Francisco Guerrero (comics)
Encyclopedia
Francisco "Pancho" Guerrero, Jr., also known as El Gato Negro
, is a fictional character
and comic book
superhero created by Richard Dominguez
and published by Azteca Productions
. The character made his first appearance
in El Gato Negro
#1 (October 1993).
Grandson of the original El Gato Negro, a former luchador-turned-adventurer, Francisco works as a social worker in Edinburg, Texas
and devotes most of his free time to community service
. Driven by the gruesome murder of his best friend at the hands of drug-smugglers, Francisco becomes the new El Gato Negro in order to wage war on crime. Unlike most superheroes, he possesses no superpowers
and instead makes use of his own athletic abilities, accumulative knowledge, detective skills to fight crime. Operating throughout Lower Rio Grande Valley, he is assisted by several supporting characters including his grandfather Agustin Guerrero and weapons-mechanic expert Antonio Trujillo
, and fights an assortment of villains ranging from common criminals to outlandish supervillains. Despite being popular with the citizens of his community, El Gato Negro is constantly being hunted by local law enforcement and sensationalized as a menace to society by the media. El Gato Negro is known to perform his vigilante activities under the cover of darkness, earning him the nickname The Nocturnal Warrior, a term which first appeared in within the comics in El Gato Negro #3 (Nov. 1995).
The character's debut series was met with critical success but lasted only four issues. After a seven year hiatus, El Gato Negro later returned to be published in a new second series entitled, "El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior
". El Gato Negro's popularity has landed him guest-starring roles in several publications and other media including being featured in Mountain Dew's
"Do the Dew" Tour. Dominguez is currently in-talks for a possible live-action film adaption based on the character.
. Dominguez later placed Team Tejas on hold to focus on the development of the El Gato Negro character, as he recalls:
The name "El Gato Negro" originated from an abandoned settlement by the name of "El Gato", which was located south of Pharr, Texas
. Dominguez would later devise the character's secret identity, Francisco Guerrero, to have direct ties to the Mexican Revolution
. The character's given name
came from Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa, while the surname
Guerrero was mainly chosen for its English-translation "warrior", although Dominguez has hinted at a more historical significance:
El Gato Negro would become grounded in Mexican and Tejano
folklore and popular culture, including a large influence from the Lucha Libre traditions. Various aspects of the character's personality and visual design were directly inspired by some of Dominguez's favorite comic book superheroes including The Spirit
, The Crimson Avenger
, Daredevil
, Nightwing
and most noticeably Batman
. He also drew inspiration from Walter B. Gibson's
The Shadow
and Johnston McCulley's
Zorro
, as well as Lee Falk's
comic strip The Phantom
. Elements from Japanese animation, manga
, and martial arts films also aided in the development of El Gato Negro's costume design and equipment. The example of Judge Margarito Garza's Relampago
character helped Dominguez pursue his creation in a self-published format.
, a notorious villain intent on making a large drug-trafficking deal in South Texas in order to gain a seat with the criminal organization known as The Annulus
. El Graduado's best efforts are consistently thwarted by El Gato Negro until a final confrontation in which the criminal is apprehended and last seen awaiting trial. The debut series proved popular, and a fourth issue soon followed featuring a subplot involving Judge Garza's Relampago character, his first appearance in print after nearly fifteen years. The fourth issue titled "Enter: The Dogs of War!" occurs just weeks after the events of the first story-arc. The issue involved two hired mercenaries intent on killing El Gato Negro. Francisco, exhausted from his vigilante activities, barely survived his first encounter with the deadly duo, which resulted in near inter-cranial injury. A fifth issue tentatively titled "And Now...Relampago" was due for release, but the comic was put on hiatus ending the last issue with a cliffhanger
. There are currently plans to release a trade-paperback compilation featuring of the original series which will include the unpublished issue, thereby resolving the storyline.
