El Gato Negro

Infobox comics set index


caption=Both versions of El Gato Negro.
Art by Richard Dominguez.
publisher=Azteca Productions
debut="El Gato Negro" #1 (Oct. 1993)
creators=Richard Dominguez
characters=Agustin Guerrero
Francisco Guerrero
seealso=
cat = super
subcat = Azteca Productions
hero = y
villain =
sortkey = Gato Negro, El

El Gato Negro ("The Black Cat") is the name of two fictional American comic book superheroes created by Richard Dominguez and featured in the Azteca Productions' Universe. Both characters made their first appearance in "El Gato Negro #1" (October 1993).

In the comic's continuity, Agustin Guerrero was the first to hold the title of El Gato Negro in the 1950's, creating the pseudonym in order to form a successful career in lucha libre. His motives soon changed however, as he decided to use his talents to fight the criminal element that plagued South Texas. Agustin later retired the alter ego in the late '60s, only for his grandson to adopt it three decades later. [ [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/g/gatonegr.htm El Gato Negro featured at International Hero] ] Agustin was first introduced as a major supporting character and there are plans to release a series featuring his own exploits as El Gato Negro.

Francisco Guerrero, the second and current incarnation of El Gato Negro, is Agustin's grandson. Francisco makes his living as a social worker in South Texas and devotes most of his free time volunteering for community service. Growing tired of the increasing crime rate in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and haunted by the murder of his friend Mario, Francisco continues the legacy of El Gato Negro, spending his nights fighting against crime. This version often receives comparison to Batman, which is in fact one of the character's many influences. [ [http://www.wizardworld.com/fcodoganenow.html El Gato Negro "The Hispanic Answer to Batman"] ]

Publication history

Early years

The El Gato Negro characters were created by comic book artist and writer Richard Dominguez, both making their first published appearance in "El Gato Negro" #1 (October 1993) published under Dominguez's own Azteca Productions imprint. The original series followed the adventures of Francisco Guerrero, a social worker living in Edinburg, Texas and grandson to the original El Gato Negro, who adopted his grandfather's former nom de guerre in order to avenge the death of his best friend. The series also introduced Agustin Guerrero, the original El Gato Negro of the early '50s and late '60s, as a major supporting character. Although the character officially retired from his former vigilante-activities, Agustin did appear in costume at the climax of the first story-arc entitled, "Unknown passing, Unforgettable Return" ("El Gato Negro" #1-3).

Dominguez had originally intended to introduce El Gato Negro as member of a largely Latino superhero group dubbed "Team Tejas", but after placing considerably more empasis on his character development, Dominguez ultimately decided to abandon the Team Tejas project for a later date. [ [http://www.popthought.com/display_column.asp?DAID=1310 Pop Thought, El Gato Negro interview] ] The character's secret identity, Francisco Guerrero, was devised to have direct ties to the Mexican Revolution. His given name was borrowed from Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa, while the surname Guerrero was mainly chosen for its English-translation "warrior", although Dominguez has hinted at a more historical signifigance, one which has yet to be revealed. [ [http://www.thepaperofsouthtexas.com/page.php?kei=410 The Paper of South Texas - Richard Dominguez's "El Gato Negro" (part 2 of 2)] ]

The character's personality and visual design was greatly influenced by Dominguez's own favorite pulp and comic book superheroes, most noticeably Batman. Another strong influence was Lee Falk's The Phantom, a crime-fighter believed to be immortal but is in fact descended from 20 previous generations of crime-fighters who all adopted the same persona. This, along with other factors, led to the creation of a predecessor to the modern-day El Gato Negro, Agustin Guerrero, a former luchador-turned-adventurer of the late '50s and '60s.

The Francisco Guerrero incarnation of El Gato Negro became a popular character soon after his introduction, the first printing of the series actually sold-out within two months. [ [http://www.amuniversal.com/ups/newsrelease/?view=234 Universal Press Syndicate: Latino Comic Book Artist Sits in as Guest Artist for Baldo] ] A notable 1997 issue revived Margarito C. Garza's "Relampago" character, his first published appearance in nearly fifteen years. The series was later placed on hiatus during the late '90s, although the character consistently made appearances in other media.

