History
Linda Holland was born Linda Olsen Ridge some time in the late 1940's. 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 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.[1]
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.[2]
Year later, General Avery 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.[3]
Notes
- 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 Doctor 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.[4]
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
Related
- 29 Appearances of Linda Olsen Ridge (New Earth)
- 3 Images featuring Linda Olsen Ridge (New Earth)
- Quotations by or about Linda Olsen Ridge (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Linda Olsen Ridge (New Earth)
Footnotes