El Gato Negro returned in 2004 under the new series "El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior" after a seven year hiatus. Dominguez enlisted the aid of Michael S. Moore
to serve as writer and co-plotter of the new series (having previously worked together on the first published issue of Team Tejas) and artist Efren Molina. The combination of Moore's writing style and Molina's pencils have given the new series a much darker tone than its predecessor, to which Dominguez explains:
The new four-part "Legacy" storyline will retell the history of El Gato Negro and introduces a new villain in his ever-increasing rogues gallery, a sightless assassin, known as El Observador.
, Francisco was raised by his grandfather, Agustin Guerrero, his parents having died in a traffic collision. Francisco studied diligently in school, eventually graduating from South Texas College
with a major in sociology
, a minor in psychology
and earned a Master's Degree in political science
. After completing his education, Francisco decided to look after his grandfather and became a prominent social worker in Edinburg, Texas. Francisco adopted the moniker of El Gato Negro shortly after the death of his childhood friend Mario Bustamonte, a border patrol officer who was overpowered and murdered by several drug-runners. During the months Francisco operated as El Gato Negro, he instantly became popular with the citizens of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. However, the media began vilifying his vigilante activities and to make matters worse El Gato Negro is constantly pursued by police Captain Miguel Bustamone, Francisco's friend and Mario's older brother.
In the first El Gato Negro storyline "Unknown Passing, Unforgettable Return" #1-3, Francisco encountered Armando Ochoa, better known in the criminal underworld as "El Graduado
". Being the son of the successful businessman and drug lord Ignacio Ochoa, El Graduado planned to take his father's place amongst a criminal organization known as The Annulus
, which makes a yearly summit in South America. In order to impress the Annulus, El Graduado was to make a large drug-trafficking deal in Texas.
After being consistently thwarted by the hero, El Graduado kidnapped his former girlfriend Narcilina Montoya and Francisco's grandfather. Holding both of them at Guerrero’s Produce, El Graduado offered Agustin him the position as a silent partner in his drug trade. After refusing to help him, Agustin is taken outside to be executed. Francisco frantically rushes to the Guerrero's Produce building and is surprised to find his grandfather in his old El Gato Negro costume. With their efforts along with the aid of the Texas rangers, they are able to subdue the villain El Graduado. El Gato Negro finally earned the respect of Miguel Bustamonte, but he continues to hunt the hero regardless, believing his purposes to be noble, but his methods dangerous.
In 1997’s "Enter: The Dogs of War!" storyline from El Gato Negro #4 Francisco suffered his greatest defeat at the hands of the Briones Brothers. As El Gato Negro, Francisco is shown to have become overconfident in his abilities and spending more sleepless nights watching over the valley. In revenge for the incarceration of El Graduado, Boss Ochoa enlisted the aid of his nephews, known as The Dogs of War to assassinate the Nocturnal Warrior. Francisco's overwhelming fatigue slowed him in their battle and he was nearly beaten to death. Despite suffering from near inter-cranial injury, he managed to drag himself home, where he collapsed in the arms of his grandfather.
In the ongoing "Legacy" storyline from "El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior" #1-4, El Graduado has been released from police custody and is enlisting rival mob bosses and street gangs to join his crime family in order to become the main drug supplier for the Annulus. Those who disagree are slaughtered by the sightless mercenary and assassin El Observador, who is currently under the payroll of the Ochoa crime family.
, bringing bad luck to those who would do evil. He uses darkness to evoke a strong psychological impact among the guilty, often taunting them while he hides in the shadows unseen. El Gato Negro uses any any force necessary to apprehend criminals but never so far as to kill them.
, more specifically a Neocatechumenate, who believes in aiding his community. Francisco carries the mantle of El Gato Negro as a heavy burden, one which robs him of his social life. According to El Gato Negro #1, Francisco gets "This queasy feeling in my gut when I do these 'deed's...but I get an awfully bad one if I don't do anything about it!" He often ponders whether or not his existence as El Gato Negro is a sin of pride or genuine necessity and has, on occasion, snuck in to his local church confessional to talk with the padre.
.
