Boodikka is a character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, and a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Her name is a play on the ancient British warrior-queen Boudica.
Publication history
Boodikka first appeared in Green Lantern (vol. 3) #20 and was created by Gerald Jones, Pat Broderick, Romeo Tanghal, Albert De Guzman, and Anthony Tollin.
Fictional character biography
At three centuries of age, the warrior Boodikka of the planet Bellatrix was originally recruited by the sphere-like Chaselon of Barrio III to join the then-reconstituted Green Lantern Corps. Boodikka had belonged to something called the "Bellatrix Bombers", a group of women mercenaries for hire by planets to clear the spaceways of hostile forces. The "Bellatrix Bombers" had broken up at some point, the majority of the team apparently having been killed along the way.
Initially Hal Jordan was dismayed and otherwise put off by Boodikka's inherently aggressive attitude. Despite this, Kilowog, a renowned trainer in the Corps and the trainer of Jordan himself, was only too eager to train someone so challenging and gave her his recommendation as a candidate. Things moved quickly at this point, and Boodikka soon found herself thrust into battle with Star Sapphire. She and the rest of the Corps joined in the fight against Hal's one-time love, the mercenary Flicker, and an entire Teban convoy.
Some time later, new recruits of the Green Lantern Corps were shown the Book of Oa, a book kept by the Guardians of the Universe which told tales of Green Lanterns past, present, and future. They learned stories which would help them be better Green Lanterns. The new members had this training disrupted when they went to Earth to help free Hal Jordan from the influence of the villain Eclipso. They were no match for the eclipsed Jordan and Star Sapphire. Eclipso managed to escape the Corps and soon they returned to Oa. Guy Gardner was awarded a ring by the Guardians of the Universe to act as temporary Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814.
She would quickly prove to be a skilled power ring wielder, a worthwhile addition to the Green Lantern Corps. Nevertheless, her problem with authority and authority figures posed a continuing problem. She was often at odds with Kreon of Tebis, another new recruit to the Corps. As the former Chieftain of the Teban battle fleet, he was used to discipline and military precision. Their infighting had even jeopardized Oa and the Guardians during a Qwardian invasion. Guy Gardner had returned to Oa to take the yellow power ring of Sinestro. Without Kilowog to guide them, the Green Lanterns were in chaos.
Kreon and Boodikka came to blows when the rival Green Lantern criticized her for being an undisciplined fighter. Running out of options, Kilowog brought the two squabbling Green Lanterns to John Stewart as a "guest lecturer" in cooperation and tolerance. Stewart performed a mind scan on the two recruits and somehow exchanged their consciousnesses. The two Green Lanterns were faced with their ultimate fears: Kreon's was represented by "Mama Denata" and his fear of the uncontrollable, while Boodikka's fear was "the Chain Men" which represented the suffocation she felt by authoritative restraints. The two had no choice but to learn to work together or be defeated.
Boodikka never lost her love of battle. She eagerly fought against the incarnation of Entropy, even though the encounter then-seemed to mean certain death. Boodikka proved to have come a long way as a Green Lantern, then working as a team with the other members of the Corps to defeat Entropy.
In a space sector far removed from our own galaxy, Boodikka was assigned to investigate the deaths of multiple alien races that had suddenly destroyed themselves in an apparent mass-suicide, environmental destruction, or otherwise massive wars. Upon arriving on a world in the midst of tearing itself apart, Boodikka encountered Guy Gardner. He and his colleagues, the "Gardners of the Universe", had been dispatched to solve the same problem as Boodikka. Guy sought to prove to his leadership abilities to his team of super-powered aliens from across known space. It was not long until Gardner got into an altercation with the Green Lantern. It was during this fight that Guy realized his yellow ring was powered by the energy of the Green Lanterns' power rings. Fully charged, Gardner's yellow power ring enabled him to recognize the true threat. Created in the anti-matter universe of Qward, his power ring negated the mental block of the real attackers. Gardner used his ring to free the others from their trance.