CREATOR EXCLUSIVE
Archie is returning The Jaguar to her roots in a new one-shot comic
→ AFTER BRINGING back Bob Phantom and Darkling, Archie Comics are now returning to the Jaguar. While original Jaguar Ralph Hardy first gained feline powers after discovering a magical totem on an archaeological dig in Peru, in 1961’s Adventures Of The Jaguar, this new one-shot focuses on Ivette Velez, who took over the role in 2012’s The Mighty Crusaders. A zoologist by trade, she journeys to South America to solve the mystery of who is killing the Pampas cats of Northern Peru.
“I love that the earliest Jaguar stories featured Ralph Hardy on adventures abroad,” writer Keryl Brown Ahmed tells Red Alert. “I personally have an international background, so I jumped at the opportunity to go back to the roots of the character and have Ivette’s story take place in a setting far from her home.”
ROOT CAUSES
With her family having hailed from Peru, Ivette unexpectedly reconnects with her heritage. “At the start of the story she doesn’t even consider herself Peruvian, but it doesn’t take long before she realises that her powers are deeply tied to her ancestry, and in order to harness them she’ll have to embrace her roots,” explains Ahmed, who can personally relate to Ivette.
“As a child of an immigrant who feels a tenuous connection to my family’s homeland, I certainly have the fantasy of going back and strengthening my identity and connection to the culture.”
Ahmed, who is paired with artist Tango, also explores the Jaguar’s animalistic abilities. “I really enjoyed writing a character who channels the powers of a big cat,” she continues. “I’m a cat person and my family is from Kenya, the safari capital of the world, so I’ve always had a thing for cats of all sizes! It was fun to research the two types of cats that appear in the one-shot, and crafting a story featuring zoologists allowed me to geek out a little bit.”
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