Jaguar (Archie Comics)
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| The Jaguar | |
 The Jaguar |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Archie Comics |
| First appearance | Adventures of the Jaguar #1, September 1961 |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Ralph Hardy |
| Team affiliations | The Mighty Crusaders |
| Abilities | enhanced strength, animal powers |
The Jaguar is a superhero published by Archie Comics. He was created 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 2 years after The Fly did.
The Jaguar is actually archaeologist Ralph Hardy. While on a dig in Peru, a giant serpent burst forth from the ground and began terrorizing the area. Hardy fled into a ruined temple and found a series of cave drawings depicting the ancient Incas battling the same monster and a mystical belt. The belt had an inscription: "He who loves the animal kingdom may wear this belt and be transformed into a human jaguar." Ralph Hardy put on the belt and became the Jaguar.
As the Jaguar he had all the powers of the animal kingdom. The belt had 2 rocket packs on either side, which gave him the power of flight. As the Jaguar, he wore a red body suit with a pawprint on the chest, jaguar-skin belt and boots and no mask. The Jaguar looked exactly like Ralph Hardy, except that Ralph had a mustache. 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.
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 cancelled 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 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).
A teenaged female version of the Jaguar, written by William Messner-Loebs, was used in DC Comics' Impact revamp of the Archie superheroes. She eventually "married" the Impact version of the Fly.
The most recent appearances of the Ralph Hardy Jaguar have been in cameos in Archie's Weird Mysteries #3 and 14 and a coverstory crossover appearance in Sabrina the Teenage Witch # 30.
[edit] External links
- Mighty Crusader's entry on The Jaguar
- International Catalog of Superheroes' entry on The Jaguar
- Toonopedia entry on the Jaguar
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