The Jaguar (Archie)
Encyclopedia
The Jaguar is a superhero
published by Archie Comics
. He was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist John Rosenberger
as part of Archie's "Archie Adventure Series", before that line was camped up as part of their Mighty Comics
line. He would actually appear two years after The Fly
did.
The Jaguar is actually zoologist Ralph Hardy. While on a dig in Peru
(Hardy, like most Silver Age heroes, was a man of many interests and talents including archeology), a giant serpent burst forth from the ground and began terrorizing the area. While the others fled Hardy followed a rare white jaguar
into a ruined temple and found a series of cave drawings depicting the ancient Incas battling the same monster as well as a mystical "nucleon energy belt". The buckle of the belt had an inscription: "He who loves the animal kingdom may wear this belt and be transformed into a human jaguar." Hardy put on the belt and instantly transformed into the Jaguar.
As the Jaguar he possessed, in addition to the expected feline abilities, all the powers of the animal kingdom only a thousand times more powerful (the oft-quoted magnified toughness of a rhinoceros
' hide, for example, gave him near Superman
level invulnerability), plus he had the Aquaman
-style telepathic ability to mentally communicate with and command all animals including those from alien worlds.
As the Jaguar, he wore a simple skintight scarlet bodysuit with a flared black collar and the stylized suggestion of a feline face (just the eyes, whiskers and open mouth) on the chest and jaguar pelt-patterned boots and nucleon belt, the later with two small rocket packs on either side which gave him the power of supersonic flight. The Jaguar wore no mask and looked exactly like Ralph Hardy, except that Hardy had a mustache and the Jaguar didn't.
In many ways, the Jaguar was a copy of the Fly: magic belt instead of magic ring, powers of the animal kingdom rather than insect kingdom, etc.
Unlike the Fly, however, the handsome Jaguar had many recurring romantic interests, including the immortal feline sorceress Cat Girl who had command over the cat kingdom just as he ruled over the entire animal kingdom (also known as the Sphinx
, she originally had fought the Fly, but it was quickly realized that she would make a more fitting foe for the Jaguar), the green-skinned and white-haired undersea siren
Kree-Nal, and Hardy's secretary
Jill Ross who, like Pete Ross
, secretly knew that Hardy was her beloved hero the Jaguar and used that knowledge to help him without him knowing it. Nor were these relationships static for in later stories Jill left to study to become a nurse so that she could better assist Hardy in the veterinary side of his work, and Cat Girl lost her magic powers due to exposure to Strontium 90 radiation from atomic testing, retaining only her telepathic mastery over cats as she took on the new mortal identity of jet-set socialite
Lydia Fellin whose "family fortune" was actually the vast treasure trove that she had gathered over the centuries.
The Jaguar appeared in 15 issues of The Adventures of the Jaguar, as well as backup stories in several other Archie comics (Jughead Jones Comic Digest 7; Laugh Comics 127, 130, 131, 133, 135, 140-142, 144; Laugh Comics Digest 25, 27; Pep Comics
150, 152, 157, 159, 168), and would show up in The Adventures of the Fly #23. When the "Archie Adventure Series" line was canceled and camped up as Archie's Mighty Comics
line, The Jaguar only made brief appearances in Mighty Crusaders
#4 and 5. In #5, The Jaguar would team up with Mr. Justice
and Steel Sterling as the "Terrific Three
".
The Jaguar would again appear as part of Archie's Red Circle Comics
revamp in the 1980s, as a founding member of the new Mighty Crusaders
, and get a backup series in The Fly (issues 4-9). In this incarnation it was revealed that the source of the Jaguar's powers was the pre-human god Varigon, Lord of the Animals, a towering golden-winged being with the three heads of a bird
, lion
and bull
who had created the magic belt as a weapon to be worn by his mortal champion in his eternal battle against the scaly green lizard-headed S'ithh, Lord of the Reptiles who wanted the dinosaurs to rule the Earth once more and that the first person to have worn the belt in ancient times had been an Incan woman.
The most recent appearances of the Ralph Hardy Jaguar have been in cameos in Archie's Weird Mysteries #3 and 14 and a cover story crossover appearance in Sabrina the Teenage Witch # 30.
