Nightcat #1 - Atop the Fourth Wall

This makes the movie Glitter look like-
...No, I take that back. Glitter is still worse than this.
Originally uploaded August 31st, 2009.
RUMINATIONS: Nightcat (or possibly Night Cat) is one of the more infamous comics I've done on the show... which of course I had done before as a text review. I don't recall a lot being changed from the text to video aside from the introduction of the Ninja-Style Dancer, who was another character was really just there to be a joke any time I needed dancing. Even almost five years later there's not much known about him on the show other than the fact that he has a rich career as a back-up dancer for the stars. Also he sometimes leads exciting battles against the Evil Ninja Empire and hellish interdimensional beings.
This review was a pain in the ass to make because of the comic's spine. I honestly do appreciate the prestige format since having a solid spine means I can more properly put it on a bookshelf, but when you can't find scans of it online for your internet show, you have to scan the pages yourself... and having a spine makes it nearly impossible to make said scans unless you really force them on there. And of course Nightcat is not a SHORT comic, which helps account for the length of the episode.
I did actually get my hands on the Nightcat album - two copies, in fact, as fans were very generous to donate them. It's... not very good. Todd in the Shadows and I did film us listening to the album during the filming of To Boldly Flee, but nothing has really been done with the footage. The album is just... meh, very samey-sounding pop music that obviously did not light the world on fire, so even if you DID have a copy of the album while reading the comic, it wouldn't have made the experience of reading the comic's lyrics any more meaningful because of all the lavish praise hoisted on the lyrics. It's the same problem I described in Batman: Fortunate Son - you can't just TELL us it sounds amazing. This is why music comics don't work unless they have a proper soundtrack with them. And even, then it's kind of a gimmick. The story shouldn't be about their singing - it should be about them being engaged in other things.
And yet I keep running into music-based comics. Weird.
This is also one of the occasions where I've heard from one of the creators of the comic! Specifically the cover artist, who uploaded the original cover to Nightcat to DeviantArt. He apparently really loved the review and was thankful that I was complimentary to the cover. The cats on said cover are apparently the ones he had at the time. Nifty.

[@johnalogue9832]

...So threat of alcoholism < threat of singing. Father of the century.

[@DiceFTW273]

Say what you want about this comic one good thing did come out of this... The Ninja Style Dancer!

[@whovianhistorybuff]

#Go ninja go ninja go#

[@JanetStarChild]

Considering that the character was a young adult in '91, all her teenage scenes would have taken place in the '80s; and CDs were kind of a luxury product during the '80s. CD players were way out of most people's price-range, so records and cassettes were still predominantly sold and used.

[@isaacbailey3681]

"This has been Plot Convenience News, providing exposition since _Amazons Attack."_ This humor, this is why I watch AT4W.

[@ACrustyCount]

On this little, journey, back through this show's evolution it's interesting to see the introduction of all his characters. Harvey Finevoice, 90s Kid, Ninja Style Dancer, Pollo, the leadup to Mechakara, and the runnin gags. All through the years as all the pieces fall into place to create the current iteration. Its not the destination, but the road along the way.

[@thegayghost872]

"Totally Celestial" sounds like something The Jetsons would say.

[@evanmontgomery3062]

Or the title of a Totally Spies episode.

[@cutiepuppy4427]

This review got me into Mystery Science Theater 3000. Thank you, Lewis. 4:15 - 4:25

[@Morbos1000]

Its funny to see a hero designed around Glam Rock in 1991. That is literally the last year that 80s Hairband music was still viable. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. released their seminal albums that year and by 1992 Alternative had completely overtaken the 80s sound.

[@MetalheadCinemaniac]

Morbos1000 That is pretty much Marvel tradition. After all Dazzler, who is a disco themed hero debuted in the early 80's right when disco was dying. So that's one more thing these 2 have in common.

[@patrickstewart3446]

So... we have a straight-A pre-law student super-heroine who is an entertainer on the down-low with a law-and-order daddy who wants to keep his daughter from being an entertainer and a substance abusing mother who left her when she was young and early into her career she gets grabbed by a guy with a metal hand after she stumbles onto a criminal sceme... so they basically plagiarized Dazzler only without the awesome superpowers... and, you know, a fanbase. :)

[@jeremyshober7000]

This might have been mentioned already, but as someone who was a teenager in '91 I can say, though CD were around and rather prolific, records were far from gone by that point. Cassette tapes were more popular, but most music shops had about as many records as CDs. Also, Mom and Pop music shops tended to focus on records. At least, that's how I remember it.

