Nicole (Doonesbury)

Nicole is a character in the comic strip Doonesbury, known for her radical feminist beliefs.

Nicole was originally the lead female in the strip and remained so for a couple of years. After Joanie Caucus was introduced and became far more prominent, Nicole was relegated to secondary character status.

Nicole lived on Walden commune during the seventies (along with the other characters) and often tried to convince Boopsie to stand up for her rights, but the latter was too dim to really understand that she was oppressed.

After the strip's hiatus (and scattering of the characters) she didn't appear for several years. Finally, in 1988 she showed up at a college reunion, and sparks instantly went off between her and Mike Doonesbury. In the intervening years she had become extremely attractive, and stopped wearing glasses (which she never needed; she just wore them to be taken seriously). Her name was also now spelled Nicole (it had been "Nichole" previously), and has remained so ever since. Mike and J.J.'s marriage was on the rocks, and, when Nicole blatantly invited him to join her in an affair, he was sorely tempted.

Minutes after the proposition, J.J. revealed that she was pregnant (she had been saving this news for just such a situation) and Mike, wanting to be a responsible father, turned Nicole down.

Years later, they met again. By this time, however, Nicole had put on a great deal of weight and Mike no longer found her attractive. She hasn't been seen again since then, but character discussion suggests that she has since slimmed down again.

Although rarely seen, she is popular among fans, and characters rarely remain unused permanently in Doonesbury, so she may very well pop up again.