army WACS, and also assigned to that theatre.  Then, although it is extremely unlikely that they would both have leave at the same time, AND be able to meet up in the same city in Australia, and have enough time left over to "work on a criminal case, together", that is the only possibility.  To have all those factors line up, Merrywhether would have had to have LOTS of "pull" with a higher-up (or 2) well-above him in rank, to make those conditions line up.  And as far as the girl's age, sometimes Quinlan drew her looking 14 (as in Page 4 Panel 1), with a face of 15 or 16, but MUCH too short (on Page 4 Panel 7), and, perhaps 23,(on Page 5 Panel1).  But he drew her at pre-teen or midget height in ALL panels.  So, your point about that element of the story being quite unrealistic is well taken.

(2) That is my pet peeve about so very many GA American comic books.  They tended to be extremely poorly researched, or had no research done, at all.  Part of that is that The US was so self-sufficient and so insular that they had a lot less reason to need to know much about the rest of The World than The Europeans, who had much smaller nations, and needed to know about their neighbouring countries and peoples, and also were NOT self-sufficient, and so were much more dependent upon overseas trade, which led them to colonise many exotic areas of The World, bringing them much more in contact with exotic peoples, cultures and their customs and products, than Americans.  But there WERE American writers who researched intensively (Carl Barks being one), and that sort of thing made quite a difference to me.

(3)  I have no doubt that Quinlan copied that from a photograph or well-known painted portrait.

[Robb_K]

Place names have been left out, unless I missed them. But since Terry West is at the United Nations, I assumed that was in New York. So does that mean Aussie Catman was in the US for that story? I've read another Aussie Catman story where he's in South America, so he seems to get around.

Interesting. The building they are in does look like the UN, although I believe it takes 16 hours to fly from Australia to New York, so Maletchek must have been driving really slow for Catman's plane to catch up. 

Terry West could have been getting her assignment in The UN's Regional Economics Commission office in Bangkok, which would have only been a few hours flight to Newcastle, Brisbane, or Sydney.  Yes, CatMan would have taken his supersonic jet there.

[SuperScrounge]

though not as dark as Batman.

Well, Batman wasn't that dark at the time. Pre-Robin Batman stories could be dark, but Robin lightened up the series and Bats really didn't start to get dark again until the late-sixties/early-seventies, but it wasn't a regularly thing until I think the late-eighties.

Q. Who got the first signal watch, Jimmy Olsen or Terry?

Well Jimmy had the Signal Watch in his first issue of his own book (mid-1954), not sure if he had it earlier.

Reading the Showcase Present Superman Family collection, I realised that Otto Binder was using the Jimmy Olsen series to tell Captain Marvel-esque stories (Jimmy = Billy, signal watch = magic word, Superman = Captain Marvel), so I'd guess Binder was the watch's creator.

[Robb_K]

The Adventures of Catman #21

The Electronic Monster
(1) Ivan Claux? Is that supposed to be pronounced Claw? 

Terry West aka Australian Lois Lane (although not as obnoxious). 

(2) How heavy is Brutus? I should think getting him in and out of that rubber raft would be a problem.

(3)Catman letting the sub get away because "They were only following orders" is a strange attitude to have. I could see an argument that trying to hold a whole submarine's crew until the authorities get there might be difficult, but since their orders involved violating Australian laws is just dumb.

(4) Since both are public domain someone familiar with both could probably write a good story of Cat-Man & Kitten teaming up with Catman & Kit.

(1) In French, it should be pronounced with a "long O", like Klo (as in the German slang word for the British "Loo"), not like the word "Clue" - not like "Ow!" as being suddenly inflicted with pain.

(2) Maybe Brutus was made of Aluminium (Aluminum)?  "fragile but agile!" 

(3) Good point.

(4)    I'd bet there'd be a LOT of 4th Wall breakage in THAT story!   

[Quirky Quokka]

Cat-Man 17

CatMan and The Kitten - Penciled and Inked by Charles Quinlan

This 1943 World War II story is very compelling because of both its unusual, edgy art style, and interesting plot.  Quinlan created an edgy mood by giving a sinister character to all the villains, by drawing them with grotesque features and body poses, while leaving the protagonists and normal background characters very bland, being much less defined, and providing the dark mood by drawing the panels chopped off in unorthodox ways.  The main story plot was fairly typical.  But the subplot of a British Colonial subject (South Asian Indian) racketeer running a spy ring out of his gambling operation in Australia, selling Allied military secrets to The Japanese Military was very clever, because it was so appropriate.  That subplot was very plausible, given that India supplied 2.5 million of its young men "voluntary" soldiers to The British military to fight Japan, while their nation was in the middle of a movement for independence from British rule.  There were many Indians who naively believed that IF The Japanese would defeat The Allies in Asia, that victory would help their Asian "Brothers" to bring about India's full independence.   

