Comic Book Cats, number one: “The Battle of the Super-Pets” from Action Comics #277, drawn by Jim Mooney and written by Jerry Siegel, published by DC Comics in June 1961.Inspired by group moderator Jim Thompson’s Call to Arms, here is the first installment Comic Book Cats. The challenge: Pick a subject and find a different artist every day for that subject. This time I’m choosing “cats” for my subject. From the work of how many different artists can, I find examples of cats? I guess we will just have to see. I love cats, so this should be fun.
I hope Cheryl Spoehr does not mind me stepping into her wheelhouse. I am definitely going to try not to repeat too much of the artwork she spotlighted when she did her comic book cats series in 2017.
I’m starting off with probably the most famous feline of four-color funnies, Streaky the Supercat. He first appeared in Action Comics #261 (Feb 1960). An ordinary Earth cat, Streaky was the pet of Supergirl in her civilian guise as Linda Lee. In a failed attempt to find a cure for Kryptonite, Supergirl accidentally created “X-Kryptonite.” She carelessly tossed it away, but when Streaky later came across it, the substance imbued him with Superman-like powers.
Streaky, jealous of the attention that Supergirl is giving to Krypto the Superdog, begins a rivalry with the Kryptonian canine. To avoid the property damage, Supergirl takes them off-world to have their contest on a small planetoid.
I scanned this from Action Comics #373 (March 1969), a giant-sized special which reprinted several Supergirl tales.
In a 2007 interview, asked about Streaky, Mooney stated “That was my own creation… Streaky I put in on my own, in fact, I love cats anyway. Right now I have seven of them.”
Check out the humorous, animated expressions Mooney gives Streaky on this page. Mooney really invested Streaky with a great deal of personality. As someone who had several cats, Mooney must have known all about feline “cattitude.” 
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