Night Man (or NightMan) was an American television program running from September 1997 to May 1999, loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and created by Steve Englehart (the original comic title was "The Night Man") and developed for television by Glen A. Larson. The show was often criticized by fans of the comic for taking many liberties with the character. It starred Alexandra Hedison as Jennifer Parks and Matt McColm as the title character, a "martial artist" superhero whose real name was Johnny Domino, a saxophonist. Englehart would write three episodes of the series. Nightman is also one of the few series to cross over with characters from Larson's previous series, in the episode "Manimal" Johnny Domino allies with Professor Jonathan Chase, the star of the short-lived 1980s' series Manimal. The second Larson series to cross characters over was Knight Rider (Michael Knight teams with David Dalton, star of the tremendously short-lived Dalton's Code of Vengeance. This does not cite its references or sources. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Malibu Comics was a comic book publisher in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. ... Steve Englehart (born April 22, 1947, Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s. ... Glen A. Larson (born 1937) is a television writer and producer. ... Alexandra Hedison Alexandra Mary Hedison (Born July 10, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Actress, playing in the series The L Word on Showtime. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... A saxophonist is a musician who plays the saxophone. ... Simon McCorkindale as Jonathon, the “Manimal,” and co-star, Melody Anderson, as Brooke Mackenzie. ... Knight Rider was a popular US-American television series that ran between September 26, 1982, and August 8, 1986. ...

Plot summary

Johnny Domino is a well-known San Franciscan jazz musician who is accidentally struck by lightning in a freak cable-car accident. The strike allows him to telepathically recognize evil. Although Night Man has no other superhuman powers on his own, he owns a special bodysuit that gives him several abilities, including flight and advanced sight. His arch nemesis was Kieran Keyes (played by Kim Coates), who would slay Johnny's father Frank Domanus in the premiere of the second and final season. Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco  - Mayor Gavin Newsom Area    - City 122 km²  (47 sq mi)  - Land 121. ... This is a list of jazz musicians on whom Wikipedia has articles. ... Double lightning. ... (this article is about the parapsychological phenomenon. ... In religion and ethics, Evil refers to the morally objectionable aspects of the behaviour and reasoning of human beings — those which are deliberately void of conscience, and show a wanton penchant for destruction. ... Flight is the process by which a heavier-than-air animal or object achieves sustained movement either through the air by aerodynamically generating lift or aerostatically using buoyancy, or movement beyond earths atmosphere, in the case of spaceflight. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kim Coates (born in 1959 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a Canadian actor who has worked in both Canadian and American movies and television series. ...

Comics version

Published by Malibu Comics for its Ultraverse line, the comic book Night Man gained his powers from piece of shrapnel that embedded itself in his head after his car was struck by a cable car that had been hit by a burst of energy known as a "jumpstart", later found to originate from The Entity, an alien starship which had crashed on the Moon. Though not himself jumpstarted, the passengers of the cable car were empowered, some of which went on to form The Strangers. This version of Johnny Domino, while not unconditionally telepathic, could hear evil thoughts, could see in the dark and did not require sleep. His costume and equipment were merely makeshift items from hardware stores and the like, plus a kevlar vest he'd taken from his father, a former police officer turned security guard at a San Francisco Coney Island-type amusement park called "Playland" (based upon the real-life Playland (San Francisco) which existed from 1927 to 1972 and was directly inspired by Coney Island). He used both a gun and a taser to fight crime, though the gun was only used as a last resort and even then, never used to kill. This version could not fly, but like Batman, used a grappling hook and rope to swing about the city or at times, used a motorcycle he bought in the first issue as a means to transport himself quickly. A final difference, though minor, pertains to Johnny Domino's legal name. In the comic book, his name is Johnny Domingo (shortened to Domino as a catchy name to capitalize on his career as a saxophone musician) and his father's name was Edward Domingo (as opposed to the name his father was given on the television series). Malibu Comics was a comic book publisher in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. ... The Ultraverse was the name given to a comic book imprint published by Malibu Comics. ... The Entity (sometimes called The Entity from the Moon) was a fictional device from Malibu Comics Ultraverse. ... The Strangers is the title of a comic book series by Steve Englehart and origincally drawn by Rick Hoberg, for Malibu Comics’ Ultraverse imprint. ... Chemical structure of Kevlar. ... Playland at the Beach was an amusement park that opened in 1927 and closed in 1972. ... Image of Coney Island, located in the middle left of the picture, taken by NASA. The peninsula to the right is Rockaway, Queens. ... It has been suggested that Batman (Earth-Two) be merged into this article or section. ...