El Gato's weapon of choice is the shuriken or "Flying Cat's Claw". The shurikens are made of steel and are no bigger than 2½" by 3/32", each one having 8 sharp barbs with a chisel-like tip. Francisco's suit can conceal a total of 8 Cat Claws in special compartments in his boots and gloves. El Gato will only use the Flying Cat Claws if he or someone else is in immediate danger. These modified shurikens were designed by both Francisco and James Takayuki. Other weapons in El Gato Negro's arsenal include two stylized batons which secretly adhere to the back of his costume.
and martial artist James Takayuki, both of whom supply the hero with equipment. Other supporting characters include Miguel Bustamonte
, a recurring character since his first introduction, and pool shark
informant Enrique “Rata” Armendariz. Narcilina Montoya
is a recurring love interest, although Francisco’s activities as El Gato Negro often prevent him from pursuing a more meaningful relationship.
El Gato Negro is known to join forces with fellow superheroes in order to reach a shared goal. He is close friends with the hero Relampago
and an ally of Team Tejas
, despite his refusal to join the government-funded group. El Gato Negro has also been known to team-up with the anti-hero
known as L-7, despite their differing views on vigilante justice. He has often been paired up with characters outside of the Azteca Productions' universe, such as Hector Cantú
and Carlos Castellanos' Baldo
as well as guest-starring in David Álvarez's
Yenny, although these are usually deemed non-continuity storylines.
, The Dogs of War
, Boss Ochoa, El Observador
, Dirge, Spring-Heeled Jack, Graveyard, The Anaconda, and Autoheist.
El Gato Negro
El Gato Negro is the name of two fictional American comic book superheroes created by Richard Dominguez and featured in the Azteca Productions' Universe...
, is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero created by Richard Dominguez
Richard Dominguez
Richard Dominguez is an American comic book artist and freelance storyboard illustrator. Best known for creating the popular series El Gato Negro, Dominguez publishes his comics through his imprint and art studio, Azteca Productions...
and published by Azteca Productions
Azteca Productions
Azteca Productions is an American independent comic book publisher and imprint founded by artist-creator Richard Dominguez in 1993. The company's first publication was El Gato Negro #1 showcasing the debut of the eponymous character, in what is now considered the company's flagship series...
. The character made his first appearance
First appearance
In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...
in El Gato Negro
El Gato Negro (comic book)
El Gato Negro was an independent comic book series featuring the eponymous character created by Richard Dominguez and published by Azteca Productions. The series began in October 1993 with critical acclaim, the first edition actually selling all 5,000 copies within two months, but was placed on a...
#1 (October 1993).
Grandson of the original El Gato Negro, a former luchador-turned-adventurer, Francisco works as a social worker in Edinburg, Texas
Edinburg, Texas
Edinburg is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 77,100 at the 2010 census. The University of Texas–Pan American, the only fully accredited four-year university in the Rio Grande Valley, is located in Edinburg.Edinburg is part of the...
and devotes most of his free time to community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
. Driven by the gruesome murder of his best friend at the hands of drug-smugglers, Francisco becomes the new El Gato Negro in order to wage war on crime. Unlike most superheroes, he possesses no superpowers
Superpower (ability)
Superpower is a popular culture term for a fictional superhuman ability. When a character possesses multiple such abilities, the terms super powers or simply powers are used...
and instead makes use of his own athletic abilities, accumulative knowledge, detective skills to fight crime. Operating throughout Lower Rio Grande Valley, he is assisted by several supporting characters including his grandfather Agustin Guerrero and weapons-mechanic expert Antonio Trujillo
Antonio Trujillo
Antonio "Tony" Trujillo is a fictional supporting character appearing in comic books published by Azteca Productions. Created by Richard Dominguez, the character made his first appearance in El Gato Negro #2 . Antonio acts as a supporting character to Francisco Guerrero, the modern-day El Gato...
, and fights an assortment of villains ranging from common criminals to outlandish supervillains. Despite being popular with the citizens of his community, El Gato Negro is constantly being hunted by local law enforcement and sensationalized as a menace to society by the media. El Gato Negro is known to perform his vigilante activities under the cover of darkness, earning him the nickname The Nocturnal Warrior, a term which first appeared in within the comics in El Gato Negro #3 (Nov. 1995).
