Detective Comics #311

DC ⋅ 1963
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Catman

1st appearance of Zook, the sidekick of Martian Manhunter

Issue Details

Publisher

DC

Artist

Dick Dillin

Writer

Bill Finger

Published

January 1963

Synopsis

CHALLENGE OF THE CAT-MAN Tom Blake, a playboy and big-game hunter, is inspired by the memory of the Catwoman and his pet black panther to become the Cat-Man, a costumed thief, using cat-gimmicks and cat-motifs in his robberies. Batman, Robin, and Batwoman stand against Cat-Man and they confront the criminal on a couple of occasions until Batman is able to deduce Cat-Man's secret identity. When the Dynamic Duo find Cat-Man's lair, they fall into a trap, but Batman finds a way out after which Cat-Man tries to escape and falls to a nearby river and is dragged away by the current. THE INVADERS FROM THE SPACE WARP Two red-skinned aliens pull a robbery in a general store on Jade Island, drawing the attention of vacationing Diane Meade, who calls Captain Harding. Harding assigns John Jones to the case. Jones becomes the Martian Manhunter, but, by the time he reaches Jade Island, finds another type of alien...a short, orange-hued, antennaed creature called a Zook, who can emit heat or cold waves at will. J'onzz rescues the Zook from pursuing townspeople, and later encounters and captures the two alien thieves. R'ell, another alien of their race, appears and tells the Manhunter that the thieves are his enemies and have fled from their world, in a parallel dimension, to Earth through a scientist's experimental space-warp. He adds that the crooks have stolen plans for a weapon that could enable them to conquer Earth, and tells J'onzz that the Zook is "a mischievous little animal" from their world that must have sneaked through the warp. The alien thieves break loose, capture Diane, and hold her hostage, but the Zook helps J'onzz and R'ell free her and nab the two. J'onzz tosses the thieves and R'ell through the space warp just before it closes. But the Zook remains behind, and crawls into J'onn J'onzz's arms. Diane remarks that the Manhunter now has a pet.

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