[@ConnorNotyerbidness]

Jeremy Shober heck i wasnt born til 96 but i still had a cassette tape player, cds still took a little to fully take off

[@spiderboy43]

Thank you Nightcat for giving us the Ninja Style Dancer! Go ninja go ninja go! ....sorry, like that song... guilty pleasure.

[@Nightcaat]

You’re welcome... I think?

[@alanzapreservationtheythem2861]

Blow ninja, blow ninja blow!

[@mitchfletcher2386]

Ninja, ninja RAP!

[@tonyjoestar2632]

That "I don't have Medicare" line made me laugh out loud

[@lorddrayvon1426]

The father's shirt makes it look like he was cut in half and then someone incorrectly joined the halves together again.

[@loneshewolf74]

If I was crossed with a cat, with my luck I probably wouldn't have develop of the cool traits cats have, like supreme agility or night vision. I'd probably start sleeping all the time and become really afraid of getting wet instead.

[@theasinclaire52]

Would your archenemy be a laser pointer?

[@mitchfletcher2386]

@@theasinclaire52 No, it would be dogs.

[@sr.favopossodeixarvaziosim4595]

That's actually an interesting weakness of a hero with cat powers: Needing to sleep off the powers

[@NightridewithNikki]

Would you eat tuna or that part of the cool cat club

[@93MANIAC]

Not to mention you would have an incurable addiction to shrimp

[@Davethe3rd]

I now demand a crossover review with Todd in the Shadows of nightcat's album.

[@whovianhistorybuff]

in the description linkara says that he and todd did have a listen and described it as "meh"

[@Nightcaat]

I have been summoned!

[@Morningstar91939]

Nightcat BOO! Bring on Dazzler!

[@TennantJunkie1993]

Hypothetically raspberrying the wrong parent, Lewis. The DAD blamed the mom's death on music and subsequently, because he wasn't supportive enough, drove her to drinking.

[@VeryPeeved]

ninja style dancer is the only good thing to come from this comic

[@93MANIAC]

That and the Cat-illac

[@Tareltonlives]

One of my favorite episodes. Love the Ninja Style Dancer.

[@Bobsheaux]

Anyone know why Nightcat's musical career never took off? Her music didn't sound bad to me (said the guy who knows damn near nothing about pop music and probably doesn't know what he's talking about).

[@Gripen1974]

I would say her music would prob been something if she had released it 8-10 years earlier, this was the 90ies and 80ies style pop was dead.

[@TsukiCondor]

Hi bob :-D

[@SnowyDragoon]

+Gripen1974 I'd actually say 8-10 years later, with the resurgence of pop that happened.

[@calebmayfield3326]

+Gripen1974 90ies just looks weird.You should've used 90s instead

[@JacobCMayer]

Hooray for the first appearance of Ninja-Style Dancer!

[@dragonsword8129]

So that's how we got Ninja Style Dancer.

[@Bismuth83X]

Nightcat's backstory sounds like a really bad copy of Samus's: Her parents were killed by the Space Pirates on the planet K2-L, and she was adopted by the Chozo (A birdlike alien civilization), infused with their DNA, and trained to become a warrior.

[@Morningstar91939]

Bismuth83 that’s another reason why Samus Aran is an awesome character. This comic is Metroid: Other M, but MUCH WORSE.

[@Dreigonix]

+Bismuth83 Oh hey, it’s you again with Aeolus. Small world, eh?

[@Dreigonix]

+DP Productions Complete with baffling misplaced anti-feminism. “Frail and vulnerable females”- Staaaaan? You did a bad.

[@noahmagana137]

Ten years of nightcat. I eagerly await the mcu version of nightcat with either the 13 reasons why girl or the stranger things girl playing her.

[@NefariousEvildoer]

This premise probably would've worked well as a magical girl manga, a la Tokyo Mew Mew, but as a superhero comic, it's just... stupid.

[@kingofthegundam7974]

+NefariousEvildoer The two aren't exactly mutually exclusive, you know.

[@kimifw58]

+KingoftheGundam79 True, but they're still different.

[@Tareltonlives]

Night Cat: Still a better name than The Ravagers

[@dunkanbulk14]

CHAAANGE?! YA GOT CHAAAANGE?!

[@Rex13013]

+OtakuboyT Ha! Gokaiger, nice one.

[@logicaloverdrive8197]

dunkanbulk14 the critic’s gonna sue.

[@amberbarbera2001]

Why does everyone in the Marvel universe live in New York?

[@Aqua-Marine-UK_1991]

+Amber Barbera doesnt Stan Lee live in New York?

