Friday, December 13, 2024

Random Back Issues #142 - The Jaguar #6

It's winter in Michigan, and, at least in the early-90s, that still means snow! Maria's excited and having a great time on the quad, only to be interrupted by her Mean Girl roommate Tracy. Although Maria finds Sammie's "polite liberal" condescension more patronizing.

But Tracy's actually here to invite Maria on a weekend trip with her, Sammie, and Tracy's boyfriend Brian. Assuming Brian can get his jeep to run. It's got a flat, and Brian can't get the lugnuts loose. While Brian goes to call his dad about getting some cash - for a different car? a mechanic? a hydraulic torque wrench? - Maria's alone with the jeep. Easy enough to change to Jaguar and use super-strength to remove the lugs and replace the flat. Except now she has to explain how it happened when Brian returns! Time for a clever ruse!

Brian has got to be the Wallet Inspector's favorite customer.

While on the road, Tracy's inner monologue reveals her reason for inviting Maria. Maria doesn't know Tracy saw her change into the Jaguar a week ago. Tracy's making nice while she figures out a way to use Maria. A conversation about super-heroes that have started popping up is interrupted by the Abominable Snowman, causing Brian to crash the jeep. They ski to a nearby town of. . .Doom Creek? Oh, come on!

The guy running the local diner doesn't dismiss their story. Nope, what they saw is the Doomster! It's been around for decades! People use to come to see it, but you were never the same once you saw it! it fought crime, but then it started attacking people at random! Diner Guy advises them to try the farmhouse down the road for a phone, as he doesn't have one. The electricity gets in your brain, you see. Messes with the Sasquatch blood.

Before they get there, the Doomster strikes! It seems focused on Tracy, but that gives Maria a chance to transform and tackle it. Tracy considers the fact that Maria's saved her twice, when all Tracy wants to do is use her, but still rationalizes keeping Maria's secret from Brian and Sammie on the grounds it isn't worth anything if other people find out.

They find a strange nursery in the root cellar of the farmhouse, along with a shotgun-wielding old couple! The farmer explains his grandfather saw a space ship crash in 1901 and there was a weird little baby inside, that he and his wife raised as their own (once they figured out it ate sand and ammonia water), while teaching it to do good. Only problem, this baby's people experience all time at once. They see a person's past, present, and future. So the Doomster's been pulling a Minority Report, though how anyone was able to discern this I don't know, as there's no indication the Doomster speaks English of can communicate telepathically.

Either way, the notion it's after her for something she's going to do freaks Tracy out enough she runs back into the snow, and into the Doomster. Jaguar wasn't able to bring him down in Round 1, though she did end up in a position to get their jeep unstuck. Now she's back for Round 2. There's no talking between them and they eventually cause an avalanche. Tracy insists on staying to look for Maria, who does manage to dig herself out. No sign of the Doomster, though.

We looked at the next issue back in January, which was a winter excursion for Maria with a more commonplace threat: dumbasses with badges and guns.

{6th longbox, 6th comic. The Jaguar #6, by Bill Messner-Loebs (writer), Chuck Wojtkiewicz (penciler), Jose Marzan Jr. (inker), Tom Ziuko (colorist), Tim Harkins (letterer)}

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