Wildcat- JSA Legacies Project Day 12 #JSApril
In celebration of JSApril, I am creating art of JSA members and their legacies characters whether it’s their successor, former sidekick, or even their kids. Today, I am taking a look at a one of the stalwarts of the JSA, a character that has (Post-Crisis) been responsible for training Batman, Black Canary, and many more heroes, a character who is a former champion prize-fighter: Ted Grant, better known as Wildcat. Additionally, I am taking look at his first successor; a news reporter turned hero in honor of Grant’s serious injuries during the Crisis. I am of course talking about Yolanda Montez aka The Wildcat.
Wildcat (Ted Grant and Yolanda Montez)
Wildcat (Ted Grant)
Ted Grant was another character to make his debut in Sensation Comics #1 and in recent years, alongside Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, formed the JSA’s Big Three. Which isn’t exactly the case if you read older All-Star Squadron stories. It isn’t that Ted wasn’t there, he just wasn’t the heavy hitter like the others. I do love Ted’s design and general motif as a former Prize Boxer turned superhero. He doesn’t have any real powers but just a couple of fists and damn he’s great at it. He also serves as a motivational coach for some of the younger heroes. I just love the old coot.
While not exactly a JSA story, I loved the boxing match he has in New Frontier #4 against Cassius Clay (aka Muhammed Ali). It does a great job showcasing his boxing roots and how the JSA retreated into civilian life following the Red Scare and McCarthy hearings in the 1950’s. Grant’s appearance in the beloved Batman Brave and the Bold animated series is also inspired. Voiced by R. Lee Ermy. Just watch this clip for a sample.
The Process
This process was fairly straight forward. I knew early one I wanted to go for an uppercut image. I actually drew this one based on a Batman reference I found online. The Color of the suit was the more interesting part. I didn’t want to go straight black ink or paint, as I felt lacked the rich color I wanted. So I layered this think in purples, dark blues, some gray, and then did a like wash of black paint in places. It mostly works as I think the depth and form is there. The brush technique wasn’t as tight as I should have been, but I was rushing through this one at this point.
Wildcat (Yolanda Montez)
The second Wildcat would make her debut in the pages of Crisis on Infinite Earths following the injury to Ted Grant during the Crisis. Yolanda Montez was established as Ted’s God-daughter and her journey to becoming the second Wildcat was natural. She would be a member of Infinity Inc alongside the second Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite. She would die in the pages of Eclipso with other legacy characters like Beth Chapel and Hank Heywood. She would show back up in later years, as with most comic characters.
The Process
The process for Yolanda is largely the same as it was for Ted. I decided to use a random trading card image for her reference. I do wish I placed the background shape more behind her instead of just above her head as it would have been visually much more interesting, but sometimes that isn’t obvious until color is added and at this point it was too late to fix. My brush discipline was the worst here.
Next Time
This the first of another double post day. Here in a bit you will see the only other character more confusing than Hawkman- Black Canary.
What is JSApril?
The Justice Society of America made their debut in All-Star Comics #3 in 85 years ago. In celebration, the folks over at Fire and Water Podcasting Network have assembled bloggers, podcasters, and many more creators to honor the world’s first superhero team. Find the full list of participants and more over at Fire and Water Network’s webpage and I truly encourage you all to check out some of the amazing things people have been creating.
Social Media
You can follow along with JSApril all of the other creators on social media with #JSApril. You can always find me here or over on Bluesky and I contribute weekly to The Beat. If you are new here be sure to check out out the archives. Personally, I’m quiet proud of my History of Heroes Reborn posts. You can see my other JSApril posts here.
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