HOTW- Wildcat

 

From Wiki- Orphaned during the Great Depression, Ted Grant found himself unemployed in the big city. One night, he saved "Socker" Smith, the heavyweight boxing champion, from a mugging. "Socker" took Ted under his wing, and soon Ted became a heavyweight boxing champion in his own right. He also became tangled unknowingly in his manager's sinister plans. His mentor "Socker" Smith was killed by Grant's managers Flint and Skinner who used a syringe, loaded with poison, in a boxing glove. The dose was only intended to slow down Smith, but the duo misjudged the potency. When Grant was arrested for the crime, Flint and Skinner, afraid that he might know what had really happened, arranged for the young fighter to be killed. Grant escaped the attempt and survived, but the policemen with him were killed. As a result, he became a fugitive. Later, he came upon a child who had been robbed of his Green Lantern comic. The boy, describing the mystery-man Green Lantern, inspired Grant to create the costume of a large black cat. He took the name Wildcat and vowed to clear his name. He brought Flint and Skinner to justice; the criminals were forced to confess, clearing Grant's name, and obtaining justice for Smith. Using the identity of Wildcat, Grant continued to fight crime.^[6] By issue #4, Wildcat had a custom motorbike, the Cat-o-Cycle and a comedy sidekick named Stretch Skinner.  Back to me!

I like the Wildcat, though I got a little tired of him being shown as someone who was not very eloquent.  I know they want someone who was "hard scrabble" and had a rough upbringing, but sometimes it gets to be a little much.  Him being someone who trained various other heroes how to fight is a great idea though.  He first appeared in Sensation Comics #1, the same issue that Wonder Woman first appeared in.  I think he has a successor now, though I have not read any stories with her in them.