Jaguar (Archie Comics)

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caption=The Jaguar
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=The Jaguar
real_name=Ralph Hardy
publisher=Archie Comics
debut="Adventures of the Jaguar" #1, September 1961
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
status=Active
alliances=The Mighty Crusaders
powers=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.

External links

* [http://www.mightycrusaders.net/handbook/jaguar.htm Mighty Crusader's entry on The Jaguar]
* [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/j/jaguar.htm International Catalog of Superheroes' entry on The Jaguar]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/jaguar.htm Toonopedia entry on the Jaguar]