[@amberbarbera2001]

+MLP Aqua-Marine UK Probably, I don't.

[@Aqua-Marine-UK_1991]

Amber Barbera maybe he lived in new york for so long that he wanted the heros in the area he lived in

[@amberbarbera2001]

+MLP Aqua-Marine UK Good point, but still that's just lazy writing if the mojority of his characters live in New York.

[@Shiirow]

+Amber Barbera Because Marvel was based in New York, and the writers could easily use landmarks around them in comics rather than trying to make up a fictional place and have to keep track of continuity.

[@Scoritn]

The origin of The Ninja Style Dancer!!!

[@blastinus3714]

This might be indicative of my sense of humor more than anything, but I got a genuine chuckle out of the "I don't have medicare" joke.

[@neferacronia6798]

So this is where the Ninja Style Dancer came from!!!

[@thehoodedteddy1335]

Actually, the argument could be made that cats have "healing powers". They purr at a frequency that is good for rebuilding bone density. Still BS how her wound stopped bleeding like that.

[@Tareltonlives]

There's an idea: Daddy-O as a superhero.

[@Tareltonlives]

"I don't think that man's ever been to medical school"-Buzz Lightyear

[@Tareltonlives]

As if ninja-style dancer wasn't funny enough before, I watched Miami Connection

[@Tareltonlives]

Glitter needed Ninja Dancers

[@New3DSLuigi364]

@1:37-2:30 I LOVE this OLD version of the AT4W Intro; It just COOL!!!

[@AndrewBullXandrew]

GO NINJA GO!

[@bernkastel6129]

Hmm, that reminds me. I've yet to watch the Tromeo and Juliet review that the Cinema Snob was in. That comic was very silly. But, as a comic serving to advertise a singer, it could be so much worse. As a minor note, you know when Nightcat has her first fight and says "Wrong! The Night Cat can!"? Well, with Linkara's comment about how the henchman could have been about to say "She can't sing!", I had this thought of Night Cat's response actually being for that her suddenly erupting into a musical number about how the Night Cat can sing and dance and do so many things, while the henchmen look on, wondering if someone had slipped some of their own drugs into their food. It's silly, yes, but no less than the actual comic. Lastly, the Ninja Style Dancer? Yay!

[@genesismultiverse4896]

That cat probably was injected with spiderman powers as well so nightcat has those reflexes

[@New3DSLuigi364]

@4:19-4:25 Linkara: Rock Candy Baby, You're Mine! (Beat) Linkara: I am SUCH a nerd. Me: I don't get WHY singing that song makes you a nerd.

[@luxsupreme76]

It's from MST3K. ^^

[@New3DSLuigi364]

Leo Burton so?

[@SnowyDragoon]

She was the original Hannah Montana .

[@Bauglir100]

+Majin Boo Then what does that make Jem and the Holograms?

[@SnowyDragoon]

***** funny, i don't remember making this comment...

[@TristanJHorta]

That makes Jem And The Holograms a horrible movie adaptation.

[@Dinoman-ff1wc]

Lyrics in comics can work. For example in one issue of The New Avengers, Luke Cage is riding an elevator after being thrown from a building. He listens to a song getting pump up before getting back to the fight. It cuts from him to the floor number and back. While a song plays. The trick is to use your imagination of how it sounds.

[@imimmune2gravity]

Ah MST3K reference good to know a few MSTies are still around.

[@bernardomarkuskampffdemelo4323]

He references the show in pretty much every single video

[@doubledamn2599]

Dr. Ecstasy? C'mon! This is a music based comic and they don't go with Dr. Feelgood?

[@javierrico1996]

Jayden Dove That would've been way too early a reference, especially considering Gorillaz didn't exist in 1991.

[@ronburgundy244]

@@javierrico1996 it's a Motley Crue reference.

[@o76923]

This is where the Ninja Style Dancer came from? Cool.

[@ConnorNotyerbidness]

Oh yeah my cat totally uses a staff to block bullets everyday! What? Shes 19 and needs to keep up her exercise

[@KevlarNinja]

So, is this like ROM and US-1, were it's canon with the Marvel universe? Is Nightcat going to appear as canon fodder in Secret Wars?

[@SrGurkman]

Secret Wars should have had a miniseries about Howard the Duck, Deadpool, and Squirrel Girl teaming up with randos like them.

[@Nintendon85]

PennyPlunderer Marvel needs to listen to this guy.

[@KevlarNinja]

PennyPlunderer Shut up and take my money!

