Heathcliff

Heathcliff is a wisecracking, street-savvy orange tabby cat whose mischievous antics constantly exasperate his owners and neighborhood rivals. Originally a syndicated comic-strip creation, his adventures were adapted into an ongoing funny-animal series published under Marvel's Star Comics imprint beginning in 1985.

Few comic characters can claim to be both a Bronze Age Marvel creation and a beloved pop-culture institution, but Heathcliff pulls it off with a smug, fish-stealing grin. Debuting in 1977 courtesy of creator George Gately, this irrepressible orange cat anchored his own Marvel titles for over three decades — from Heathcliff and Heathcliff's Funhouse to the pages of Star Comics Magazine — proving that a charismatic feline could hold his own on the same publisher's racks as superheroes. Across 70 catalog appearances, he shares his world with a colorful cast including Iggy, Grandpa and Grandma Nutmeg, Spike, and Sonja, the extended crew that gives his mischief its warm, neighborhood charm. With a key issue to his name and a run stretching all the way to 2010, Heathcliff is a genuine long-hauler — the cat who refused to be put out.