Thomas Blake was adept as a big-game hunter, specializing in capturing wild cats. At one point, he became very rich, and sought to live the life of an adventurer. At first drawn to a costumed career and play the part of a hero, Blake’s underlying greed took root. And so, Thomas Blake began his new life as the Catman, while hopefully paying down his massive gambling debts from his ill-gotten gains.
Catman sought to be the antithesis of Batman, and using his hunting skills inspired by Catwoman. Aided by his henchmen, Catman drove his primary weapons were Catarangs and clawed catline, while his Cat Car was his main means of transportation. During his second meeting with the Dynamic Duo, Catman found an unexpected ally in Batwoman, who originally tried to defeat him and later joined him as Cat-Woman. This was only a temporary alliance, as Batwoman along with Batman and Robin was once more defeated.
Catman discovered his mask and cloak, which he obtained from an isolated civilization, granted him literal nine lives. This allowed Blake to escape seeming death both times he seemed to perish in his first two battles with Batman. On his third outing, Catman was finally captured, and would be imprisoned for the next decade. He returned in 1977 with a new sinister scheme.
Silky Cernak assisted Catwoman as a primary henchman in an unspecified number of capers during the early 1950s, presumably during her final encounters with Batman prior to her retirement from crime. Now resuming her civilian life as Selina Kyle full time, the former Catwoman ended up assisting Batman on a case versus Scarecrow. After this, the pair ignited a romance leading to marriage, following her release from prison where she served out the remainder of her sentence.
While Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Wayne would have decades of happy marriage, Mrs. Wayne's former henchmen nursed a grudge against his former employer, whom he felt had abandoned him. He would devise a scheme upon his return to crime in 1976, this time with henchmen of his own
Blake escaped prison, and hired his Tom-Cats as henchmen in a series of thefts in Minneapolis. The Freedom Fighters decisively defeated Catman and his feline felons. He would return, and stay alive thanks to his mask and cape, which he had discovered years ago. This fabric was said to have strange life-sustaining properties, and was the source of his "nine-lives". Reviving his emnity with Batman, despite several attempts he always came out the loser versus his arch-foe, whether fighting him alone or with other supervillians of Gotham City.
Eventually, Catman finally met the original Catwoman of Earth-One, during a period when Ms. Kyle was experiencing a life-threatening medical condition. Seeking ancient Egypt herbs founds in an ancient cat artifact that was stolen, Catwoman was the prime suspect until Batman determined the true culprit was Catman himself. Seeking to purchase a Greek island that would be a safe haven for escaped criminals, Catman was ultimately outwitted by Batman and Catwoman, leading to permanent facial scarring. However, a ripped portion of his fabric cured Selina. Catman sought her out for revenge, yet was beaten once more.
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Cernak escaped prison, and hired his Tom-Cats as henchmen in a key theft in Gotham City. Batman was called out of retirement to assist on the case, as his protegee Dick "Robin" Grayson was in South Africa and Madagascar as a diplomat, and thus unable to track down the costumed culprits himself. During an encounter between the original Batman and this version of Catman, the loser ended up being Catwoman, as the bullet from Cernak's pistol... intended for Batman... ended up fatally striking Catwoman instead.
Months later, Batman and Catwoman's daughter Helena Wayne assumed the alter ego of the Huntress, and was able to finally corner Cernak and bring him to justice. Whether Silky escaped prison and assumed his alias as the Catman of Earth-Two is unknown, although unlikely given his need for his former boss Catwoman’s intellect in planning criminal escapades.
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