Comic Book Cats, number six: House of Mystery #189
Comic Book Cats, number six: “Eyes of the Cat” from House of Mystery #189, penciled by Jerry Grandenetti, inked by Wallace Wood, written by Robert Kanigher and lettered by Ben Oda, published by DC Comics in Nov-Dec 1970.
I know Cheryl Spoehr previously spotlighted the cover by Neal Adams, but I don’t recall if she ever discussed the story inside.
“Eyes of the Cat” is about a man who is trying to sleep, but he keeps getting woken up by his hungry cat… just kidding, but those central panels definitely remind me of my two cats’ daily ritual of trying to get me out of bed at 6 AM to feed them!
Okay, seriously, this story is about the greedy & ruthless Nicholas Towers, who attempts to murder his Cousin Cynthia to inherit a fortune, only to find himself the recipient of feline retribution. Hmmm, perhaps Nicholas should have caught a clue that things were not going to work out for him when he learned that Cynthia’s cat was named Lucifer? 
Grandenetti & Wood is definitely an unusual pairing, as their individual styles were very different. Grandenetti’s work was loose and cartoony, often evoking a very odd, disturbing mood, whereas Wood was well known for his precise, crisp, detailed style. Nevertheless, the combination of the two works surprising well on this story.