Two Night Men?

In October 1994, Malibu Comics was purchased by Marvel Comics. In a drastic attempt to gain new readers, the Ultraverse was given edicts from their new owner, and various Marvel elements began popping up in the monthly Ultraverse titles. One such storyline centered around mainstay Marvel Universe villain Loki (brother of Thor) searching for the Infinity Gems which had been stolen (and lost) by the ancient intergalactic vampire known as Rune. One such gem, the Reality Gem was discovered by the Night Man who, through trickery from Loki, began creating various other Night Men, each one the result of a simple choice he made while wielding the gem. Eventually, what appeared to be the original Night Man used the gem to eliminate all of the doppelgangers, leaving only himself and one additional Night Man. When asked by Loki if they'd reached a decision upon surrendering the gem to him, the initial version surrendered his gem, while the double vowed to stop Loki and charged towards him... only to be destroyed (alongside the duplicated Reality Gem) by the God of Mischief. Loki then left in search of other Infinity Gems to collect, and the surviving Night Man went off on his own way (eventually taking time for himself as Johnny Domino). However, as the God Of Mischief, Loki ressurrected the Night Man he'd killed, whom began to continue where the original left off. The double (not knowing he wasn't the original) found out that an "imposter" was living his life. Tracking the real Johnny Domino down (who was playing the saxophone at a nightclub), they engaged in a fight that was only stopped by the sudden reappearance of an old foe, Rhiannon. She offered power to both men, more specifically magick. Johnny Domino refused, but the other Night Man accepted Rhiannon's offer. Johnny tried to stop his double but was knocked out by Rhiannon. The pair made their escape to Stonehenge to prepare for the rituals that would grant this Night Man magick, while the original, recovered from being knocked out found himself in hot pursuit. The rituals were completed and the double did indeed gain the powers promised to him, but at a cost that Rhiannon had fueled her own life with: gaining and maintaining magick through cannibalism... a choice the double made willingly if it would help him defeat evil, and using the arguement that "The Night Man has ALWAYS evolved when it comes to threats against the innocents". His costume also transformed as a result, looking more celticish, the long hair he wore now in matching locks, and instead of a mask, now sported a crescent-shaped tattoo on the left side of his face, along with a floating eyepiece similar to the original look of the Night Man and his other eye was now red. The original Night Man arrived and tackled his now-magick double, but due to the instantaneous reality-changing events unfolding elsewhere in the Ultraverse known as Black September, a portal opened up at Stonehenge, swallowing the original Night Man and transporting him to the Marvel Universe while the double reassumed the original's life as both Johnny Domino AND the Night Man. The original Night Man was stuck in the Marvel Universe, where he may continue to be as of today. Barring the continuity-plagued story that attempted to half-heartedly resolve the dual Night Men situation, it is universally believed that this version (written by David Quinn who had no previous experience with the Ultraverse line of characters and released as The Night Man/Gambit miniseries) took place in an alternate Marvel Universe as opposed to the version of the Marvel Universe where the original Night Man encountered Wolverine (as shown in The Night Man/Wolverine #0, written by Steve Englehart). This would also conclusively explain the inconsistencies displayed in Quinn's storyline (which showed, among other things, a hale and hearty Gail Yee, Johnny Domino's would-be girlfriend, who suffered irrepairable brain damage in the last storyling written by Steve Englehart and alledging that Johnny Domino's mother WAS Rhiannon, throwing an incest-like plot twist into the mix for some type of shock value, despite the fact that in Englehart's stories, it had been established that Johnny's mother died around the time he was four or five and that in a framed picture of his mother and father, the woman in the photo looks nothing like Rhiannon). Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... Loki (Loki Laufeyson) is a fictional comic book character, a Marvel Comics supervillain, based upon the Loki of Norse mythology. ... Thor (often called The Mighty Thor) is a fictional character and a superhero appearing in the Marvel Universe. ... The Infinity Gems are Marvel Comics artifacts, and are in fact six immensely powerful sentient beings [1]. Originally referred to - erroneously - as Soul Gems, the six can be used in unison to make the wielder omnipotent, and in complete control of the universe. ... Rune is a fictional vampire-like being from Malibu Comics Ultraverse imprint. ... For other uses of the word Doppelgänger please see Doppelgänger (disambiguation). ... This article refers to the magical system of Aleister Crowley and Thelema. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about eating ones own species. ... The Ultraverse was the name given to a comic book imprint published by Malibu Comics. ... For other uses, see Wolverine (disambiguation). ...