The character's debut series was met with critical success but lasted only four issues. After a seven year hiatus, El Gato Negro later returned to be published in a new second series entitled, "El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior
El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior
El Gato Negro, Nocturnal Warrior is an ongoing independent comic book series featuring the adventures of the superhero, El Gato Negro. Created by Richard Dominguez and published under his own Azteca Productions imprint, the series began in November 2005...
". El Gato Negro's popularity has landed him guest-starring roles in several publications and other media including being featured in Mountain Dew's
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
"Do the Dew" Tour. Dominguez is currently in-talks for a possible live-action film adaption based on the character.
Creation and conception
El Gato Negro was conceived by Richard Dominguez sometime in the mid-to-late '80s and was originally intended to debut in a largely Mexican-American or Latino superhero group called Team TejasTeam Tejas
Team Tejas is a fictional superhero team created by Richard Dominguez and published by Azteca Productions. The group made its first appearance in Team Tejas #1, published in 1997. The comic follows the story of three super-powered mutants and their government appointed leader in their fight...
. Dominguez later placed Team Tejas on hold to focus on the development of the El Gato Negro character, as he recalls:
The name "El Gato Negro" originated from an abandoned settlement by the name of "El Gato", which was located south of Pharr, Texas
Pharr, Texas
Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 70,400. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas...
. Dominguez would later devise the character's secret identity, Francisco Guerrero, to have direct ties to the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. The character's given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
came from Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa, while the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
Guerrero was mainly chosen for its English-translation "warrior", although Dominguez has hinted at a more historical significance:
El Gato Negro would become grounded in Mexican and Tejano
Tejano
Tejano or Texano is a term used to identify a Texan of Mexican heritage.Historically, the Spanish term Tejano has been used to identify different groups of people...
folklore and popular culture, including a large influence from the Lucha Libre traditions. Various aspects of the character's personality and visual design were directly inspired by some of Dominguez's favorite comic book superheroes including The Spirit
The Spirit
The Spirit is a crime-fighting fictional character created by writer-artist Will Eisner. He first appeared June 2, 1940 in "The Spirit Section", the colloquial name given to a 16-page Sunday supplement, distributed to 20 newspapers by the Register and Tribune Syndicate and reaching five million...
, The Crimson Avenger
Crimson Avenger (Lee Travis)
The Crimson Avenger is a masked crime fighter in the and the first to use the name "Crimson Avenger." He first appears in Detective Comics #20 and was created by Jim Chambers.-Fictional character biography:...
, Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
, Nightwing
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
and most noticeably Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
. He also drew inspiration from Walter B. Gibson's
Walter B. Gibson
Walter Brown Gibson was an American author and professional magician, best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow...
The Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
and Johnston McCulley's
Johnston McCulley
Johnston McCulley was the author of hundreds of stories, fifty novels, numerous screenplays for film and television, and the creator of the character Zorro...
Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
, as well as Lee Falk's
Lee Falk
Lee Falk, born Leon Harrison Gross , was an American writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity attracted over a hundred million readers every day...
comic strip The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
. Elements from Japanese animation, manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, and martial arts films also aided in the development of El Gato Negro's costume design and equipment. The example of Judge Margarito Garza's Relampago
Relampago
Relampago is a fictional character, a comic book superhero self-published by creator Judge Margarito C. Garza. The character made his first appearance in Relampago! #1 making him the first Mexican American superhero in the American comic book industry. The character's debut series only ran for...
character helped Dominguez pursue his creation in a self-published format.
Publication
Francisco Guerrero made his first published appearance in El Gato Negro #1 written and illustrated by Dominguez in 1993. The first three-part story-arc "Unknown passing, Unforgettable Return" introduced El GraduadoEl Graduado
Armando Ochoa, also known as El Graduado, is a fictional character and comic book supervillain created by Richard Dominguez and published by Azteca Productions...
, a notorious villain intent on making a large drug-trafficking deal in South Texas in order to gain a seat with the criminal organization known as The Annulus
The Annulus
The Annulus is a fictional criminal organization featured in the Azteca Productions' Universe created by Richard Dominguez. The Annulus is a South American-based secret cabal of businessmen, each a notorious drug lord from a different part of the world...
