Report Card

When Buzz Baxter told girlfriend Patsy Walker that he got a 90 on an algebra test, she said her score was 88 (Patsy Walker #73). But Patsy's marks in math apparently didn't stay that high. When Patsy's father reviewed her report card from Centerville High School, he saw that she earned A grades in English, Language and History, and a C in Math (#78).

This panel comes from Patsy Walker #78 (Aug. 1958).

Mickey Walker

Patsy Walker's kid brother, Mickey, was a recurring character in comic books. As a running gag, Mickey would extort money in exchange for giving Patsy privacy with her boyfriend, Buzz Bazter. Different renditions of Mickey appear on the covers of Miss America #71 (Aug. 1955) and Patsy and Hedy #78 (Oct. 1961).

Scaredy Cat

A sight gag on the cover of Patsy and Hedy #7 (Sept. 1952) pictured the two friends double dating at the movies. Patsy's boyfriend, Buzz, was so frightened by The Bride of the Vampire that he clung to Hedy's date. In contrast, Patsy Walker #93 (Feb. 1961) showed Patsy clutching Buzz in fear at the sight of a mouse. The symbolism of the two scenes takes on additional subtext when we consider that Patsy later becomes the happy-go-lucky Hellcat and marries the Son of Satan (after divorcing Buzz, who then becomes the villain Mad-Dog).

  

Jealousy

This panel from Patsy Walker #32 (Jan. 1951) shows a teenage Buzz Baxter jealous that Patsy might be dating someone else. The devil on his shoulder is oddly prophetic, as one day Buzz will crash Patsy's wedding to Daimon Hellstrom, a.k.a. the Son of Satan (Defenders #125). By that time, Patsy and Buzz will have married, divorced, and become Hellcat and Mad-Dog.

Cover Versions: Chalk in Hand

Sight gags were commonplace on comic book covers featuring Patsy Walker. In this regard, Patsy Walker #30 (Sept. 1950) and Miss America (Apr. 1954) make for an interesting pair, as both covers show Patsy and boyfriend Buzz Baxter at a chalkboard when a teacher enters the classroom.

Disappearing Act

Although the covers of Patsy Walker comic books sometimes referenced the stories within, the covers often worked as stand-alone gags. Such was the case with Patsy and Her Pals #22 (May 1956). That cover showed Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe fighting for the attention of Buzz Baxter at a magic show starring Presto the Magician. While it would have made for a creative setting, the magic show did not appear inside the issue. Incidentally, Presto closely resembled longtime comic character Mandrake the Magician, who would become one of the anachronistic Defenders of the Earth.

Psychic Disguise

Long before she honed her own psychic abilities as Hellcat, a teenage Patsy Walker received an unexpected visit from a swami carrying a crystal ball. Underneath the turban and fake mustache was Buzz Baxter, Patsy's recurring love interest. Buzz wanted to surprise Patsy and make up with her after storming out earlier that evening. He had jumped to the conclusion that Patsy had lost interest in him when their plans to spend time together kept getting intruded upon. But Buzz discovered that jealous classmate Hedy Wolfe had orchestrated the series of interruptions as a plot to break up the young couple (Patsy and Hedy #49).

This panel of Patsy Walker and a disguised Buzz Baxter comes from Patsy and Hedy #49 (January 1957).

Moonga of Mars

When friends suggested seeing a monster movie, Patsy Walker shot down the idea. In Patsy's opinion, monsters were just laughable. As a practical joke, Buzz Baxter rented a costume to scare Patsy by introducing himself as Moonga the Martian (Patsy and Hedy #76). Even as a prank, the sight of an extraterrestrial was extraordinary. Although monster comics were commonplace at the time, Patsy Walker was firmly situated in the genre of teen romance/comedy.

This panel comes from Patsy and Hedy #76 (June 1961).

Buzz Baxter: Public Enemy #1

Back in their days as high school sweethearts, Patsy Walker and Buzz Baxter were at odds. After warning Buzz about being too quick to lose his temper, Patsy became all the more concerned when Buzz refused to appear in court to pay a fine on a traffic ticket (Patsy Walker #42).

Patsy: Buzz, I'm afraid this is far more serious than you think! It could ruin your future … One thing leads to another and before you know it you're Public Enemy Number One!

As things turned out, Buzz had received a phony traffic ticket as a practical joke, so he wasn't in any real trouble with the law—at least not until years later when he became the supervillain Mad-Dog and Patsy became the crimefighter Hellcat.

Buzz Baxter worries about becoming a criminal in this panel from Patsy Walker #42 (Sept. 1952).

Love Triangulation

A complicated love triangle developed in the "Patsy Walker" story from Miss America #44 (March 1952). Patsy was upset that boyfriend Buzz Baxter was more interested in reading a Kid Colt comic book than paying attention to her. At Patsy's prompting, Buzz put aside the comic book only to become equally preoccupied with westerns on TV and film.

Buzz then took Patsy on a date to the rodeo to see Tex Dallas, a cowboy he admired. After the show, Tex coerced Buzz into riding a horse called "Back-Buster"; the ornery animal immediately threw Buzz to the ground! Buzz went home with a sore back while Tex invited Patsy out dancing—leaving Buzz feeling bitter and betrayed by his hero.

The Making of Mad-Dog

Published two decades before Patsy Walker become Hellcat, Patsy and Hedy #46 reads almost like an origin story for Buzz Baxter becoming the supervillain known as Mad-Dog.

Patsy dated Buzz regularly in high school. But when his car kept breaking down, Patsy insisted that Buzz get a new car. Pressured by Patsy and a handful of their friends, Buzz traded in his car at Mad-Dog Cur Used-Cars. The new car, however, proved almost as unreliable as his old jalopy had been.

