NIGHT CAT

Real Name: Jacqueline Tavarez

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Singer; Adventurer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Stan Lee

Enemies: Dr. Ecstasy; Amanda Gideon; Krak

Known Relatives: Beth (mother, deceased), Lou (father, deceased)

Aliases: Nightcat (see comments)

Base of Operations: New York City, New York

First Appearance: Nightcat#1 (April, 1991)

Powers/Abilities: Night Cat possesses many powers similar to a feline.  She has "night vision," allowing her to see in the dark.  Her fingernails can extend and become razor sharp.  She has superhuman agility and leaping abilities. She is also exceptionally skilled as a musician and in the field of criminology.

Weapons: Night Cat employs a telescoping metal staff.  She also uses a vehicle she has dubbed the Cat-illac.

History: (Nightcat#1 (fb)) - Ten years ago, a young Jacqueline Tavarez lived with her police officer father and musician mother.  She heard her parents arguing one night about Beth's musical career and drinking.  After failing an audition, Beth literally drank herself to death.  Lou, Jacqueline's father, promised to never let her follow her mother's footsteps.

(Nightcat#1) - As a highschool student, Jacqueline disobeyed her father's wishes, and rehearsed with friends in a band.  When her father found out, he grounded her.  Not able to make the recording session, she was replaced in the band by her rival Melissa.

(Nightcat#1) - Now in college, Jacqueline saw that Melissa had become a huge music star. Taking inspiration from the comic books she read, Jacqueline decided to dress up to sing without her father realizing it was her, and thus, Night Cat was born. Winning a record contract with LMR records, she became a star, and bought a home.  While at the recording studio, she recognized a man in the hallway who had been linked to a drug bust in the news.  Seeing a briefcase he set down, she opened it to find a large amount of cocaine.  Another man, Krak, saw this and knocked Night Cat out, bringing her with him to Amanda Gideon, who with Dr. Ecstasy, was testing designer drugs that would imbue a human with animal characteristics.  After injecting Night Cat with the drug mixed with cat blood, Ecstasy was shot dead by Lou Tavarez, who had gone undercover with Gideon's organization.  Lou was shot dead by Gideon's agents.  In a moment of passion, the designer drug interacted with Jacqueline, causing her to sprout elongated, razor-sharp claws.  With her newfound agility, Night Cat took out a number of Gideon's goons, and even made a superhuman leap upwards, almost reaching Gideon's escape helicoptor in mid-flight. 

With no proof except her word that Gideon was behind Ecstasy's program, Jacqueline attended her father's funeral, and soon after, pledged vengeance on the wealthy socialite.  While trying to go on with her normal life, she continued with her singing career, and was even signed by Stan Lee to star in a Marvel comic book.  She used her new wealth to buy sophisticated computers and weaponry.  When she heard a news report about a garbage scow that was going from port to port, she did some research, realizing it was owned by Gideon, and must be a front for her to smuggle drugs.  She busted the ring, and a furious Gideon set a trap, inviting Night Cat to perform at her casino.

Before her performance, a group of ninjas hired by Gideon kidnapped and replaced Night Cat's back-up singers, attacking her onstage.  She defeated them, and found herself face to face with Krak.  She managed to electrocute him by forcing the drill appendage on his hand into a power outlet.  Finding Gideon on the roof of the casino, the two fought before Night Cat flipped her adversary over the side.  Gideon grabbed at Night Cat's hair, but fell to her death.  With the Gideon drug ring busted, Night Cat decided to use her new powers to fight other crimes.

(Damage Control III#3-BTS) - Night Cat contributed to the soundtrack of the Damage Control motion picture.

Comments: Created by Jim Salicrup, Barry Dutter, Stan Lee, Denys Cowan and Jimmy Palmiotti.

Night Cat only appeared in this one-shot.  The character was based on the real-life Jacqueline Tavarez, whom Marvel hired to attend conventions in her Night Cat outfit.  Apparently, Marvel fired her later after she appeared in a Joey Buttacuoco music video.  Since then, the only information I can find on her is that she appeared topless in the Troma film Tromeo and Juliet.

The title of the book is Nightcat.  The insignia for the book calls it Nightcat.  She is referred to throughout the book as Night Cat.  I don't know why they have the difference.  Maybe there was a trademark with someone else on books with the space between the words.

Here's a picture of live action Night Cat in-costume from an issue of Marvel Age, along with a short newsbit. I don't remember what the issue number was, but can find it out later.
http://s90690880.onlinehome.us/comics/Nightcat01b.jpg
Also, the actual Night Cat record (CD?) is worth mentioning. It was released in Real Life, but I don't know much about it beyond that.
--Monzo

Profile by Madison Carter

Clarifications:

Night Cat has no known connections to

Dr. Ecstasy has no known connections to

Amanda Gideon has no known connections to

Krak has no known connections to

CAT-ILLAC

A high-powered vehicle, the Cat-illac served as Night Cat's means of transportation.

--Nightcat#1

BETH TAVAREZ

An alcoholic and would-be musician, Beth eventually died of alcohol poisoning after being depressed from losing an audition.

--Nightcat#1 (Nightcat#1 (fb))



LOU TAVAREZ

Jacqueline's father, Lou worked as an undercover police officer.  After Beth's death, he forbade his daughter from pursuing a musical career. While doing undercover work in the guise of an agent of Amanda Gideon's, he saw Dr. Ecstasy inject the Night Cat, who he didn't realize was his daughter, with a designer drug.  He shot Dr. Ecstasy and helped free Night Cat, but was mortally wounded by some of Gideon's agents.  Dying, he told Night Cat, who he now realized was his daughter, that he was proud of her and that he wanted her to be happy.

--Nightcat#1 (Nightcat#1 (fb), 1)
DR. ECSTASY

An agent of Gideon's, Dr. Ecstasy sought to create a new drug that would imbue a person with the attributes of an animal. While all of his previous efforts burnt out and died almost immediately, his injection of the drug, mixed with cat blood, worked on Jacqueline.  He was shot dead by Lou Tavarez.

--Nightcat#1
AMANDA GIDEON

A wealthy socialite, Gideon was also a drug trafficer.  She was killed when she fell off a building while combating Night Cat.

--Nightcat#1





KRAK

Gideon's right-hand man, Krak had a hand either made of, or encased in, metal.  He could attach a specially-designed power drill to the hand.  He was electrocuted because of it while fighting Night Cat when he plunged it into an electrical outlet.

--Nightcat#1



images:
Nightcat#1, page 3, panel 1 (Night Cat)
                      page 14, panel 2 (Jacqueline)
                      page 38, panel 4 (Cat-illac)
                      page 4, panel 5 (Beth)
                      page 13, panel 3 (Lou)
                      page 18, panel 1 (Dr. Ecstasy)
                      page 45, panel 3 (Amanda Gideon)
                      page 19, panel 5 (Krak)

Appearances:
Nightcat#1 (April, 1991) - Jim Salicrup & Barry Dutter (plot), Stan Lee (script), Denys Cowan (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Damage Control III#3 (August, 1991) - Dwayne McDuffie (writer), Ernie Colon (artist), Fabian Nicieza (editor)

Last updated: 05/23/05

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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