. El Graduado's best efforts are consistently thwarted by El Gato Negro until a final confrontation in which the criminal is apprehended and last seen awaiting trial. The debut series proved popular, and a fourth issue soon followed featuring a subplot involving Judge Garza's Relampago character, his first appearance in print after nearly fifteen years. The fourth issue titled "Enter: The Dogs of War!" occurs just weeks after the events of the first story-arc. The issue involved two hired mercenaries intent on killing El Gato Negro. Francisco, exhausted from his vigilante activities, barely survived his first encounter with the deadly duo, which resulted in near inter-cranial injury. A fifth issue tentatively titled "And Now...Relampago" was due for release, but the comic was put on hiatus ending the last issue with a cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
. There are currently plans to release a trade-paperback compilation featuring of the original series which will include the unpublished issue, thereby resolving the storyline.
El Gato Negro returned in 2004 under the new series "El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior" after a seven year hiatus. Dominguez enlisted the aid of Michael S. Moore
Michael S. Moore
Michael Stuart Moore is an American writer, director, producer, and comic book writer.-Career:Moore was born in Cookeville, Tennessee with both African-American and Brazilian ancestry. He took an early interest in writing and has read comics since he was seven-years-old...
to serve as writer and co-plotter of the new series (having previously worked together on the first published issue of Team Tejas) and artist Efren Molina. The combination of Moore's writing style and Molina's pencils have given the new series a much darker tone than its predecessor, to which Dominguez explains:
The new four-part "Legacy" storyline will retell the history of El Gato Negro and introduces a new villain in his ever-increasing rogues gallery, a sightless assassin, known as El Observador.
Fictional character history
In El Gato Negro’s first appearance in El Gato Negro #1, he is already an established crime-fighter. According to his origin storyOrigin story
In comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains....
, Francisco was raised by his grandfather, Agustin Guerrero, his parents having died in a traffic collision. Francisco studied diligently in school, eventually graduating from South Texas College
South Texas College
South Texas College is a public community college in the Rio South Texas Region, and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Bachelor of Applied Technology, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Arts and Associate of Science...
with a major in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, a minor in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and earned a Master's Degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. After completing his education, Francisco decided to look after his grandfather and became a prominent social worker in Edinburg, Texas. Francisco adopted the moniker of El Gato Negro shortly after the death of his childhood friend Mario Bustamonte, a border patrol officer who was overpowered and murdered by several drug-runners. During the months Francisco operated as El Gato Negro, he instantly became popular with the citizens of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. However, the media began vilifying his vigilante activities and to make matters worse El Gato Negro is constantly pursued by police Captain Miguel Bustamone, Francisco's friend and Mario's older brother.
In the first El Gato Negro storyline "Unknown Passing, Unforgettable Return" #1-3, Francisco encountered Armando Ochoa, better known in the criminal underworld as "El Graduado
El Graduado
Armando Ochoa, also known as El Graduado, is a fictional character and comic book supervillain created by Richard Dominguez and published by Azteca Productions...
". Being the son of the successful businessman and drug lord Ignacio Ochoa, El Graduado planned to take his father's place amongst a criminal organization known as The Annulus
The Annulus
The Annulus is a fictional criminal organization featured in the Azteca Productions' Universe created by Richard Dominguez. The Annulus is a South American-based secret cabal of businessmen, each a notorious drug lord from a different part of the world...
, which makes a yearly summit in South America. In order to impress the Annulus, El Graduado was to make a large drug-trafficking deal in Texas.
After being consistently thwarted by the hero, El Graduado kidnapped his former girlfriend Narcilina Montoya and Francisco's grandfather. Holding both of them at Guerrero’s Produce, El Graduado offered Agustin him the position as a silent partner in his drug trade. After refusing to help him, Agustin is taken outside to be executed. Francisco frantically rushes to the Guerrero's Produce building and is surprised to find his grandfather in his old El Gato Negro costume. With their efforts along with the aid of the Texas rangers, they are able to subdue the villain El Graduado. El Gato Negro finally earned the respect of Miguel Bustamonte, but he continues to hunt the hero regardless, believing his purposes to be noble, but his methods dangerous.
