Author notes

PLAYING WITH FIRE, Page 26

alschroeder

on April 25, 2013

We assume that Balm meeting with Helen more often would hurt rather than help—maybe overwhelm her system.
I suspect many doctors had told Lafferty and Angie that Helen would never live to be an adult. Now, he has hope he never had before.
I like Balm's uniform—simple and functional. Doctors wear masks to operations, have to wear gloves and often times wear special eyepieces while operating.  It didn't take much to adapt medical garb to superhero garb. She's a little bit Wolverine, in that she's instantly self-healing. She's a little bit Raven, in that she can heal others….much of the time, anyway. She's also a little bit Dr. Mid-Nite, in that she is THE medical authority for the Next Level. 
I also confess a soft spot for Helen Lafferty, despite her Two-Face-like appearance. Her youth and her progressive deterioration makes for an interesting character, who humanizes Lafferty a lot, being the one person who means most to him in the world.