Tigress (DC Comics)

Tigress
Artemis Crock as Tigress in JSA #17 (Dec 2000); art by Stephen Sadowski.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Zatara foe: Action Comics #1 (1938) Paula Brooks: Sensation Comics # 68 (Aug 1947) Artemis Crock: Infinity Inc. #34 (Jan 1987)
Created by	Zatara foe: Fred Guardineer Paula Brooks: Mort Meskin Artemis Crock: Roy Thomas Todd McFarlane
In-story information
Alter ego	Paula Brooks Artemis Crock Tabitha Galavan (Gotham)
Abilities	Hand to hand combat

Tigress is the name of three different comic book supervillains, all of whom have appeared in various series published by DC Comics.

An original incarnation of Tigress called Tabitha Galavan appeared in the live-action series Gotham, portrayed by Jessica Lucas. Additionally, the Paula Brooks incarnation of Tigress appeared in the live-action DC Universe / The CW series Stargirl, portrayed by Joy Osmanski.

Publication history

The first Golden Age Tigress was a thief/spy and foe of Zatara in the late 1930s. She debuted in Action Comics #1 (June 1938), and was created by Fred Guardineer. She wore tiger-striped sweaters and ran gangs of thieves and murderers. She apparently had no powers.

The second Tigress is Paula Brooks, who was a member of the Young All-Stars, who later became a villainess named the Huntress.

The third Tigress is Artemis Crock, the daughter of the second Tigress, and is a member of the Injustice Society. She debuted in Infinity Inc. #34 and was created by Roy Thomas and Todd McFarlane.

Fictional character biography

Zatara foe

The original Golden Age Tigress.

The original Tigress appeared as Zatara's primary foe throughout twelve issues of Action Comics, including issues #1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 22, 23, 25, 30, 35 and 42. In her initial appearance, she battles Zatara and his assistant Tong while attempting to rob a freight train. She escapes and later resurfaces in stories using various methods in attempts to kill wealthy men, including using an attacking airplane, poisoning their drinks and infecting them with a disease from a rare South American insect. She also uses her influence as a mob boss to pressure other criminals into assisting her in crime sprees, which usually involve bank robberies and thefts of other valuables.

The Artemis entry in Who's Who Update '87 #1 states that the Golden Age Tigress is the mother of Paula Brooks (the second Tigress and original Huntress) and the grandmother of Artemis Crock (the third Tigress). However, Who's Who Update '87 #5 included a retraction of that information and stated that neither Paula Brooks nor Artemis Crock is related to her.

Paula Brooks

Main article: Paula Brooks

The second Tigress is Paula Brooks. She was a member of the Young All-Stars and later became the villainous Huntress. She later married the Sportsmaster, and had a daughter, Artemis Crock, who becomes the third Tigress.

Artemis Crock

Main article: Artemis Crock

Artemis Crock is the daughter of the Golden Age villains Paula Brooks and Crusher Crock. She had taken up a career in crime, modeled after that of her parents, but only after some years did she take on the mantle of Tigress.

Other versions

Tigress (Earth-S)

An unknown woman nicknamed Tigress appears in Spy Smasher #2 (December 1941). This version is an enemy of Spy Smasher.

Tigress (Quality Universe)

An unknown woman dubbed The Tigress or Tiger Lady appears in Blackhawk #11 (June 1946). She is the leader of a gang of international criminal fugitives, who had fled the civilized world and holed up in a well-hidden fortress, in a jungle, in a mountainous, tropical part of the world. She organized this rabble into a tiger-masked team of deadly spearmen, mainly in order to keep the local natives at bay. A chance encounter with the Blackhawk Squadron, and a few bad decisions on her part, led to the Tigress' being killed by arrow-shooting natives, and her thugs being killed by the pistol-packing Blackhawks.

In other media

See also: Paula Brooks § In other media, and Artemis Crock § In other media

• An original incarnation of Tigress appears in the Batman Beyond episode "Splicers", voiced by Cree Summer. This version is an unnamed human who was spliced with tiger DNA and serves genetics expert Dr. Abel Cuvier.
• The Artemis Crock incarnation of Tigress appears in Young Justice, voiced by Stephanie Lemelin. This version initially uses the Tigress identity to work undercover as a supervillain and infiltrate the Light before permanently assuming the identity after her boyfriend Kid Flash dies saving Earth from an alien invasion.
• An original incarnation of Tigress, Tabitha Galavan, appears in Gotham, portrayed by Jessica Lucas. This version is the sister and lead enforcer of Theo Galavan (portrayed by actor James Frain), both members of the Dumas family and step-relatives of Silver St. Cloud.
• The Paula Brooks incarnation of Tigress appears in Stargirl, portrayed by Joy Osmanski. This version is a member of the Injustice Society of America.

External links

• Comic Book Database: Tigress I
• The Unofficial Tigress I Biography