Marvel’s Nightcat (1992)

There are certain artists that you can see keep trying to refine an idea they believe in absolutely. Iteration after iteration passes and is met by, at best, mild acceptance—but the artist knows that if this case can be cracked, then their genius will be seen by all. Neil Breen does this as each of his films are certainly different from each other, but have the exact same pattern and feature a lot of the same themes, actions, and character types (so. many. hackers.). Marvel Comics is no stranger to formulas when it comes to their work. They found applying mundane problems, neuroses, and simple interpersonal drama into their larger-than-life superheroes, suddenly they had hits on their hands! Then, every few years, they try to find a new “Spider-Man”, essentially a teenage character who gets new (and often unusual) powers to connect with the youth and become the next big sensation.

But there’s another formula that Marvel has chased a few times and it has never worked. At least, not the way they expected. In 1978, there was an idea to create a multi-medium character that would be a singer, featured in movies, and in their own comics. With disco burning up the charts—and in no danger of ever falling out of favor—the choice was to make the character a disco queen, and thus Dazzler was born. First as a graphic novel, then as a guest spot in a few series (where her mutant powers became better known), and eventually she got her own ongoing series that last 42 issues and had a limited series spin-off (featuring her and Beast called, wait for it, Beauty And The Beast), then she joined the X-Men and was all up in their Outback adventures for a while. The music and film ideas went absolutely nowhere, with the record company and film studio having financial troubles and/or just straight up leaving. So while the character, still around today and beloved by many (including me), was technically a success in the comic books, it was a pretty big failure in terms of its original conception. And yet…

I mean, this is TOO brilliant an idea to let go right? Why simply adapt rockstars like KISS and Meat Loaf into Marvel Comics (two acts that definitely were put into the pages of their books), when you can make one? A media empire borne on the fringed shoulder pads of some magnetic personality that would capture the zeitgeist. Sure, it requires lightning in a bottle not just once but three times over in fairly different marketplaces with different audiences, but this is the company that made Secret Wars II—I think they knew what they were doing.

They did not know what they were doing.

Nightcat was created Jim Salicrup, Barry Dutter, Stan Lee, Denys Cowan, and Jimmy Palmiotti. Lee specifically wanted that crossover real world/comic book idea and again around centering on a musician. January 1992, after a bit of build up via ads in comic books and some teases with music (that whole aspect is foggy at best), Nightcat debuted, featuring the adventures of the titular feline vigilante and her alter-ego, singing sensation Jacqueline Tavarez. And this shit is crazy almost from the jump. This one-and-done issue starts off with the one-two punch of a headshot of actress/dancer/singer(?) Jacqueline Tavarez in Nightcat regalia across from a one page pin-up style announcing to the world yes, Nightcat is here and yes, you will soon forget about her.

I’m not going to go into the book page-by-page or reveal the entire plot. BUT, this is a very curious origin story so some highlights need to be examined. Jackie’s dad is a cop (multiple police officers refer to him as “the greatest” in the course of this issue) but her mom is a wannabe singer and fulltime alcoholic. Jackie loves comic books and singing, the justice of her father and the artistry of her mother all coming together in one person. But when Mrs. Tavarez fails to hit the big time, she loses the will to live, drinks a ridiculous amount of alcohol and dies. This all occurs in the span of one page.

Officer Tavarez grieves this loss, but more importantly he institutes FOOTLOOSE-esque policies in his household where Jackie is not allowed to sing or perform music (it’s unclear if she’s not allowed to listen/dance to it in the house, but it seems unlikely). But Jackie’s gotta sing! She has to leave one band due to her dad’s strict rules, but stumbles into another way of expressing her true self. A record company is hosting a contest where the best musician gets a deal. Obviously Jackie can’t just go up there and perform, that would break her father’s heart. So why not lie to him, especially as she potentially earns millions of dollars she’ll have to hide from her dad? And the best way to deceive him? Create a persona, like her comic book heroes she loves so much. They never face any sort of tragedy in their lives, right? And so she takes some leather, some fringe, some headbands, and it’s showtime.

Nightcat is born! Almost!

Putting aside the fact that she is possibly even more identifiable than ever with her face not being covered and really just wearing a wig—arguably a get-up that shouldn’t fool a police officer that multiple people attest to being “the best”—she is crushing it on stage. Unanimously she wins and gets that record contract, but she dare not sign it with her own name. Then people would find out, including her dad and his dubious investigatory powers. So she goes with Nightcat, which cannot be legally binding at all.

Oh, one thing that should be noted is that this is like page 10 and the comic has essentially gone from Jackie at age 8 to her now in college at this point. So she’s probably not a minor any more, but time is an illusion at best in the world of Nightcat.

Anyways, Nightcat fucking kills it and boy oh boy do people want to be in the Nightcat business. She’s laying down tracks and making, enough to afford her own place to live where she will have her own gym and studio. She does not disclose this financial windfall in any manner to her father, who is still pulling nightshifts at the precinct hunting some big drug case.

And what is that Nightcat sound, you may ask?