Thanks for the extra info, Robb. I didn't know much about India's role in WWII. I agree it was an interesting scenario. The idea of a gambling racket wasn't so original, but the setting and characters made it different from a lot of other similar stories.

CatMan and Kit - by John Dixon

This Australian version of mystery man/private avowed crime fighter, CatMan, despite having an espionage theme, has a different feel from that of the original American version.  Both have a protege who, at least in both these stories, made no significant contribution (e.g. might as well not have been in the story, and only make it less realistic).  This story's plotline is a bit more streamlined and simple.  But it does have the added element of CatMan's fiancee (Terry West) working for The UN, as a vehicle for getting the self-styled crime fighter involved in breaking up espionage operations.  Dixon's artwork on this story is excellent, with very detailed backgrounds, and detailed faces on the characters, and his knowledge of anatomy is excellent, as well.  His staging is top notch.  I like the artwork on this story much more than on Quinlan's US version.  This is also a fast-paced story.

I only discovered John Dixon's art last year when I started buying some of the Frew Publication compilations. I really like his style too, including the stories. He managed to put quite a different spin on the American one, though I like both. And I agree that the sidekicks don't seem to do much. I guess it was a trend at the time to have a sidekick. Maybe so kids could identify with them?

Thanks for commenting.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Cat-Man Comics 17

Americans should never attempt to write 'Aussie' dialogue, they always get it wrong. And that's irritating, to put it mildly, if you are an Australian.   The dialogue on page 2 is in fact, basically cockney.
   

I agree that the Aussie dialogue isn't great, Panther, but I did appreciate the fact that the writer and artist got some things right (e.g., an Aussie soldier with a slouch hat, and using 'digger' and 'ANZAC' as terms for Aussie soldiers). For our overseas friends, ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corp, coined during World War I. We celebrate Anzac Day on 25 April each year to commemorate the service of our armed forces, stemming from the Gallipoli campaign of WWI.

https://www.army.gov.au/about-us/history-and-research/traditions/anzac-day

Also unsaid here was the competition for female companionship posed by the Americans.
[My mother was courted by a Texan officer, who I met 2 decades later when he visited Australia with his wife and paid a courtesy call on my then married mother and father.]

Indeed, there were lots of Australian war brides who went to the US, and lots of Aussie-American babies left behind. One of my relatives was the result of a liaison between her Aussie mother and a US serviceman.

Q? why would you give a character called BLACKOUT a sidekick called 'Happy?

I wondered the same thing.

The Mysterious Bomber and Men against the Sea are probably true stories.
There is another story of a US aircrew who crashed in Northern Australia, in very wild and inhospitable country and were eventual found by an Aboriginal tribe. I've seen a documentary on that.

They do have the ring of truth about them. I did a quick google search but couldn't find a specific reference to them. 'The Mysterious Bomber' sounds a bit far-fetched, but I guess it could have happened. The 'Men Against the Sea' was more realistic for me because a lot of aircraft did go down in the Coral Sea, though the Battle of the Coral Sea was in May not September. Though I'm sure aircraft went down at other times too.

Thanks for your comments, Panther 

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

though not as dark as Batman.

Well, Batman wasn't that dark at the time. Pre-Robin Batman stories could be dark, but Robin lightened up the series and Bats really didn't start to get dark again until the late-sixties/early-seventies, but it wasn't a regularly thing until I think the late-eighties.

Good point, SuperScrounge. I recently read a 'Bathman of the Fifties' volume and it was kind of cheesy, but fun. Today, there are lots of different Batman comics that cater to different audiences. My local comic book store stocks tons of Batman comics. Some are upbeat and cute, like the Scooby Doo-Batman team-ups and the ones drawn more for the older-child/young-teen market. I've actually enjoyed reading some of those myself. But at the other end of the spectrum are some really creepy ones, verging on horror, especially those featuring the Joker. Those ones aren't really my cup of tea, though I did recently pick up a second-hand volume of 'A Death in the Family' and I liked that one. It probably fits in the middle of the other two extremes. Not horror, but not a warm and cosy story. And of course the Robin and Nightwing ones also come in all shapes and sizes.  I liked the Robin and Batgirl Year 1 stories, but again the various incarnations of Robin, Teen Titans and Nightwing are aimed at different audiences and age groups. Good that there's variety I guess.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Cat-Man Comics #17

Cat-Man and the Kitten – The Rajah of Destruction

This was the first of the American Cat-Man stories I’ve read, and I liked it overall. I thought it was interesting that it was set in Australia during WWII. Indeed, there were thousands of US servicemen in Australia during the war, as it was a staging post for many of the battles in the Pacific and New Guinea. General Douglas MacArthur, whose portrait appears later in this issue, was stationed in my old hometown of Brisbane for part of the war. The building where he had his HQ was situated in the CBD, and it was later renamed the MacArthur Chambers. It’s still standing today and is a heritage-listed building that contains a MacArthur museum. But I digress.