As a side-note, Steve Englehart has stated on his official website that he'd pitched the idea of writing TWO monthly Night Man comics, one centering on the Magick Night Man taking place in the Ultraverse, with the other book taking place in the Marvel Universe and centering around the Original Night Man as he tries to make his way in a world that's unfamiliar to him. Unfortunately, the higher-ups at Marvel weren't interested and that was one of the deciding factors which led Englehart to leave what was left of Malibu Comics and the characters he breathed life into.

Episodes

Season 1 (1997)

1. 1- 1 20 Sep 97 (pilot) (1)
2. 1- 2 20 Sep 97 (pilot) (2)
3. 1- 3 12 Oct 97 Whole Lotta Shakin'...
4. 1- 4 19 Oct 97 I Left My Heart
5. 1- 5 26 Oct 97 Still of the Night
6. 1- 6 2 Nov 97 Face to Face
7. 1- 7 9 Nov 97 Chrome
8. 1- 8 16 Nov 97 Takin' It to the Streets
9. 1- 9 23 Nov 97 Lady in Red
10. 1-10 30 Nov 97 That Ol' Gang of Mine
11. 1-11 11 Jan 98 Bad Moon Rising
12. 1-12 18 Jan 98 Constant Craving
13. 1-13 25 Jan 98 You are Too Beautiful
14. 1-14 1 Feb 98 Do You Believe in Magic?
15. 1-15 8 Feb 98 The House of Soul
16. 1-16 15 Feb 98 Nightwoman
17. 1-17 22 Feb 98 Chrome II
18. 1-18 1 Mar 98 Bad to the Bone
19. 1-19 26 Apr 98 Hitchhiker
20. 1-20 3 May 98 Devil in Disguise
21. 1-21 10 May 98 Double Vision
22. 1-22 17 May 98 Amazing Grace

Season 2 (1998)

1. 2- 1 11 Oct 98 The Ultraweb
2. 2- 2 18 Oct 98 The Black Knight
3. 2- 3 25 Oct 98 It Came from Out of the Sky
4. 2- 4 1 Nov 98 Book of the Dead
5. 2- 5 8 Nov 98 Fear City
6. 2- 6 15 Nov 98 Manimal
7. 2- 7 22 Nov 98 Knight Life
8. 2- 8 29 Nov 98 The People's Choice
9. 2- 9 10 Jan 99 Ring of Fire
10. 2-10 17 Jan 99 Sixty Minute Man
11. 2-11 24 Jan 99 Blader
12. 2-12 31 Jan 99 Love and Death
13. 2-13 7 Feb 99 Burning Love
14. 2-14 14 Feb 99 Scent of a Woman
15. 2-15 21 Feb 99 Dust
16. 2-16 28 Feb 99 Spellbound
17. 2-17 7 Mar 99 Double Double
18. 2-18 25 Apr 99 The Enemy Within
19. 2-19 2 May 99 Gore
20. 2-20 9 May 99 Revelations
21. 2-21 16 May 99 Nightwoman Returns
22. 2-22 23 May 99 Keyes to the Kingdom of Hell

Trivia

• The Night Man character would appear in the animated series UltraForce (another Malibu Comic creation), but the back story of Johnny Domino is altered as well compared to the TV Series and Comic.

• "First, Raleigh has no counterpart in the comic, but was added to the series to give Johnny/NightMan someone to talk to. Second, Raleigh was played by an American actor (Derek Webster) in the first season, which was shot in San Diego, but when the series moved to Vancouver for its second season, Canadian rules forced everyone in the cast except Matt McComb (NightMan) to be replaced by Canadians or dropped altogether. Johnny's father Frank and House of Soul owner Jessica Rogers (another TV addition) were axed; the police presence switched from Lt. Charlie Dann to Lt. Briony Branca; but Raleigh, as Johnny's confidante, had to remain - so he was replaced by a Canadian (Derwin Jordan) who looked very similar and basically played the first guy."

from http://www.steveenglehart.com/Film/NightMan-Dust.html The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group in Malibu Comics. ...

External links

• Night Man @ IMDb
• Engleharts' website, includes coverage of his Nightman episodes