True, it’s hard to discern as readers only get lyrics. I mean, there’s some semblance of cadence there, but who knows what the song would sound like as a whole? Well good news—we do, we know what it would sound like. Because they recorded a song for Nightcat. There’s some dispute if Tavarez actually sang it or it was a studio performer, though I feel like neither is probably rushing to claim that ownership. But an entire album was allegedly recorded, which means there are multiple tracks of that signature Nightcat sound. Unfortunately we do not have access to that delightful artifact, but one song has survived the years. “#1 House Rule” is basically a bit of Paula Abdul, early Janet, and a smattering of lesser Vanity-6, all with those New Jack Swing orchestral strings and more. Check it out:

So that happened. Anyways, back to the plot. Jackie’s home studio is ready yet, which means she still has to record at this random place in the city. She discovers that the studio is a place for drug buys and is aghast that narcotics would be associated with the music industry. Her snooping is uncovered and she is kidnapped by a henchman with a robot hand named Mr. Krak. Krak brings Jackie to one of his boss’ evil lairs, a luxury yacht in the New York, where it’s discovered that the big villain is in fact Amanda Gideon—a name we have not heard previously but who is evidently very rich, powerful, and famous in NYC. In addition to the usual mom’n’pop drug operation, Gideon is also working on some new designer drugs that will give their users superpowers, specifically the abilities of a particular animal depending on the strain of drug. Klub Kids of the ‘90s were apparently the Furries Of The Future, who knew? Gideon orders her evil scientist, Dr. Ecstasy, to try out one of the new drugs on her, choosing a cat strain due to her name but also that was next up on the schedule?

I know this post has been more asides than anything else, but Dr. Ecstasy is a fantastic name but seems more fitting for a later member of Parliament Funkadelic than some skeevy dude with a misshapen face torturing animals. In any case, guess who happens to be on the yacht at night investigating all these drug shenanigans? Only the greatest cop who may also have face blindness, Jackie’s dad! He frees her. And then gets shot to hell like Sonny in THE GODFATHER. Jackie springs into action, revealing that she now has cat powers, which include long nails, heightened senses, and increased speed and agility. Nightcat takes out all the other goons, but her dad is on the night train to the big adios. Jackie reveals that it’s her underneath her impeccable Nightcat costume, and her dad says he thought Nightcat looked familiar, keeping his perfect detective batting average right to the end. Jackie keeps the cat that Dr. Ecstasy was using (and names her Midnight, adorable), and vows to get revenge.

Jackie then concocts a plan to perform at one of Gideon’s casinos, so she can be closer to the bad guys and wrap up this origin story to kick off the media blitz that everyone already planned.

But she’ll need more than just long fingernails and high kicks to fight crime, right? Of course. She’ll require the cutting edge of technology to track down information and solve mysteries, plus a bunch of innovative weaponry to use against these perps should they foolishly choose to fight her. And where does she get them? Off-panel with one quick mention of “oh, I have these for you”.

I know we live in a time where the origins of everything is belabored in movies and such (looking at you, SOLO); but I’d argue that conceiving new weapons to fight crime, tasking someone with creating those new weapons to fight crime, and learning to master those new weapons to fight crime, may be of some interest in the origin story of how Nightcat came to be, complee with using her signature staff with all of its various gadgets and abilities.

Nightcat fights goons, including punks and ninjas, while the audience all thinks it’s part of the act and she keeps singing to thunderous applause. Eventually she encounters Mr. Krak who has a few other mechanical appendages to put on his hand. It’s a stupid gimmick, but I always enjoy it in INNERSPACE and ENTER THE DRAGON and such. And finally, after picking her way through everyone, she has her face off with Amanda Gideon. Who is wearing some workout spandex get up, but we’re so close to being done let’s not linger on that. They skirmish and Nightcat manages to come out on top! Amanda almost falls off the scaffolding (a lot of ‘90s battles involved scaffolding/unfinished construction sites), but tries to bring Nightcat down with her. She misses and dies a lonely death in a scene that basically predicts the BATMAN BEGINS “I don’t have to save you” moment which still really chaps my hide.

And so, at the close of a different performance some time later, Jackie exits the club. Looking like a goth version of Sheila E. stuck in Westworld, weary from all of her losses and changes in her life…she vows to continue her fight. Yes, the adventures are only just beginning for Nightcat!

It was not the beginning for Nightcat. The character didn’t appear anywhere else any other time (except various Marvel books that weren’t really canonical stories but extended ads and behind-the-scenes bits). Apparently time itself has swallowed up the recorded music and it’s become an oddity worthy of chuckles alongside U.S. 1 and SuperPro (we’ll get to them eventually, too). Dazzler was born out of the same idiotic idea, but turned out to be a dope character with lots of fun adventures and potential for storytelling. And the weird thing? Nightcat could have as well.

I know that’s probably not popular, but think about it. The dual life of a popstar and an adventurer? That’s the basis for Jem and The Holograms AND Hannah Montana. Taking on weird rich asshole villains that dabble in drugs or gun running or whatever presents a bunch of opportunities.

We know that the Sultan of Brunei used to hire Michael Jackson to privately perform, and there’s a ton of other kind of shady world leaders that would do the same. That sort of access to a musician could lead to fun shenanigans. Add in like some rival bands, superpowered stalkers, and boom—you’ve got a fun, if incredibly goofy, property. Honestly, with its sped up narrative and throwing in everything possible (guilt, fame, cops, ninjas, cat powers, drugs, forbidden singing, alter egos, robot hands) it feels like MIAMI CONNECTION the comic book. This musical act that also kicks ass and finds itself WAY out of its element in dealing with some gangs and nefarious types. If Disney were to adapt this today, it would be a fun way to have that sort of HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN/TURBO KID vibe that takes it all seriously but is turned up to 11 the entire time. Nightcat…you were too good for our flawed little world.