Character Spotlight: Tigra

I was introduced to Tigra in West Coast Avengers during the '80s. (Yes, it was WCA before it became AWC) I fell in love with her immediately. She was unabashedly sexy, confident, and kicked ass. I think that as a young gay boy, I was drawn to these traits. Or maybe is just wanted to wear her black bikini. But really, I think it was the fact that Greer (Tigra) could turn back to her normal human state and blend in if she wanted to, but she very rarely did. She preferred to stand out and revelled in her differences. Looking back on that now, I think that Tigra made a big impression on me. It was ok to be different, if fact it was purr-ferred.

Somewhere along the line, she got mired in yet another storyline involving her "cat" side taking over. Check out her Wikipedia entry if you don't believe me. I loved everything that John Byrne did with WCA, except his treatment of Tigra. Her appearance grew more and more cat-like, as did her behavior. She was slowly becoming a pale imitation of Wolverine or Wolfsbane.
Hank Pym shrinks her to the size of a house cat and then lets her run around the compound killing small animals to eat! Not attractive, honey. The final insult was when Hank finally catches her, he places her inside his lab and then leaves! To deal with "more pressing Avengers' business"!

I was sad when she finally left to hang out with the Aborigines in Australia, but at least then she was left alone.

Her appearances since then have been sporadic. She had a lackluster mini-series by Christina Z and Mike Deodato. Tigra was also a part of the Avengers: Initiative, now the Avengers Resistance. Recently, I have noticed that Tigra has been receiving some attention in the Marvel Adventures imprint. She's been on covers for both Marvel Adventures Super-Heroes and M.A. Avengers. She most recently became a member of the M.A. Avengers. I'm glad that she is not stuck in limbo, but I still wish she had more of an presence.