Later that issue, Patsy turned down Buzz when he asked her to go for a drive—or on any kind of date for that matter. Classmate Hedy Wolfe, who also pined for Buzz, spoke to him about Patsy's behavior.

Hedy: Can't you see how she treats you? She takes you for granted like you were the family dog!

To make Patsy jealous, Hedy suggested that Buzz start dating her instead. Hedy then told Patsy that it was Buzz who had come up with the scheme. Patsy responded by making a date with a stranger who had whistled at her on the street. When Buzz saw the two of them out together, he slugged the unsuspecting fellow. In hindsight, these story elements set the stage for Buzz taking the name Mad-Dog and plotting to disrupt Patsy's wedding to Daimon Helstrom (New Defenders #125).

These panels come from Patsy and Hedy #46 (Oct. 1956).

Wedding Bells

As a teenager, Patsy Walker dreamed of one day marrying her high-school sweetheart, Buzz Baxter. Bursting her bubble, however, Patsy Walker #97 (Oct. 1961) offered the young protagonist an unromantic vision of married life. In the dream sequence, Buzz proved to be a klutzy and inattentive husband, burying his head in the newspaper over breakfast, spending his evenings watching baseball on TV, and leaving Patsy feeling unfulfilled.

Ultimately, the couple would eventually marry and divorce—setting the stage for Patsy to become the happy-go-lucky Hellcat and Buzz to become the supervillain Mad-Dog.

Freudian Fun

What better place for happy-go-lucky Hellcat to face her personal demons than the pages of What The--?! Switching back and forth between the two genres of teen-humor and superhero comics, Patsy Walker saw her life as Hellcat collide with her deceptively picturesque past (#7).

Within the bending reality, teenage Patsy Walker's clothing options included an ironically out-of-place X-Men uniform. Meanwhile, boyfriend Buzz wore star-spangled shorts—with a caption crediting their design to Lynda Carter (TV's Wonder Woman). Buzz, of course, later became the villain Mad-Dog.

As Hellcat, Patsy discovered that her biggest threat wasn't a costumed super villain—it was her demanding mother! Returning from the grave in the haunting guise of Death, Mrs. Walker long considered her daughter a disappointment.

In a surrealistic move, Hellcat ripped her mother off the page and out of her life.

What The--?! Vol. 1. No. 7. April 1990. "Patsy Walker." Richard Howell (script, art, letters & colors), Terry Kavanaugh (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor-in-chief).

Dog Days

Canine characters were a recurring theme among the Defenders.

As Beast began to consider himself a mainstay member of the group, he decided to get a pet dog. Introduced in Defenders #122, Sassafras would remain a loyal companion and provide (unnecessary) comic relief throughout the run of the New Defenders.

Determined to stop ex-wife Patsy Walker (a.k.a. Hellcat) from marrying Daimon Hellstrom, Buzz Baxter assumed the criminal identity of Mad-Dog (#125).

The hero Red Wolf helped the New Defenders on one occasion. Although Beast indirectly asked Red Wolf to become a regular member of the team, Red Wolf's strong ties to Cheyenne nation prevented him from uprooting (#139).

Something Old, Something New

Weddings usually spell trouble in the world of comics. So when Patsy Walker and Daimon Hellstrom decided to tie the knot, they should have expected some unwelcome guests (Defenders #125).

Now known as Mad-Dog, ex-husband Buzz Baxter led the villain group Mutant Force in an attack on the bride and groom.

But there were also more heroes on hand than anyone had expected. Beast (arriving with guests Iceman and Angel), Valkyrie (now in custody of the headstrong Moondragon), and Gargoyle soon defeated the intruders.

Like other super couples before them, the happy-go-lucky Hellcat and the so-called Son of Satan now wanted to hang up their costumes and try to lead normal lives. They weren't the only ones to say goodbye to the team.

In response to a cryptic prophesy by the murderous Elf, Doctor Strange, Prince Namor, Hulk, and Silver Surfer announced their departures as well. If certain visions of the future held true, the Earth would lay in ruins unless the four earliest Defenders vowed never to work together again.

After such an official changing of the guard, the six heroes who remained formed the New Defenders.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 125. November 1983. "Hello, I must be going." J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin and Kim De Mulder (artists), Christie Scheele (colorist) Carl Potts (editor), Jim Shooter (chief).

The above image by Mike Zeck comes from Defenders #130, during a rematch against Mutant Force.

The Patsy Walker Story

Patsy Walker was perhaps the least likely character to become a superhero. Making her debut in 1944, she starred in humor and romance comics for 20 years before crossing into the world of costumed crimefighters.

It began with a guest appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965), attending the wedding of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Girl. A decade later, Patsy's backstory turned on its ear.

Her longtime boyfriend and eventual husband, Robert "Buzz" Baxter, became a crook (later the villain Mad-Dog) in an intricate storyline that prompted Patsy to become the heroic Hellcat.

To explain the genre-defying discontinuity, Marvel Comics explained that although Patsy and "Buzz" existed in the same world as the Fantastic Four, the numerous comics showing the couple's idyllic courtship actually hadn't taken place. In fact, all of the issues of Patsy Walker's own series became metatext, apocryphal accounts penned by Patsy's mother, Dorothy Walker (herself a character in the series).

After Hellcat joined the Defenders, flashbacks showed how Patsy never lived up to the pristine expectations of her demanding mother. If that wasn't bad enough, when Dorothy Walker suffered from a terminal illness, she tried to safeguard her own life by selling Patsy's soul to a demon, in one of the scariest story arcs the non-team ever faced.