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Linda Holland
Linda Holland
Linda Holland
Aliases: Linda Ridge
Continuity: Swamp Thing
Notability: Minor character
Type: Scientist
Gender: Female
Location: Houma, Louisiana
Known relatives: Agnes Asherman (mother)
Linda Olsen Ridge (grandmother?)
Damian Ridge (grandfather?)
Alex Olsen (ancestor, removed)
Alec Holland (husband)
Died: 1972 [1]
Introduction: Swamp Thing, Vol. 1 #1
Actor: Nannette Brown

Linda Ridge Holland is a fictional scientist and a minor character featured in comic book titles published by DC Comics. She was initially introduced as part of DC's Pre-Crisis mainstream universe, but her characterization and history was preserved following the events of the continuity-shifting Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series in 1985-86. Linda is part of the Swamp Thing family of comic book titles and made a single canonical appearance in Swamp Thing, Volume 1 #1 in November, 1972.

Biography[]

Linda Holland was born Linda Olsen Ridge some time in the late 1940s. She was likely a direct descendent of Damian Ridge and his wife, also named Linda Olsen Ridge.

As a young woman, Linda attended college at Harvard University. She studied under the tutelage of Professor Jason Woodrue. Woodrue would later go on to become the villain known as the Floronic Man. Another of Linda's classmates was Pamela Isley – the future Poison Ivy.

Linda went on to work for a professor named Doctor Jordan Schiller. Schiller was actively campaigning for Senator George McGovern in a presidential race against the incumbent Richard M. Nixon. During this time period, Linda and Schiller became romantically involved with one another, despite the fact that the doctor was several years her senior. Schiller eventually grew disheartened with the age difference between them, and encouraged Linda to seek out men closer to her own age. To that end, he introduced her to one of his star pupils, Alec Holland. Alec was immediately smitten with Linda, and over the course of several weeks wooed her away from Doctor Schiller. Schiller continued to profess his love for Linda, but his inability to commit to a relationship consistently pushed her away. On Election Night November 7th, 1972, Linda left Schiller for Alec Holland.

Linda and Alec were eventually wed, and she became his partner in science, as well as his partner in marriage. Alec Holland accepted a job at the Mantoson Genomics Corporation (MGC) , where he was able to continue his research relating to biological cell growth. He began developing a Bio-restorative formula, which was designed to stimulate plant growth, and enable plants to thrive in harsh environments. Under the auspices of the D.D.I., the Mantoson Genomics Corporation assigned the Hollands to continue their work in a small cabin in the bayou of Louisiana. [2]

Linda and Alec's work earned the attention of a subversive organization known as the Conclave. Under the direction of Conclave leader Mister E., several men approached the Hollands in an effort to purchase exclusivity rights to their research. Alec refused to surrender his notes, and threatened to call the police. In retaliation the Conclave planted a bomb in Alec's laboratory. When the bomb exploded, Alec was doused with chemicals from his Bio-restorative Formula and fell into the nearby swamp where he died. Following the funeral, Linda was paid a visit by Mister's E.'s top man, Maxwell Ferrett. Ferrett sought to tie up any loose ends and murdered Linda in her bedroom. [3]

Year later, General Avery Carlton Sunderland of the Sunderland Corporation attempted to get his hands on as much material relating to the Hollands’ work as possible. To this end, he exhumed Linda’s remains where his scientists discovered trace elements of the Bio-Restorative Formula. The results from their analysis of Linda's body proved inconclusive, and there was no evidence of cell growth or mutagenic alteration to be found. [4]

Notes & Trivia[]

Linda Holland (Swamp Thing 1982)

Nannette Brown as Linda Holland in the Swamp Thing feature film.

  • Linda Holland is intended as a re-imagining of Linda Olsen - a character who first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in July of 1971. In the official continuity, Linda Holland is either the granddaughter or great-granddaughter of Linda Olsen.
  • Like many characters in the DC Universe, Linda Holland's date of birth is subject to retcon due to time compression in the DCU. The earliest possible birth-date for Linda is 1949, but may even be as late as 1955. It is known that in 1972, Linda assisted Dr. Jordan Schiller in campaigning for George McGovern to defeat Presidential hopeful, Richard M. Nixon. By all accounts, the DCU versions of McGovern and Nixon have the same chronological histories as their real-world counterparts, and so this event date-locks Linda's age as being in her early twenties during the early 1970s. [5]
  • Linda Holland was re-interpreted for the 1982 film version of the Swamp Thing, which was written and directed by Wes Craven. She was played by actress Nannette Brown in her first movie role. Although Linda's part in the film is basically the same as her comic book counterpart, the movie differs from the comic in that she is presented as Alec's sister, not his wife.

See also[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Publishing year. This does not mean that the events chronicled in the source material necessarily take place in the same year.
  2. Swamp Thing Vol 4 17
  3. Swamp Thing, Volume 1 #1
  4. Swamp Thing, Volume 2 #21
  5. Swamp Thing, Volume 4 #15


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Swamp Thing Character
This article relates to characters featured in and pertaining to the Swamp Thing comic, television and film franchise.
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