Eye of Cat

As night falls over New York City, the citizens of Manhattan are unaware that a new costumed villain called Nighteyes is summoning the cities stray cats. At that same moment, Spider-Woman is flying across the city, bored because there is have been no crimes to stop. At that same moment, the police have been called to a jewelry store that has been robbed. The owner is furious because he was called away from a charity function because, somehow, the thieves managed to rob the place without setting off the sophisticated security system. That’s when Spider-Woman arrives on the scene and offers her assistance. Although they question how useful the superhero will be because of her young age, she insists she can help.[1] Inside, she looks around the crime scene, much to the annoyance of the owner of the jewelry store. Suddenly, Spider-Woman starts sneezing because she is allergic to cats. When she suggests that there have been cats in the store, the idea is angrily dismissed by the owner. Unable to stop sneezing, Spider-Woman has to leave in order to stop sneezing. Deciding to look into this, Spider-Woman pays a visit to her mentor, Madame Web who uses her computer database to try and find related robberies. All she can find are break-ins at men’s clothing store, a new age boutique, and a bakery — seemingly unrelated businesses. Still, Madame Web wonders what could have created enough cat dander to trigger Mattie’s allergies. Mattie then quips that they must be dealing with a literal cat burglar.

At that same moment, Nighteyes has returned home and is greeted by his girlfriend Daphne Faversham. Taking off his mask, Nighteyes kisses Daphne, saying he wishes he could see her with his own eyes. Nighteyes, as it turns out, is blind but has the ability to see out of the eyes of the cats that are under his control.

The next day, Spider-Woman has made a connection to all the robberies, all the businesses had the same security systems and insurance company. Deciding to do some detective work, Spider-Woman changes out of her costume and browses around another jewelry store that was robbed the night before. Sure enough, when she asks to see one of the few unstolen items, Mattie starts sneezing when she gets a good sniff of the cushion the necklace is resting on, confirming that it has been in contact with cats recently. She then returns to Madame Web’s to compare notes once again.[2]

As she explains everything, Spider-Woman quickly realizes that Madame Web already has things figured out. Web admits that she has, but wants Mattie to figure it out on her own, saying that it is important for her development as a superhero. Putting her mind to it, Spider-Woman realizes that the clues all point to the insurance company that covers all the robbed business. When she comes knocking at the office window of Daphne Faversham, she thinks it is Eric — aka Nighteyes —and is shocked to discover Spider-Woman is waiting on the other side of the 11th story office window. Having heard everything, Spider-Woman asks Daphne what she knows about the robberies. When she tries to flee, Spider-Woman uses her psychic spider-legs to block her exit. That’s when Spider-Woman has another sneezing fit due to the cat dander in the office. This almost allows Daphne to escape, but Spider-Woman manages to catch up to her in the elevator.

After getting answers from Daphne, Spider-Woman pays a visit to Eric in their shared apartment. Although she has the element of surprise, Eric uses his powers to command his army of cats to swarm her. Although she is put into another sneezing fit, Spider-Woman manages to force all the cats off her and knock Eric out. This causes him to relinquish control of the cats which all start acting friendly to Spider-Woman despite her allergies. When the police come to arrest Eric, Spider-Woman explains that Haversham discovered Eric and his unique powers when processing an insurance claim after he was blinded and the pair decided to work together robbing businesses that get insurance through her employer. Later, at Madame Web’s, Mattie later relates that Nighteyes and Daphne were able to steal over a million dollars in valuables, an impressive haul for such a strange gimmick.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Woman, Madame Web

Continuity Notes

1. Spider-Woman states here that she was able to help capture Doctor Octopus. This happened in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #14 and Spider-Woman (vol. 3) #9.

2. The twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline here. This should be considered a topical reference since you know, 9/11 was a thing that happened and there’s a different building there now.