- "Go ahead, Mal. You only have one bullet left -- and, if it doens't kill me, I'll... get you."
- ―The Cat
| "Beware the Claws of... the Cat!" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The Cat | |
| Title: | "Beware the Claws of... the Cat!" |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 1 |
| Cover price: | .20 |
| Cover date: | November, 1972 |
| Publisher: | Marvel Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Roy Thomas |
| Writers: | Linda Fite; Roy Thomas |
| Pencilers: | Marie Severin |
| Inkers: | Wally Wood |
| Cover artists: | Marie Severin |
| Cover inker: | Wally Wood |
| Letterers: | John Costanza |
| Editors: | Roy Thomas |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | The Cat #2 |
"Beware the Claws of... the Cat!" is the title to the first issue of The Cat comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The story was written by Linda Fite and illustrated by Marie Severin with Wally Wood on inks. Severin and Wood also composed the cover art illustration to this issue. The story was colored by Marie Severin and lettered by John Costanza. It was edited by Roy Thomas. This issue shipped with a November, 1972 cover date and carries a cover price of 20 cents per copy.
Synopsis[]
Greer Grant is a college student at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. While taking classes, she meets a rookie police officer named Bill Nelson. The two fall in love and Greer quits school to marry him. The marriage is shaky, but she is in love and works extra hard to make everything work out. A year after the wedding, Greer and Bill are walking down a street when they interrupt a drugstore robbery. Bill pulls his firearm on the thief, but the crook shoots first, killing Bill.
After the funeral, Greer does her best to make ends meet. She sells the house and tries to get a job, but the only opportunities available to her are receptionist and secretary duties. She runs into her old college professor, Joanne Tumolo, who brings her on as her new lab assistant. Tumolo is conducting experiments to unlock a woman's full physical and mental potential. Her financial benefactor in all of this is a man named Malcolm Donalbain, who is the owner of a chain of health club resorts. In addition to nurturing an irrational fear of being touched, Donalbain wants to develop a process that would ultimately weed out physical weakness in the body.
Tumolo wants to use Greer as her test subject, but Donalbain pulls rank and supplies his own subject, a woman named Shirlee Bryant. Bryant undergoes the process, but her poor attitude makes her less than ideal. Doctor Tumolo secretly repeats the experiment on Greer. Greer Grant Nelson finds herself faster, stronger and smarter than ever before.
Malcolm Donalbain places a will nullifier on Shirlee Bryant, turning her into his own personal obedient slave. He then outfits her in a cat costume and has her scale a building. Shirlee loses her footing and falls to her death. Doctor Tumolo secretly witnesses all of this, and decides that she must discontinue her experiments and report Donalbain to the police. She steals a spare cat costume and locks it in a safe in her house as evidence.
Donalbain discovers that Tumolo is on to him and sends his goons to take care of her. They plant a bomb inside her home, which seemingly kills her when it explodes. Greer finds the professor's body and sees that the safe was undamaged in the blast. She dons the spare costume, becoming The Cat and stalks off to avenge her mentor's death.
The Cat finds Donalbain's laboratory and systematically takes out his henchmen. She also fights up against Malcolm's bodyguard, Zabo, who is a giant of man. She manages to defeat Zabo and then hones in on subduing Donalbain. Malcolm's fear of being touched overrides his sense of survival. Terrified at the thought of being raked with the Cat's claws, he instead takes his own life by turning his gun on himself.
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
Villains
Minor characters
Organizations
Races
Locations
Items
- Cat costume
- Will nullifier
Vehicles
Powers
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
- This issue is reprinted in Marvel Firsts: The 1970s #1 and the Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades Omnibus hardcover collection.
- Roy Thomas is a co-plotter and editor on this issue.
- This is the first appearance of Greer Grant Nelson, also known as The Cat. She will eventually become the feline superhero known as Tigra.
- Bill Nelson appears in flashback only in this issue. This is his first appearance.
- Gregson Grant appears in flashback only in this issue. This is his first appearance.
- This is the first and only appearance of Shirlee Bryant; dies in this issue.
- This is technically the first appearance of the Cat People, as represented by Doctor Joanne Tumolo. However, it is not revealed that she is a member of this mystical race until Giant-Size Creatures #1 in July, 1974
- This issue was released the same month as Swamp Thing #1 by DC Comics.
- Joanne Tumolo's surname is also spelled "Tumulo" in this issue.