A teenage female version of the Jaguar, written by William Messner-Loebs
, was used in DC Comics
' Impact
revamp of the Archie superheroes. She was naive and good-hearted Maria DeGuzman who came to North America from Rio de Janeiro
to study at Elm Harbor University when to her surprise she inherited from her late aunt the werewolf
-like ability to transform into the large, muscular, barefoot and green-eyed Jaguar. Unlike her male namesake, however, in this ferocious feline form her powers were limited to superhuman strength and agility combined with cat-like claws and senses. She eventually "married" the Impact version of the Fly
at the end of the Crucible mini-series.
In the aftermath of the continuity-altering Final Crisis
, DC comics once again licensed the Red Circle heroes, this time choosing to bring them directly into the DC Universe
. In March 2010, a new Jaguar is set to appear in The Shield #5 and is apparently a Brazilian male who can transform into a red tattoo
-covered were-jaguar.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
published by Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
. He was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist John Rosenberger
John Rosenberger
John Francis Rosenberger , also occasionally credited as John Diehl, was an American comic book artist and painter from after the Second World War until the mid-1970s...
as part of Archie's "Archie Adventure Series", before that line was camped up as part of their Mighty Comics
Mighty Comics
Mighty Comics Group, sometimes referred to as Archie Adventure Series and Radio Comics, refer to the attempt by Archie Comics to revamp and publish superhero comics in the mid-1960s...
line. He would actually appear two years after The Fly
The Fly (Archie Comics)
The Fly is a fictional comic book superhero published by Red Circle Comics. He was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as part of Archie's "Archie Adventure Series" and later camped up as part of the company's Mighty Comics line...
did.
The Jaguar is actually zoologist Ralph Hardy. While on a dig in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
(Hardy, like most Silver Age heroes, was a man of many interests and talents including archeology), a giant serpent burst forth from the ground and began terrorizing the area. While the others fled Hardy followed a rare white jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
into a ruined temple and found a series of cave drawings depicting the ancient Incas battling the same monster as well as a mystical "nucleon energy belt". The buckle of the belt had an inscription: "He who loves the animal kingdom may wear this belt and be transformed into a human jaguar." Hardy put on the belt and instantly transformed into the Jaguar.
As the Jaguar he possessed, in addition to the expected feline abilities, all the powers of the animal kingdom only a thousand times more powerful (the oft-quoted magnified toughness of a rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
' hide, for example, gave him near Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
level invulnerability), plus he had the Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
-style telepathic ability to mentally communicate with and command all animals including those from alien worlds.
As the Jaguar, he wore a simple skintight scarlet bodysuit with a flared black collar and the stylized suggestion of a feline face (just the eyes, whiskers and open mouth) on the chest and jaguar pelt-patterned boots and nucleon belt, the later with two small rocket packs on either side which gave him the power of supersonic flight. The Jaguar wore no mask and looked exactly like Ralph Hardy, except that Hardy had a mustache and the Jaguar didn't.
In many ways, the Jaguar was a copy of the Fly: magic belt instead of magic ring, powers of the animal kingdom rather than insect kingdom, etc.
Unlike the Fly, however, the handsome Jaguar had many recurring romantic interests, including the immortal feline sorceress Cat Girl who had command over the cat kingdom just as he ruled over the entire animal kingdom (also known as the Sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
, she originally had fought the Fly, but it was quickly realized that she would make a more fitting foe for the Jaguar), the green-skinned and white-haired undersea siren
Siren
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
Kree-Nal, and Hardy's secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
Jill Ross who, like Pete Ross
Pete Ross
Peter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in Superboy #86 .-Pre-Crisis:...
, secretly knew that Hardy was her beloved hero the Jaguar and used that knowledge to help him without him knowing it. Nor were these relationships static for in later stories Jill left to study to become a nurse so that she could better assist Hardy in the veterinary side of his work, and Cat Girl lost her magic powers due to exposure to Strontium 90 radiation from atomic testing, retaining only her telepathic mastery over cats as she took on the new mortal identity of jet-set socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
Lydia Fellin whose "family fortune" was actually the vast treasure trove that she had gathered over the centuries.
