Victoria October

Doctor October (Victoria October) is a fictional character in the Batman comic books, created by writers James Tynion IV and Marguerite Bennett and by penciller and inker Ben Oliver. A transgender bioweapons expert and physician, she first appeared as an ally to Batman in March 2017 in ''Detective Comics'', published by DC Comics. The character has generated positive critical commentary and academic interest.

Publication history

Victoria October / Doctor October first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #948, cover dated March 2017.''Detective Comics'' #948 (March 2017)

Fictional character biography

Victoria October is a trans woman.''Detective Comics'' #970 (February 2018) By her own assessment, she is the planet's foremost expert in "post-human bioweaponry",''Detective Comics'' #959 (August 2017) and has performed surgery on several bioengineered beings throughout her career. She and Batman knew each other for many years, even before October transitioned from male to female. Before transitioning, she suffered from severe depression and crippling self-doubt and had a "prickly" personality. She believed transitioning would solve her problems. Although her new gender did not solve these issues, October gained emotional and moral strength from the knowledge that she finally knew who she was as a person and could no longer blame her gender misalignment on them. Shortly after its completion, Batman provides her with access to the Belfry, his high-technology headquarters atop Old Wayne Tower in downtown Gotham City.

A.R.G.U.S. and Monstertown

In the 2016 Batman story arc "Night of the Monster Men", Hugo Strange uses a serum to transform living and dead human beings into horrific monsters. Four of the monsters merge into a composite monster, which is defeated by Batman, Nightwing, Batwoman, Orphan, Spoiler, and Clayface (Basil Karlo). The government agency A.R.G.U.S. creates a quarantine zone encompassing the neighborhood where the creature died, nicknaming it "Monstertown".

As a consultant for A.R.G.U.S., October is in charge of Monstertown, ensuring that no one harvests the bodies to obtain the serum and that animals (such as rats or seagulls) which eat the bodies and become monstrous are contained.''Detective Comics'' #963 (October 2017)

Curing Clayface

October makes her second appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #959 during the "Gotham Knights/Batman Eternal" story arc. At the Belfry, she performs surgery on the bioengineered "dwarfling" Nomoz after he is injured battling the villain Ascalon. At that time, she offers to work on a means of returning Clayface to human form permanently. Batman has Clayface wear a wristband that enables him to regain human form without using his powers—reducing the psychotic effect being Clayface has on Karlo.''Detective Comics'' #950 (April 2017) The device is not a cure, as the Clayface DNA consumes Karlo's human DNA whenever he is locked into human form. October gives Karlo a "placebo" bracelet with messages from his friend Cassandra Cain (Orphan), which helps him focus on retaining his sanity. After pushing past the twelve-hour mark, Karlo loses his sanity and attacks October. Orphan intervenes, saving her life by putting the real bracelet back on.''Detective Comics'' #964 (November 2017)

October expresses a desire to test her cure serum on a less serious case, and Karlo told her of Glory Griffin (the villain Mudface), who was doused in the same chemicals that made Clayface what he is. Karlo also tells Glory about the potential cure, although she refuses to forgive him for what he did to her. Later, with the cure close to being finished, Clayface is captured by Glory when the villain First Victim takes over Arkham Asylum and releases her. Glory removes Clayface's wrist controller, and he goes insane.''Detective Comics'' #971 (February 2018)

As Clayface races to confront Batman at the Belfry, Jacob Kane gives Batwoman a weapon whose ammunition will destabilize Clayface's molecular structure and kill him. Clayface arrives at Old Wayne Tower, doing significant damage to it. When confronted by Cassandra Cain, Clayface shows empathy and momentarily returns to human form. The Belfry's mudroom collapses, however, dousing him with psychoactive mud and driving him insane once more.''Detective Comics'' #972 (March 2018) Batman sends Red Robin and Orphan to Monstertown to alert October to get Karlo's cure ready. She warns the heroes that although the cure will shock Clayface's system and turn him back into Basil Karlo, the effect will only be temporarily due to the massive amounts of psychoactive mud in his system.''Detective Comics'' #973 (March 2018)

Orphan manages to inject the cure into Clayface. Her love for him helps Karlo maintain his human form only momentarily. As he assumes his Clayface form, Batwoman shoots him in the head. October rushes to the site of Karlo's death, and confirms that the psychoactive clay is now inactive and Karlo is dead. Three days later, October cures Glory Griffin. She accuses Glory of "taking a repentant man on the brink of salvation and throwing him back into hell", and says she gave Glory the cure for Karlo's sake.''Detective Comics'' #974 (April 2018)

It is later revealed that Karlo survived and retains his Clayface powers to some degree. For reasons unstated, October conspired with him to fake his death. Karlo watches as Cassandra Cain takes up residence at a health clinic run by Leslie Thompkins. He leaves a message for her, and then October drives him out of Gotham City.

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Victoria October named Viktoria October appears in ''DC Comics Bombshells

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases