Animal Mystic
Encyclopedia
Animal Mystic is a comic book by Greg "Dark One" Williams that debuted in 1993. Early issues were co-written by publisher Robb Horan. Series was published first by Cry For Dawn and then by Sirius Entertainment
. Heroine Nikki Ranoakke, the Animal Mystic, is a California college girl who protects her adopted jungle home as Jatarri, Queen of the Amazons. She is adept at martial arts and passionate about protecting the environment, accompanied by an enormous white tiger named Mingus. An occasional comrade is a noble but conflicted warrior centaur named Klor. Later episodes take place in the underwater city of Marinopolis and outer space. Although Nikki begins the story as human, she eventually acquires cat-like ears and a tail.
Nikki has a boyfriend when first seen, but eventually falls in love with a tiger-lady named Ryntha.
, which shares several similarities:
The name Jatarri may be derived from Jana + Atari. When Jana was on television in 1978, the most popular video game console was the Atari
. The console name Atari is borrowed from the East Asian board game Go
; to say a Go stone is "in atari" means that it has a dangerous vulnerability.
Dark One's art often uses design motifs borrowed from coral and tropical fish, an idea popularized by brothers Roger and Martyn Dean.
Sirius Entertainment
Sirius Entertainment is an American comic book company which celebrated 15 years of publishing in 2009. Sirius has published popular titles such as Dawn, Poison Elves, Akiko, and Mark Smylie's epic fantasy Artesia series during its first years....
. Heroine Nikki Ranoakke, the Animal Mystic, is a California college girl who protects her adopted jungle home as Jatarri, Queen of the Amazons. She is adept at martial arts and passionate about protecting the environment, accompanied by an enormous white tiger named Mingus. An occasional comrade is a noble but conflicted warrior centaur named Klor. Later episodes take place in the underwater city of Marinopolis and outer space. Although Nikki begins the story as human, she eventually acquires cat-like ears and a tail.
Nikki has a boyfriend when first seen, but eventually falls in love with a tiger-lady named Ryntha.
Sources and inspirations
Animal Mystic may be inspired by the 1978 cartoon series Jana of the JungleJana of the Jungle
Jana of the Jungle is a cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera. It first aired alongside Godzilla as The Godzilla Power Hour.-Plot:The series is essentially about a female version of Tarzan named Jana , who traveled to the rain forests of South America in search of her lost father...
, which shares several similarities:
- Beautiful white woman with long blond hair wears a skimpy leather outift, speaks with animals, and protects her jungle home from poachers and other threats (Jatarri/Jana). Both end up in the jungle due to their now-dead fathers, thus providing some drama.
- Heroine is assisted by a giant white jungle cat (Ghost the albino jaguar/Mingus the white tiger).
- Heroine is assisted by a large, fierce native man who carries a feather-decorated wooden staff (Montaro/Klor the centaur)
- Jana and Jatarri both meet a tribe of jungle amazons who force them into life-or-death competitions.
The name Jatarri may be derived from Jana + Atari. When Jana was on television in 1978, the most popular video game console was the Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
. The console name Atari is borrowed from the East Asian board game Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
; to say a Go stone is "in atari" means that it has a dangerous vulnerability.
Dark One's art often uses design motifs borrowed from coral and tropical fish, an idea popularized by brothers Roger and Martyn Dean.
External links
- Jatarri, Queen of All Heroes, the ANIMAL MYSTIC!, a fansite.
- Animal Mystic information site, includes wallpapers.
- Small official site, from web archive.
- Animal Mystic cover gallery.