The Jaguar appeared in 15 issues of The Adventures of the Jaguar, as well as backup stories in several other Archie comics (Jughead Jones Comic Digest 7; Laugh Comics 127, 130, 131, 133, 135, 140-142, 144; Laugh Comics Digest 25, 27; Pep Comics
Pep Comics
Pep Comics is the name of an American comic book anthology series published by the Archie Comics predecessor MLJ Magazines Inc. during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
150, 152, 157, 159, 168), and would show up in The Adventures of the Fly #23. When the "Archie Adventure Series" line was canceled and camped up as Archie's Mighty Comics
Mighty Comics
Mighty Comics Group, sometimes referred to as Archie Adventure Series and Radio Comics, refer to the attempt by Archie Comics to revamp and publish superhero comics in the mid-1960s...
line, The Jaguar only made brief appearances in Mighty Crusaders
Mighty Crusaders
The Mighty Crusaders is a fictional superhero team published by Archie Comics. The team originally appeared in Fly-Man #31, #32 and #33 before being launched in its own title, Mighty Crusaders. Written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, the series lasted seven issues before being cancelled. The...
#4 and 5. In #5, The Jaguar would team up with Mr. Justice
Terrific Three
The Terrific Three was the name of a group of superheroes; it was an offshoot of the group known as The Mighty Crusaders, published by Archie Comics. The Terrific Three were Steel Sterling, The Jaguar, and Mr. Justice...
and Steel Sterling as the "Terrific Three
Terrific Three
The Terrific Three was the name of a group of superheroes; it was an offshoot of the group known as The Mighty Crusaders, published by Archie Comics. The Terrific Three were Steel Sterling, The Jaguar, and Mr. Justice...
".
The Jaguar would again appear as part of Archie's Red Circle Comics
Red Circle Comics
Red Circle Comics was an imprint used by Archie Comics Publications, Inc. to publish non-Archie characters, especially their superheroes, in the 1970s and '80s.-Phase 1: 1970s:...
revamp in the 1980s, as a founding member of the new Mighty Crusaders
Mighty Crusaders
The Mighty Crusaders is a fictional superhero team published by Archie Comics. The team originally appeared in Fly-Man #31, #32 and #33 before being launched in its own title, Mighty Crusaders. Written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, the series lasted seven issues before being cancelled. The...
, and get a backup series in The Fly (issues 4-9). In this incarnation it was revealed that the source of the Jaguar's powers was the pre-human god Varigon, Lord of the Animals, a towering golden-winged being with the three heads of a bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
and bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
who had created the magic belt as a weapon to be worn by his mortal champion in his eternal battle against the scaly green lizard-headed S'ithh, Lord of the Reptiles who wanted the dinosaurs to rule the Earth once more and that the first person to have worn the belt in ancient times had been an Incan woman.
The most recent appearances of the Ralph Hardy Jaguar have been in cameos in Archie's Weird Mysteries #3 and 14 and a cover story crossover appearance in Sabrina the Teenage Witch # 30.
A teenage female version of the Jaguar, written by William Messner-Loebs
William Messner-Loebs
William Messner-Loebs is an American comic book writer and artist from Michigan, also known as Bill Loebs and Bill Messner-Loebs...
, was used in DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Impact
Impact Comics
Impact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It was begun in 1991 and ended by 1993....
revamp of the Archie superheroes. She was naive and good-hearted Maria DeGuzman who came to North America from Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
to study at Elm Harbor University when to her surprise she inherited from her late aunt the werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
-like ability to transform into the large, muscular, barefoot and green-eyed Jaguar. Unlike her male namesake, however, in this ferocious feline form her powers were limited to superhuman strength and agility combined with cat-like claws and senses. She eventually "married" the Impact version of the Fly
The Fly (Impact Comics)
The Fly is a fictional character who first appeared in the DC Comics' Impact Comics series, The Fly. The character is loosely based on Archie Comics' character, The Fly.-Fictional character biography:...
at the end of the Crucible mini-series.
In the aftermath of the continuity-altering Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
, DC comics once again licensed the Red Circle heroes, this time choosing to bring them directly into the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. In March 2010, a new Jaguar is set to appear in The Shield #5 and is apparently a Brazilian male who can transform into a red tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
-covered were-jaguar.