Thursday, September 01, 2005

Great Supporting Character - Dr. Leslie Thompkins

While she is in the forefront, I figure now would be a good time to discuss one of the better Batman supporting cast members, Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

When first introduced in Denny O'Neil's classic 1975 Detective Comics story "There Is No Hope in Crime Alley," Leslie was very similar to how she would be perceived after Crisis, but the depiction was slightly different. She was older, and while she could have been a doctor, that was not her primary role.

Mike W. Barr really enjoyed the character of Leslie, and worked with her as often as he could, writing her into his Batman: Year Two as a major character.

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Barr, and later Post-Crisis writers really solidified her role in the Bat-books. She was a Doctor at a Clinic in the poorest part of Gotham City, striving to do good in her own manner.

Alan Grant and Devin Grayson both worked with her extensively in Shadow of the Bat and Grayson's various Batman stories (Grayson even wrote her as being romantically involved with Alfred).

Leslie stood as a matriarchal figure to Batman, but also as someone who could never truly embrace his acts of violence. But she knew he was a good man.

More recently, Ed Brubaker did a lot of good work with Leslie in the pages of Catwoman, as the two seem to share a bond.

Dr. Leslie Thompkins - a shining beacon in the Dark Night.

1 Comments:

Blogger ElGrande said...

Until War Games. But it was a good run while it lasted.

10/22/2005 1:37 AM  

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