[@calebmayfield3326]

+PennyPlunderer What 3 jokey dc characters would you like to see teamup.Mine aould be Plastic man,Harley Quinn,Ambush Bug,& Lobo

[@Morningstar91939]

Matt Lipton frankly, I wouldn’t mind that.

[@casualkitty1381]

I listened to parts of her album on KZbin. I have a music theory... if your gig is dressing like Satan's Dominatrix probably don't want to be performing music that would give diabetes to a Christian rock group.

[@doubledamn2599]

Dazzler has one of the most potentially powerful abilities in Marvel, sure converting sound into light doesn't seem that strong but when you have people like Banshee or Black Bolt running around....

[@Morningstar91939]

Jayden Dove yeah, particularly since Black Bolt can level a city with a whisper.

[@bdpickett]

I swear, Lee reused this plot when he did the Catwoman comic for that What if series.

[@101Draico]

Stand lees lucky man might be the best thing he’s created in recent years.... considering this

[@StephenHutchison]

You should've read the narration with a Stan Lee voice.

[@wandamaximoff9774]

Man, Musa from Winx Club could have tutored her on how to hide her music better. And be a more developed character.

[@kiko485]

LMFAO RIGHT? 😂😭😂

[@Sevenigma777]

Anybody else just really getting into this channel in 2017? I know im late but didnt know he existed before

[@DarknessIsTheTruth]

I can't wait for Nightcat to be added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! =D

[@Nightcaat]

Woah woah woah woah woah, what? IS THIS WHEN MY CHANNEL STARTS GAINING SUBSCRIBERS?

[@Morningstar91939]

Nightcat NOPE.

[@PapaKennMedia]

Am I the only one surprised that there was never a reference to "Cat Scratch Fever" in that entire comic? Like, not even during the sequence where she magically grows red claws? (If "Cat Scratch Fever" was mentioned and I forgot, I apologize for my dumb-ness)

[@ghostmachine241]

Cocaine? Counterproductive to making music? Hehe. Fleetwood Mac just called.

[@whovianhistorybuff]

As has Eric Clapton

[@Bismuth83X]

This looks like a job for- *_SNOOOOOOOOOWFFFFLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMME!_*

[@TheCoolestRob]

Embarrassed to have seen a Troma film? Na, that's nothing to be embarrassed about.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

So, I actually decided to Google Nightcat on a whim. This comic was the first result. I did not see a single result for her as a singer for two full pages of results. Surely the sign of a successful career.

[@mattyoung4990]

yes the birth of the ninja style dancer

[@dracocrusher]

31:07 I just have to point out, based on the pannel that the ninja swinging the sword at her, it looks like she should lose a leg. I'm kind-of supprised Linkara didn't bring that up, lol! Unless cat powers include thighs of steel, she's taking a hit.

[@kagehikari4281]

I would just like to point out the junk science of "night vision". Cats and some other animals can see better at night due to the extra rods and cones in there eyes and larger field of vision to take in more light. (They can not see in the dark. They just are able to see better in lower light. They still need some light to see.) There is a trade off. They loose depth perception. Cats also do dont see the world in the same color that we do and its much more limited to shades of blue and grey because of the extra rods and cones. You cant turn this on and off. this is basic biology so if she actually HAD cats improved night vision, biologically speaking her eyes would function very different. This is not magic here and you cant just take one aspect with out the rest for it to work. Kinda like the law of equivalent exchange in alchemy. Just thought Id throw that out there. Sorry to burst your bubbles for dreams of better night vision. You probably wouldn't like it in reality compared to the rich sight that we enjoy as humans. Same with "eagle eyes". Oh and claws dont work that way.

[@Bismuth83X]

Nightcat for Marvel Vs. Capcom 4/5; she can be Felica's rival... or, given that they had a playable Felyne in Teppen, maybe they'll have a playable Felyne in that game and she'll be rivals with that character!

[@andreworders7305]

30:34 There aren’t any real Ninjas! They’re all dead!

[@capmar-vell9243]

Can't wait for the Youngblood #6 and Avengers #200 review.

[@MyMagnificentOctopus]

Wait a minute! Did they steal a plot point from Wiseguy? The idea of hiding drugs on the garbage barge was part of the third season mafia plot.

[@samuelbarber4154]

When was 90s Kid's first appearance?

[@Morningstar91939]

Samuel Barber the Youngblood #1 Review.

[@DetectorCliche]

29:38 While I think that does makes sense somewhat, wouldn't firing her raise suspicions about the motivation? Also if she's really popular wouldn't that cause people to boycott the label leading to serious financial losses?

