Xal-Kor the Human Cat

Few characters carry a name quite as arresting as Xal-Kor the Human Cat, who bounded onto the Silver Age scene in 1964's Star-Studded Comics #5, brought to life by the wonderfully named Richard "Grass" Green for Texas Trio — a reminder that the indie spirit was alive and kicking well outside the Marvel and DC mainstream. What makes this character a genuine curiosity is the sheer stretch of their footprint: from that mid-sixties debut all the way through 2005, Xal-Kor kept resurfacing across titles like Heroes vs. Hitler and Labors of Love — Expanded Edition, sharing pages with the likes of Doctor Weird, The Eye, and Colin Chambers. Nine catalog appearances may sound modest, but for a character born in the scrappy fringes of Silver Age self-publishing, that kind of staying power is its own badge of honor — exactly the sort of hidden gem that makes digging through back-issue bins so endlessly rewarding.