In 1997’s "Enter: The Dogs of War!" storyline from El Gato Negro #4 Francisco suffered his greatest defeat at the hands of the Briones Brothers. As El Gato Negro, Francisco is shown to have become overconfident in his abilities and spending more sleepless nights watching over the valley. In revenge for the incarceration of El Graduado, Boss Ochoa enlisted the aid of his nephews, known as The Dogs of War to assassinate the Nocturnal Warrior. Francisco's overwhelming fatigue slowed him in their battle and he was nearly beaten to death. Despite suffering from near inter-cranial injury, he managed to drag himself home, where he collapsed in the arms of his grandfather.
In the ongoing "Legacy" storyline from "El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior" #1-4, El Graduado has been released from police custody and is enlisting rival mob bosses and street gangs to join his crime family in order to become the main drug supplier for the Annulus. Those who disagree are slaughtered by the sightless mercenary and assassin El Observador, who is currently under the payroll of the Ochoa crime family.
Personality and characterization
El Gato Negro's personality can be characterized by his prowess in combat, highly skilled deductive abilities, a highly instilled sense of idealism and strict moral code. Adopting the persona of a Black Cat, the hero is loosely associated with superstitionSuperstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
, bringing bad luck to those who would do evil. He uses darkness to evoke a strong psychological impact among the guilty, often taunting them while he hides in the shadows unseen. El Gato Negro uses any any force necessary to apprehend criminals but never so far as to kill them.
Francisco Guerrero
In his secret identity, El Gato Negro is Francisco Guerrero, known for his generous charity and willingness to go out of his way to help others. He is also CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, more specifically a Neocatechumenate, who believes in aiding his community. Francisco carries the mantle of El Gato Negro as a heavy burden, one which robs him of his social life. According to El Gato Negro #1, Francisco gets "This queasy feeling in my gut when I do these 'deed's...but I get an awfully bad one if I don't do anything about it!" He often ponders whether or not his existence as El Gato Negro is a sin of pride or genuine necessity and has, on occasion, snuck in to his local church confessional to talk with the padre.
Skills, abilities and resources
Unlike the average comic book superhero, El Gato Negro has no superpowers or abilities out of the normal human spectrum. Instead he makes use of his extensive training in martial arts, lucha libre, tactical weaponry and is assisted by several supporting characters, including his grandfather. While the original El Gato Negro relied more heavily on his fighting ability, Francisco's incarnation of El Gato Negro has a wide-variety of technology to choose from.Costume and equipment
Francisco's suit design differs significantly from that of his grandfather's, which was more typical for the Lucha Libre traditions. His entire suit is made of a breatheable material described as "similar to biker's shorts", the nose and cat-like ears of his mask being reinforced with synthetic leather. The ears of the headpiece also serve to amplify the slightest sound and are able to retain their cup-shape despite being folded or bent. Inside each one of the ears is a battery compartment that powers the mask's lenses, modified from night vision goggles. The suit was designed by Francisco and his friend Antonio TrujilloAntonio Trujillo
Antonio "Tony" Trujillo is a fictional supporting character appearing in comic books published by Azteca Productions. Created by Richard Dominguez, the character made his first appearance in El Gato Negro #2 . Antonio acts as a supporting character to Francisco Guerrero, the modern-day El Gato...
.
El Gato's weapon of choice is the shuriken or "Flying Cat's Claw". The shurikens are made of steel and are no bigger than 2½" by 3/32", each one having 8 sharp barbs with a chisel-like tip. Francisco's suit can conceal a total of 8 Cat Claws in special compartments in his boots and gloves. El Gato will only use the Flying Cat Claws if he or someone else is in immediate danger. These modified shurikens were designed by both Francisco and James Takayuki. Other weapons in El Gato Negro's arsenal include two stylized batons which secretly adhere to the back of his costume.