[@V.D.Boom_Ventures]

Linkara doing the Freddie Mercury pose (Queen - Live at Wembley Stadium) led me here.

[@DoctorPretorious616]

Apparently, the real Jacqueline Tavarez was just a model chosen to base the persona upon and allegedly didn't do any of her own singing on her album (shades of Milli Vanilli). ComicTropes also did a great recent video on the failure of the Nightcat multimedia venture: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qInWY2R7jZuJfc0

[@TristanJHorta]

I looked up at 4:40 and I literally thought that the woman was April O' Neal from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 80's movie!

[@Tareltonlives]

♫Against the Ninja!♫

[@VekhGaming]

"You're a embarrasment to singing superheroes". How many of those are there actually? Or singing supervillains for that matter? Not counting Johannes Krauser II since his only superpower is Refuge in Audacity and possibly Dissociative Identity Disorder.

[@Archon3960]

Sometimes, I feel bad for failed artists appearing in bad comics. It feels like they hit rock bottom.

[@Artretha]

Her origin story is almost exactly like Dazzler's. Lol

[@Tareltonlives]

Ninja Style Dancer Beings

[@Tareltonlives]

So with Batman Fortunate Son, does that mean Nightcat is a Batman villain?

[@aforcemorepowerful]

But but but Gideon owns the building, how is there no evidence at all linking her to Dr Ecstacy?

[@eamonndeane587]

To play Devil's Advocate for this bad comic, she probably Bribed the police to ignore that evidence or Gideon Purchased the Building through a Shell company.

[@andreworders7305]

Dazzler started as a collab? Marvel still uses them.

[@lice2248]

Who else shamelessly danced?

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

Did the villain just talk about killing someone right in front of that person's dad? I mean, she probably doesn't know that guy's her dad, but she's still taking about killing someone right in front of a police officer.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

The music thing is kinda a matter of taste. Some people - Myself among them - derive genuine enjoyment from reading lyrics and are kinda able to hear the song in our heads from that.

[@ThePunk7777]

Glad his dancing got better.

[@alexjewett7455]

28:43 someone should give catwoman a cat-ilac

[@Scoritn]

You know your a bad singer when your song is tuned out for Vanilla Ice.

[@MyMagnificentOctopus]

WTF is with the "Wrecka Stow" album? That was also a stupid joke in Under the Cherry Moon. Was there some incredibly popular "Wrecka Stow" line going around in the 90s that I missed?

[@eamonndeane587]

I thought that was just a Slang Term in Florida.

[@zacharypreval3186]

I don't think this was Stan's fault. It was probably the editor's fault.

[@jessewilley531]

CDs were nine years old and records hadn't become 'retro' yet.

[@Bismuth83X]

Your Nightcat voice is a special type of hilariously bad... 🤣😂😅😆 I'll get back at you for this one day...

[@Nightcaat]

Of course he sounds nothing like me.

[@roberthayes9314]

And you know what the hell of it is? Puma Man is still a better superhero than Night Cat.

[@andreworders7305]

Her hair would have been ripped out by the weight of a human

[@andreworders7305]

The songs in this sound like nursery rhymes

[@TennantJunkie1993]

If he dies uc, I don't feel sad one bit. He was both Triton AND the anchor that killed Ariel's mother.

[@gracefutrell1912]

I think it will be funny if Night cat or dazzler showed up in an episode of Jessica Jones or have night cat meet Deadpool!😂

[@noahcove79]

did he gust I can't decide us!👏

[@bujilou]

90's kid is fuckin awesome! never stop hahahahaha

[@johnrobb3187]

Sure they could find a spot for her on the Avengers

[@papabearlives9995]

She lost the will to live . Don't tell me this is where George Lucas gets his ideas from.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"This mustn't happen to you! I won't let music kill you, too!" Isn't this basically the plot of Coco? And like a whole bunch of crappy made-for-tv movies?

[@andreworders7305]

32:09 I’m sure there’s a manga about that somewhere

[@phillip22196]

am i the only who thinks in the sceen of nightcat singing she look's like michael jackson

[@SpeedyEric1]

1:25- And you would later give the Cinema Snob and Oancitizen a copy of the movie for them to review in a crossover. 5:41- Thanks for not making a Padme Amildala joke. 9:23- Little did Linkara knew back in 2009 that records would later make a comeback.

[@KubatheChangeling]

5:13 - 5:16 Yeah, I know a certain bum, who's going to kick you in the nazz for you stealing his money cup. XD 10:17 - 10:22 Does this "Simon" have a band mate named, "Milo"?