The only reason I knew the story was set in Melbourne was that it shows a newspaper called ‘Melbourne Clarion’. There is nothing in the illustrations to distinguish it as Melbourne, but there were a few touches that at least indicated Australia, such as the ‘digger’ (Australian soldier) with the slouch hat. I did wonder how the Japanese agent was able to wander around freely, as many Japanese were interned in Australia during WWII. Somehow, he managed to escape detection as a risk. The story was well-paced and quite good, except for the plot hole regarding Pt. Binks that SuperScrounge mentioned. Kitten didn’t have much to do, but I don’t know if that’s typical of these stories or not. All in all, I liked it enough that I would read more stories of the US Cat-Man.

The Deacon and Mickey – The Sinister Séance of Doom

The opening promised a riddle that would keep me on the edge of my seat. I can’t say it did. It took me a while to notice the ‘dog collar’ round the deacon’s neck and to realise he was that kind of deacon. As this is the only story of his I’ve read, I don’t know his background and how he came to be a crime fighter. The story was okay, but nothing great.

The Little Leaders

This one was interesting as it featured Katie (aka Kitten from Cat-Man comics) and Mickey (the sidekick of the Deacon). Dr Google tells me that they first met at summer camp and continued to have adventures together, in and out of costume.

https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Little_Leaders

The splash page includes a sign that says ‘Scrap to Beat the Japanazis’. I’m pretty sure the term Japanazis also appeared in some wartime Superman comics I’ve read (and probably others). The story itself was really an advertising/propaganda piece to encourage kids to collect scrap metal and other useful items for the war effort. There’s even a whole page where Mickey explains all the things that can be made from the scrap, such as bullets, rifles, tanks, helmets, bombs etc. In the process of collecting scrap, Katie and Mickey unearth and destroy a Nazi cell before the police even arrive. Well done, kids! The last frame shows Uncle Sam with Katie and Mickey, encouraging kids to play their role in the war effort. Makes you proud to wear the stars and stripes!

The Ragman – Demon of Destruction

I wasn’t sure if the demon was real or if it just represented the voices in the professor’s head. Tiny had a very stereotyped way of speaking, but I guess it was good that they at least included an African-American character? At one point, the Ragman advises Tiny not to touch the money because it has a greenish look. Aren’t all American notes green? Maybe they were a different colour back then? How did the Ragman know that the baddie had invented a formula to make people immortal? A few too many holes in this one for me.

Blackout – Slaves of the New Order

Interesting that it was set in Czechoslovakia, with workers fighting the oppression of their new masters. Like Panther, I wondered why the sidekick was called Happy. He also didn’t do much.

The Hood – A Nest of Rattlesnakes

Some interesting art in this one, especially p. 7 where we see The Hood beating up the baddies in different ways within the same panel.

Others

Interesting cross-promotion with Cat-Man and Blue Beetle plugging each other’s comics, and two potentially true stories to round out the book (e.g., ‘The Mysterious Bomber’ and ‘Men Against the Sea’).

Overall, an interesting selection, though the title story with Cat-Man and Kitten was the pick of the bunch. I would read other Cat-Man stories based on this, but probably wouldn’t bother with the other characters.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

The Adventures of Catman #21

Although the Australian Catman first appeared in the 1950s, I only discovered him last year when I picked up one of Frew’s Giantsize Phantom compilations that was dedicated to the art of John Dixon. I’ve picked up a few more since then, with Catman and Captain Strato being my favourites. Alas, there were only three issues of Captain Strato and none on CB+ unfortunately.

https://www.phantomcomic.com.au/collections/giantsize-phantom

I really liked the art and story in this one. Although this Catman is based in Australia, it’s unclear where this story is set. I thought it was the US, as his girlfriend Terry is at the United Nations. But as noted by others, it could be elsewhere. I’ve read another Catman story that was set in South America, so he is capable of whizzing around the globe in his supersonic Catjet. I liked the fact that Terry played a key role, and wasn’t one of the swooning females who appear in so many Golden Age comics. She had an important job and could hold her own. And you’ve got to love dialogue like this:

Kit: Jumping toads! Am I seeing things or is that a robot?
Catman: I thought those things were strictly for comic books …

If you liked this story and art, it’s worth checking out the other six Aussie Catman books on the site. One of my favourites.

And which Catman is the better? The American or Australian? Let’s call it a tie! 

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Cheers

QQ