The Gatocycle
A heavily modified motorcycle constructed by Antonio Trujillo. The Gatocycle has a four stroke, four cylinder engine with twin over-head camshaft and 4 mikuni 40 SS Carburettors, with a max power of 156 HP at 10,000 RPM and max torque of 12Kgm at 9,000 RPM. The vehicle was wrecked shortly after its introduction while El Gato Negro was in a high-speed pursuit, and later Antonio Trujillo begrudgingly reconstructed it.Supporting characters
Much of El Gato Negro's character is defined by the supporting characters that surround him as well as their interactions between each other. The most important supporting role in the El Gato Negro mythos is filled by Agustin Guerrero. The few characters who know of El Gato Negro’s secret identity include mechanic Antonio TrujilloAntonio Trujillo
Antonio "Tony" Trujillo is a fictional supporting character appearing in comic books published by Azteca Productions. Created by Richard Dominguez, the character made his first appearance in El Gato Negro #2 . Antonio acts as a supporting character to Francisco Guerrero, the modern-day El Gato...
and martial artist James Takayuki, both of whom supply the hero with equipment. Other supporting characters include Miguel Bustamonte
Miguel Bustamonte
Miguel Bustamonte is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Azteca Productions. Created by Richard Dominguez, the character made his first appearance in El Gato Negro #1...
, a recurring character since his first introduction, and pool shark
Pool shark
Pool shark or pool sharks may refer to:...
informant Enrique “Rata” Armendariz. Narcilina Montoya
Narcilina Montoya
Narcilina "Narci" Aracely Montoya is a fictional supporting character appearing in comic books published by Azteca Productions. Created by Richard Dominguez, the character made her first appearance in El Gato Negro #1 ....
is a recurring love interest, although Francisco’s activities as El Gato Negro often prevent him from pursuing a more meaningful relationship.
El Gato Negro is known to join forces with fellow superheroes in order to reach a shared goal. He is close friends with the hero Relampago
Relampago
Relampago is a fictional character, a comic book superhero self-published by creator Judge Margarito C. Garza. The character made his first appearance in Relampago! #1 making him the first Mexican American superhero in the American comic book industry. The character's debut series only ran for...
and an ally of Team Tejas
Team Tejas
Team Tejas is a fictional superhero team created by Richard Dominguez and published by Azteca Productions. The group made its first appearance in Team Tejas #1, published in 1997. The comic follows the story of three super-powered mutants and their government appointed leader in their fight...
, despite his refusal to join the government-funded group. El Gato Negro has also been known to team-up with the anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
known as L-7, despite their differing views on vigilante justice. He has often been paired up with characters outside of the Azteca Productions' universe, such as Hector Cantú
Hector Cantú
Hector Cantú is an American writer, editor, and newspaper comic strip creator, best known for the Latino-American strip Baldo...
and Carlos Castellanos' Baldo
Baldo
Baldo is an American comic strip written by Hector Cantú and illustrated by Carlos Castellanos. It was launched in April 2000, and is widely billed as the first comic strip featuring Latino characters and themes to be marketed to a mainstream audience....
as well as guest-starring in David Álvarez's
David Álvarez
David Álvarez is the creator of the comic strip "Yenny" and illustrator and storyboard artist for DC Comics Looney Tunes series, Disney and other companies.-Early years:...
Yenny, although these are usually deemed non-continuity storylines.
Enemies
El Gato Negro’s enemies vary from common thugs to outlandish supervillains, some of which have tragic origin stories leading them to a life of crime, while others are simply fueled by their own greed, lust for power, or desire to cause as much chaos as possible. Recurring antagonists include El GraduadoEl Graduado
Armando Ochoa, also known as El Graduado, is a fictional character and comic book supervillain created by Richard Dominguez and published by Azteca Productions...
, The Dogs of War
The Dogs of War
-Literature:*The dogs of war , a phrase from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar*The Dogs of War , a 1974 novel by Frederick Forsyth*Dogs of War , a 1994 series published by Defiant...
, Boss Ochoa, El Observador
El Observador (comics)
El Observador is a fictional character and comic book supervillain appearing in comic books published by Azteca Productions. Co-created by Richard Dominguez and Michael S...
, Dirge, Spring-Heeled Jack, Graveyard, The Anaconda, and Autoheist.