Legs is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

in the who appeared as a supporting character in various ''Batman''-related comics during the 80s and 90s. Co-created by writers

John Wagner John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...

and Alan Grant, and artist

Norm Breyfogle Norman Keith Breyfogle (; February 27, 1960 – September 24, 2018) was an American artist, best known for his comic book art on DC Comics' Batman franchise from 1987 to 1995. During this time, he co-created the villains Ventriloquist and Ratca ...

, he first appeared in ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' #587 (June 1988).

Publication history

Legs was created during ''

'' debut of Wagner and Grant, co-writers established for their work on

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology Comic book, comic. He is the ...

comics for 2000 AD. However, due to poor sales of their comics within months of their debut, which left both men questioning the viability of their new jobs, Wagner soon left the project alone to Grant. Concerned that he would be fired if his editors learned the writing team had split, Grant alerted no one to the change, and decided to continue writing stories in the pattern of the first for the duration of his original contract. Now a regular writer for ''Detective Comics'' and other Batman-related titles during this time period, Grant made frequent use of Legs as an ally for the anarchist themed character,

Anarky Anarky is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Co-created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle, he first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #608 (November 1989), as an adversary of Batman. Anarky is introduced as ...

. Legs is shown to be loyal to Anarky as a vigilante, who in turn employs Legs and other homeless men to act as diversions or spies against

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

. As such, the two characters appear together prominently in '' Batman: Anarky'', a trade paperback collection of comics written by Grant. Legs is characterized as a homeless

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and oth ...

and resident of the streets of

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, the cit ...

. Holding strong views, the character is described as being prone to frustration, anger, and alcoholism, and frequently argues with other homeless men. Legs is ironically named for his missing limbs, which he is described as having lost due to an anti-personnel mine explosion in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

in ''Detective Comics'' #608 (November 1989). Crippled and unable to afford a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

, he is shown to move about in a wheeled tray. The character has not appeared in published material since the departure of Alan Grant from DC Comics in 2000, and has fallen into obscurity.

References

External links

*
Legs
on the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Legs Characters created by John Wagner Characters created by Norm Breyfogle Comics characters introduced in 1988 DC Comics characters DC Comics military personnel Fictional amputees Fictional Vietnam War veterans Anarky

Publication history

See also

References

External links