Considering that Jim Lee is one of the most successful comic book artists of all time, it’s rare for him to be involved in a project that flops Yet that’s exactly what happened with '90s Marvel hero "Nightcat," the publisher’s attempt to create their own superhero pop star, which wound up falling flat, in a hilarious bit of behind-the-scenes comic book industry lore.
On Instagram, Jim Lee shared how a recent dinner with fellow artists Joe Jusko and Denys Cowan during the Bedrock City Comic Con brought back some old memories. As it turns out, in 1991, all three contributed to Nightcat, the superhero identity created by Marvel for aspiring actress Jacqueline Tavares.
Lee explained how he was approached by Stan Lee and editor Bob Budiansky to design Nightcat’s costume, with Joe Jusko painting the cover for her debut comic, and Denys Cowan providing the interior art.
Jim Lee Explains NIGHTCAT Marvel’s Failed Attempt to Engineer A '90s Pop-Star
Nightcat #1 – Written By Jim Salicrup, Barry Dutter & Stan Lee; Art By Denys Cowan & Jimmy Palmiotti; Costume Design By Jim Lee
In Nightcat #1, Jacqueline “Jackie” Tavares was portrayed as a teen from Queens who has dreams of being a singer. Her strict, undercover cop father would have none of it, however, instead forcing her to enroll in college so she could get a proper education. This caused Jackie to develop an alter-ego as the superhero Nightcat, so that she could moonlight as an onstage performer, which eventually got her a record deal with LMR Records – and, through a rather convoluted series of events, led to her becoming a superhero.
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In the issue, Jackie became a test subject for a new designer drug, which gave her cat-like reflexes, extendable claws from her fingernails, and “night vision.” She also began to wield a telescoping battle-staff, and got around in a souped-up car called the Cat-illac. As Jim Lee said of the character, in retrospect:
You can’t make these things up, folks. Actually, we tried and failed lol.
Out of all the superheroes to come from the House of Ideas, Nightcat is up there with NFL Superpro and U.S. 1 as perhaps one of the strangest.
Jim Lee’s Designs Make It Unmistakable That She Was A 1990s Hero
Unfortunately, The Character Never Took Off
Nightcat #1 was released in April 1991, accompanied by her own self-titled album, intended to launch her career as a pop star. The real Nightcat accompanied Stan Lee on a media tour, including televised appearances and performances, in a costume based on Jim Lee’s design. Despite all the pre-arranged media hype, Nightcat was a dud; the comic didn’t sell many copies, and the album failed to chart. Although plans for a team-up with Spider-Man were in the works, the character never appeared again.
It is wild to think that a Marvel Comics hero designed by legendary artist Jim Lee at the height of his popularity, with involvement by Stan Lee, would ultimately be a failure, but such was the fate of Nightcat.
As an artifact of comic book history, Nightcat is an amusing insight into Marvel's early 1990s attempt to generate attention across multiple mediums, and the character's design, as created by Jim Lee, is unmistakably a product of its era. All these years later, it is wild to think that a Marvel Comics hero designed by legendary artist Jim Lee at the height of his popularity, with involvement by Stan Lee, would ultimately be a failure, but such was the fate of Nightcat.
Source: Jim Lee (Instagram)
