The Cat #1
The Cat #1 (November 1972) marks the first appearance and complete origin of Greer Grant Nelson, a character whose narrative trajectory would eventually produce two distinct Marvel heroines. Greer herself would be transformed into the feline powerhouse Tigra in Giant-Size Creatures #1 (1974), while the Cat suit she first wore in this issue was later discovered by Patsy Walker, who claimed it and became Hellcat — making this single issue the costume-origin for two separate superhero identities. As one of a deliberate trio of female-led Marvel titles launched simultaneously in 1972, the series was a conscious, if commercially brief, attempt by the House of Ideas to speak directly to women readers at the height of the feminist movement. The book also stands as an early example of Marvel staffing a superhero title almost entirely with women creators, from writer to penciler.
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The concept originated with Stan Lee and editor Roy Thomas, who together devised three female-led series for Marvel's 1972 lineup; The Cat was the first to debut. Writer Linda Fite, who had spent years as a Marvel editorial and production assistant lobbying Thomas for a regular writing assignment, was chosen to script all four issues — a deliberate choice, as Marvel wanted the creative team to reflect the book's female-focused audience. Fite co-plotted the origin issue with Thomas, while Marie Severin provided pencils and Wally Wood inked, the latter's contribution giving the character a notably more sensual appearance than Severin had originally intended. A fifth issue was fully drawn by Ramona Fradon but never published after the title was cancelled due to poor sales.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and full origin of Greer Grant Nelson (The Cat), who later becomes Tigra beginning in Giant-Size Creatures #1 (July 1974).
- First appearances of supporting character Dr. Joanne Tumolo and villain Malcolm Donalbain, both of whom die within this issue.
- Written by Linda Fite (script and co-plot) and Roy Thomas (co-plot); penciled by Marie Severin; inked by Wally Wood — an almost entirely female creative pairing at the penciler/writer level.
- One of three female-led Marvel titles launched simultaneously in 1972, alongside Night Nurse and Shanna the She-Devil, all conceived by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas to attract women readers.
- The Cat costume introduced in this issue — designed in-story by villain Malcolm Donalbain and fitted with mechanically enhanced hearing and night-vision lenses — is the same suit later adopted by Patsy Walker to become Hellcat in Avengers #144 (1976).
- The series ran four issues total (1972–1973); a plotted fifth issue, drawn by Ramona Fradon, was cancelled before publication.
- The story's central theme — Dr. Tumolo's experiment designed to allow women to reach their full physical and mental potential despite societal constraints — was a direct, textual engagement with the women's liberation movement of the early 1970s.
- The entire four-issue run, along with later Tigra appearances, was collected in the Marvel trade paperback Tigra: The Complete Collection, featuring work by Fite, Gerry Conway, Tony Isabella, Marie Severin, and Howard Chaykin.