2000s

In 2004, rather than return to the original series, Dominguez launched a brand new series continuing the adventures of El Gato Negro entitled, "". For this, Dominguez enlisted the aid of Michael S. Moore to serve as writer and co-plotter, having previously worked together on the first published issue of "Team Tejas". The series also featured the work of guest penciller Efren Molina, while Dominguez acted as letterer and inker. The combination of Moore's writing style and Molina's pencils gave the series a much darker atmosphere and made a few sylistic changes from its predecessor. [ [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/news/109527018723506.htm Comics Bulletin - El Gato Negro Returns in November] ]

El Gato Negro is also to be featured alongside both El Valiente and Aym Geronimo in 2008's "War of the Independents" saga. [ [http://www.dallasvida.com/site.aspx/entertainment1/elgatonegro Look Up in the Sky its El GATO NEGRO] ] Plans to release a compilation series of the original "El Gato Negro" series are currently in the works. A brand new limited series entitled "Lucha Grande Comics" which will feature the early adventures of Agustin Guerrero is also in development.

Fictional character biographies

Agustin "Gus" Guerrero

Separated from the Texas Battalion while on a raid, Agustin became lost in the harsh jungles of Korea only to encounter an exiled Japanese warrior and assassin known as "The Black Cat". Forming an alliance, the Black Cat properly trained the lost Tejano in martial arts and stealth. After being rescued and discharged from the military, Agustin returned to South Texas to begin a career in Lucha Libre. Recognizing a recurring cat motif in his life, Agustin chose the identity of El Gato Negro, promising to bring bad luck to his opponents. But it was his vigilante activities outside of the ring that made him a legend amongst the communities of South Texas. Agustin's incarnation of El Gato Negro has become so much a part of the local folklore that few even acknowledge his existence, referring to him as a "fairy tale".His motives soon changed however, as he decided to use his talents to fight the criminal element that plagued South Texas. Agustin later retired the alter ego in the late '60s, only for his grandson to adopt it three decades later.

Francisco "Pancho" Guerrero

The second and current El Gato Negro, Francisco Guerrero is a social worker by day and a vigilante by night. The citizens of Southwest Texas believe Francisco to be the original El Gato Negro, returning once again to rid Texas of evil. Prior to becoming the new El Gato, Francisco was growing tired of the increasing crime rate in his hometown of Edinburg, Texas. The final straw being the death of his friend, Mario, a border patrol officer who was overpowered and murdered by several drug-runners. Deciding to take action, with the permission of his grandfather, Francisco adopted the moniker of El Gato Negro and operated as the Nocturnal Warrior for several months, successfully fighting against crime. Despite being popular with the citizens of his community, El Gato Negro is constantly being hunted by local law enforcement led by police Captain Miguel Bustamonte, Francisco's best friend and Mario's older brother.Francisco makes his living as a social worker in South Texas and devotes most of his free time volunteering for community service. Growing tired of the increasing crime rate in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and haunted by the murder of his friend Mario, Francisco continues the legacy of El Gato Negro, spending his nights fighting against crime.

In other media

Comic strip

*The adventures of El Gato Negro are currently featured in a bi-monthly comic strip for South Texas Nation. [ [http://southtexasnation.com/ South Texas Nation] ]
*The Francisco Guerrero version of El Gato Negro is also to be featured in Arizona's Iguana Magazine, a Spanish language magazine aimed for kids between the ages of seven to twelve. [ [http://egnfanclub.blogspot.com/2008/09/egn-comic-strip-for-iguana-magazine.html EGN Fanclub Blog: EGN Comic Strip for Iguana Magazine!] ] [ [http://www.nicagal.com/iguana/eng/ IGUANA magazine] ]

Film adaptation

Richard Dominguez is currently in talks for a possible live-action film adaptation of the El Gato Negro characters. [ [http://web.mac.com/enrique.diaz/PCBR/Podcast/Entries/2008/2/7_pcbr_020508_dominguez4.html PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO interview with Richard Dominguez PART 4] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/richard_dominguez El Gato Negro's MySpace page]
* [http://www.egnfanclub.blogspot.com Official Blog]
* [http://www.dominguezillustrations.com/ Official Site of Richard Dominguez]
* [http://www.comicspace.com/aztecaproductions/ Azteca Productions' Comicspace page]