Posted By Dan Greenfield on Mar 10, 2024 | 4 comments

A GUEST COLUMN by Archie Comics Editor-in-Chief MIKE PELLERITO: Good ideas never die. They just evolve…

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We’ve got a groovy two-fer for you this weekend. I’m a big fan of Archie’s MLJ heroes and was really taken with The Jaguar #1, the publisher’s latest refresh of an old-school character. Archie Comics chief Mike Pellerito has a look at the Jaguar’s evolution since the Silver Age below, and the company’s senior director of editorial, Jamie L. Rotante, gives you a glimpse behind the scenes over here. Dig it. — Dan

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By MIKE PELLERITO, Editor-in-Chief, Archie Comics

My first introduction to the superheroes of Archie Comics was DC’s Impact Comics line in the early 1990s or, as the kids say, the late 1900s. I loved them: all-new  heroes written and drawn by big name talent. One important point I only learned later was that the characters weren’t new at all; in fact, they’d been around pretty much forever.

Archie Comics started in the 1940s as MLJ Comics and the original line was all adventure and superhero comics, with a little horror and humor, too. Over the years, the heroes fell by the wayside as Archie and the Riverdale gang came to dominate the company’s publishing. In the 1960s, the heroes returned for a spell, with new characters added to the roster.

The core MLJ heroes — the Shield, the Fly, the Web, the Comet, and even the Jaguar – have gone through a lot of cool iterations over the years, including the Red Circle imprint, the Impact Comics initiative (a partnership with DC Comics), a recent gritty twist called Dark Circle (thanks, that name was my idea), and a current run of guest appearances in new Archie Digest stories. My favorite recent story features Archie interning at the MLJ Museum (MLJ stands for Mighty Legends of Justice, a great idea by artist Steven Butler).

A standout among the many relaunches is the latest version of the Jaguar, Ivette Velez (starring in a new one-shot in stores now). She first appeared in the 2012 series New Crusaders by Ian Flynn, Ben Bates and Alitha Martinez, an incredible series marked by a memorable and innovative scene. When a character dies, the cartoony art style transitions to a more realistic one, illustrating the moment’s seriousness and the point at which our young heroes grow up, almost like how The Wizard of Oz film goes from black-and-white to full-color as the characters leave Kansas behind for the magical Oz.

From The Fly #4 (1983). Art by Vic Catan (as Vicatan).

Ivette was based on the old-school version of the Jaguar, who was very much a Silver Age creation in 1961, filled with all sorts of far-out imaginative stories by Robert Bernstein with the beautiful art of John Rosenberger. I mention the year because the “Archie Adventure Series” label at the time heralded the first return of superheroes to the publishing line, including the initial appearance of Betty as her Superteen alter ego in Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica #118, which was released in 1965, the year before the Adam West Batman series — ahead of the trend!

Rosenberger and Bernstein’s contributions to comics were incredible; Bernstein co-created DC’s Aqualad, Aguagirl, and Congorilla, and Rosenberger, whose art I love (clearly pulling inspiration from the illustrative work of Alex Raymond and Hal Foster, like so many of his contemporaries), has a great Silver Age vibe, real beauty, and clear storytelling. He could draw anything, including classic Archie stories and romance comics.

From Adventures of the Jaguar #1

Interest in the Mighty Crusaders (the collective team name for the MLJ heroes) was strong in the 1960s, with a lot of licensed products, including a board game. The Jaguar was oddly name-dropped on the box (but not visually represented) as Mr. Jag. (I have the game and can’t figure out how to play it. But it looks cool on a shelf!)

Back to the comics. There was a certain “anything can happen” feel to the Jaguar stories of that time, and I love it. Ralph Hardy, a mustachioed zoologist, while on an archeology dig in Peru, tracks a rare white Jaguar into the ruins of an Incan temple (as one does), leading him to the amazing nucleon energy belt, which had handy-dandy rockets on the side so he could fly. Once he dons the belt, he transforms into the Jaguar costume, but now with NO mustache and a ripped physique. Clark Kent and his silly eyeglass disguise have nothing on Ralph Hardy’s mustache! Honestly, the mustache thing is my favorite part; I made sure we used it in a recent Archie Digest guest appearance.

To be clear, The Jaguar costume is an absolute masterpiece. The black, red, and gold color combo, the popped collar, the graphic cat design on the chest, and the matching boots and belt; it really looks great. The Jaguar has a thousand times the strength of any animal from Earth or space, and can communicate and control them, too. Total powerhouse.

The Jaguar had some cool recurring characters and villains. Cat-Girl was a favorite, along with lots of monsters, aliens, and giant-size animals; it was a wild, 15-issue run, no pun intended. Plus, it featured a team-up with fellow MLJ heroes Steel Sterling and Mr. Justice (combined to form the Terrific Three) and, of course, the Mighty Crusaders. If I didn’t work at Archie, I might have missed the Silver Age Jaguar and its brilliant creative team. The fun, creative stories still hold their charm and certainly were an inspiration for a fresh new interpretation that found new ground to explore in the new Jaguar one-shot.

I’m not sure how super-editor Jamie Rotante and art director Vincent Lovallo keep finding such inventive ways to refresh these characters, but it’s a master class. For those keeping score, we recently relaunched Bob Phantom (yes, that’s the character’s name) and Darkling in new, one-shot comics. Both sold out. And with The Jaguar, Jamie has done it again.

Development art by Tango

First, the new costume is awesome. The classic red, black, and gold colors are presented fresh and new while still familiar to long-time Jaguar fans; a perfect update. The story by Keryl Brown Ahmed is a clean start, nicely tethering the Jaguar to all this wonderful history while not being tied down by it. The artist, Tango, is dangerously talented. It’s a challenging story taking place in a lot of settings, requiring clear and exciting storytelling, and she aces it, along with the award-winning colorist Ellie Wright hitting the right mood page after page.

A new redesign on the villain Buzzard (who goes back to the Mighty Crusaders toys from Remco in the ‘80s) is a welcome addition that Vin had a hand in. Jamie and crew crafted a bold new direction with inspiration from the original, but with a great deal of hidden depth for the characters. A task worthy of The Jaguar for sure.

Now, go check out Jamie Rotante’s piece on revamping the Jaguar’s new costume!

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MORE

— 13 THINGS You Need to Know About THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS. Click here.

— 13 COVERS: The Best of THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS. Click here.