Dorothy Spinner Explained

Character Name:	Dorothy Spinner
Publisher:	DC Comics
Debut:	Doom Patrol vol. 2 #14 (November 1988)
Powers:	The ability to bring imaginary beings into and out of creation.

Dorothy Spinner is a fictional character created by Paul Kupperberg, appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was a former member of the Doom Patrol with the ability to bring imaginary beings to life. Dorothy first appeared in Doom Patrol vol. 2, #14 (November 1988) as a background character until she was made a full member a few issues later.^[1]

Dorothy Spinner appears in Doom Patrol (2019), portrayed by Abi Monterey.

Publication history

Dorothy Spinner first appeared in issue #14 of the second volume of the series Doom Patrol. Her name is an in-joke referring to Dorothy Gale and how she arrived in Oz, by a tornado, or spinning wind. Also, in her first appearance and in her appearances on the covers of the Doom Patrol graphic novels, Dorothy is dressed like Dorothy Gale.

Dorothy's facial deformity changes from mild to severe depending on who's drawing her and how it's done.

Fictional character biography

Dorothy Spinner is a girl who was born with an ape-like appearance and subsequently adopted by a Midwestern couple. She struggles to make friends and only has her imaginary friends for company, eventually discovering that she can bring them to life.

Dorothy meets the Doom Patrol when they are eaten by the Chaos Lord Pythia. Dorothy pelts Pythia with rocks, destroying her and resurrecting the Doom Patrol. Afterward, Dorothy struggles with the Candlemaker, a gestalt entity who seeks to enter the real world using her powers. Rebis attacks the Candlemaker, reducing it to a small flame that Dorothy extinguishes.

After the Doom Patrol disbands, Dorothy is haunted by African spirits who attempt to make her live with them. Dorothy later has a mental breakdown, causing a psychic explosion that kills Coagula and leaves herself comatose. Robotman attempts to keep Dorothy alive, but is convinced to take her off life support.^{[2] [3]} Following The New 52 continuity reboot, Dorothy appears alive in DC Pride 2022.^[4]

Powers and abilities

Dorothy's power enables her to bring imaginary beings to life. These beings can survive as long as Dorothy is alive. Dorothy's powers also enable her to summon real beings from other planes of existence.

Her imaginary friends

The list of her imaginary friends is as follows:

• Damn All – Made of a newspaper crossword puzzle and financial reports with multiple eyes and a big smile.
• Darling-Come-Home – Damn All's wife. She wears an apron and has the head of a lightbulb.
• Flying Robert – A ghost baby balloon and the son of Damn All. A reference to a poem in Der Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann.
• The Inky Boys – Three people made up of ink. Another reference to Der Struwwelpeter, specifically the poem 'Die Geschichte von den schwarzen Buben'.
• Pretty Miss Dot – Has lipstick fingers, a helmet over her head covered with lips and curlers, a sweater with a big "D" on it, and shoes that have skulls stitched into them.
• Vegans – Three rhyming girls in tribal masks with deer legs who can-can.
• Paddle the Sky – A dark swirling mass of hands with paddles.
• Dark as the Morning – A shadowy, eyeless smoke being with a mouth filled with fangs.
• Heart-of-Ice – A blue skinned woman who is made of and can generate ice.
• A false Robotman – Thought he was the real Robotman.
• Jolly Hangar – Made up of coat hangers.
• A false Joshua Clay – Complete with chest wound and rotting flesh.
• A false Niles Caulder
• Honey Pie – Made up of a beehive with branches for arms and legs and a honey pot for a head.
• Spinner – Spinner was actually a member of the Doom Force, a one-shot special that Grant Morrison wrote which was a cross between the Doom Patrol and X-Force. She appeared in the imaginary version of the Doom Patrol Dorothy summoned to protect her.
• Polly Polly Tinker Boy
• Cowboy Doll Bookface – A being with a book for a face and a body made of dolls. Wears a cowboy hat and boots. Wields two guns.
• Rockabye Baby – A baby made of rocks that throws rocks.
• Baby Twig Lady – A young girl covered in leaves and twigs, who uses leaves as a weapon.
• All-The-Time-In-The-World – Has spoons for arms, a globe for a head, and clocks for eyes. Wears a crown and a dress.
• Moonface Lightfoot – A two-legged smiling crescent moon.
• The Candlemaker – An egregore/gestalt being representing the world's fear of nuclear holocaust.

In other media

• Dorothy Spinner makes a cameo appearance in the episode "The Last Patrol!" as an attraction at a freak show.
• Dorothy Spinner appears in Doom Patrol, portrayed by an uncredited actress in the first season and Abigail Monterey in the second season.^[5] Dorothy's imaginary friends also appear, with Darling-Come-Home portrayed by Vanessa Cater and voiced by Kat Cressida, Candlemaker voiced by Lex Lang, and series-original character, the giant spider Herschel, voiced by Brian T. Stevenson. This version is the daughter of the Chief and a primitive woman named Slava, with her appearance resulting from her heritage instead of a facial deformity. Dorothy's connection to the Chief motivates him to cause the tragedies that create the Doom Patrol, hoping to extend his life to protect her. Her "friend" the Candlemaker serves as a primary antagonist, attempting to manipulate Dorothy into releasing him. The Candlemaker eventually gains access to reality and incapacitates the Doom Patrol, though Slava encourages Dorothy to defeat and gain control over him.

Notes and References

1. Book: Cowsill . Alan . Irvine . Alex . Korte . Steve . Manning . Matt . Wiacek . Win . Wilson . Sven . The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe . 2016 . DK Publishing . 978-1-4654-5357-0 . 279.
2. Doom Patrol Vol. 3 #22. DC Comics.
3. Doom Patrol: Weight of the World #5. DC Comics.
4. Web site: Beat Staff . DC ROUND-UP: PRIDE & POISON IVY spotlight DC's LGBTQ+ community . comicsbeat.com . 7 June 2022 . Comics Beat . 9 June 2022.
5. Web site: Swift . Andy . Doom Patrol Season 2: Meet The Chief's Powerful, Mysterious Daughter Dorothy . TVLine . 8 February 2020 . 5 February 2020.