Wasn't a massive fan of this. Too wordy and rather serious.

As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics--The New 52 event of September 2011, Barbara Gordon is finally back as Batgirl The nightmare-inducing brute known as Mirror is destroying the lives of Gotham City citizens seemingly at random. Will Barbara be able to survive her explosive confrontation with this new villain, as well as facing dark secrets from her past? A new chapter in the riveting adventures of Batgirl continue in stunning fashion, with script by fan-favorite Gail Simone and stellar art by superstar Ardian Syaf This volume collects issues 1-6 of Batgirl, part of the DC Comics--The New 52 event

3 years after being shot and paralysed by The Joker, Barbara Gordon (daughter of Gotham Commissioner Jim Gordon) is bac and suited up as Batgirl. She has moved out of her father's house and has moved into an apartment with a roomie that she secretly suspects is some kind of anarchist.

This book is split into two, where Barbara fights two villains - first Mirror, then Gretel. Both are damaged and in confronting them, Barbara realises just how easy it would be for her to have turned into something like them. Meanwhile she has to come to terms with her relationships with Nightwing (aka Dick Grayson, formerly known as "Robin") and trying to keep her knowledge of just who Bruce Wayne is and exactly what he is capable of. Her mother, who disappeared when Barbara was young, returns to Gotham, attempting to worm her way into Barbara's life - baking her favourite muffins etc - whilst Barbara is trying to work out what she wants.

Storyline is good (I never read Batgirl before now and believe that the Gail Simone work is a serious kick up the bum to a character out of the mainstream for nearly 20 years). The artwork is clear and clean as is the lettering - looking forward to Book #2 in the series (which is waiting on my bookshelf!)

This volume collects a couple of decent story arcs, detailing the new beginning of Barbara Gordon’s career as Batgirl, now that a miraculous surgery has cured her paralyzed legs. The art in these issues is pretty good, on the whole, as is the writing.

It's difficult to connect this young Barbara Gordon with the pre-New 52 version from just a few months ago. In her previous incarnation, Barbara provided technical and communication support for the rest of Team Batman as Oracle, while mentoring another new Batgirl—Stephanie Brown—on the side. Though bound to a wheelchair, she was mature and savvy, and was, I feel, probably the only true peer with Bruce Wayne's Batman. In this new continuity, she's only in her early 20s, and is even more precarious in the Batgirl role than Stephanie was: insecure, belligerent, reckless, and all too often pulling through on sheer luck alone. It’s not necessarily that she’s an uninteresting or unsympathetic character, but with such a disconnect with the recent comics history, these initial stories with this new protagonist can't help but come off as being a little bit shallow.

“Why do you get a miracle when so many others never will?” Barbara asks herself. This dilemma, at the center of this volume's first arc, echoes my own questions as to why this character deserved to be revived in the new continuity while others I’d really come to love—Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown, for example—have been forced out of the spotlight or written out entirely (for now). Even the previous version of Barbara/Oracle herself will be sorely missed. Yet the fact that this new Barbara is also unsettled about her sudden transformation somehow helps me feel a little more confident about the Bat Family’s new status quo. I’ll always be fond of the characters I’ve come to know over these past few years, but this is a promising new beginning, too. I’ll be looking forward to what happens from here. ( )

This volume collects a couple of decent story arcs, detailing the new beginning of Barbara Gordon’s career as Batgirl, now that a miraculous surgery has cured her paralyzed legs. The art in these issues is pretty good, on the whole, as is the writing.

It's difficult to connect this young Barbara Gordon with the pre-New 52 version from just a few months ago. In her previous incarnation, Barbara provided technical and communication support for the rest of Team Batman as Oracle, while mentoring another new Batgirl—Stephanie Brown—on the side. Though bound to a wheelchair, she was mature and savvy, and was, I feel, probably the only true peer with Bruce Wayne's Batman. In this new continuity, she's only in her early 20s, and is even more precarious in the Batgirl role than Stephanie was: insecure, belligerent, reckless, and all too often pulling through on sheer luck alone. It’s not necessarily that she’s an uninteresting or unsympathetic character, but with such a disconnect with the recent comics history, these initial stories with this new protagonist can't help but come off as being a little bit shallow.

“Why do you get a miracle when so many others never will?” Barbara asks herself. This dilemma, at the center of this volume's first arc, echoes my own questions as to why this character deserved to be revived in the new continuity while others I’d really come to love—Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown, for example—have been forced out of the spotlight or written out entirely (for now). Even the previous version of Barbara/Oracle herself will be sorely missed. Yet the fact that this new Barbara is also unsettled about her sudden transformation somehow helps me feel a little more confident about the Bat Family’s new status quo. I’ll always be fond of the characters I’ve come to know over these past few years, but this is a promising new beginning, too. I’ll be looking forward to what happens from here. ( )

I reread this and it's just as great the second time. Gail Simone really does nail Barbara's inner voice as she is returning to the costume after a miracle procedure gave her the use of her legs back. She's very much still recovering from the trauma of the Joker's brutal attack on her, and has a few blips along the way as tries to get back in the game. She's actually very relatable for a super-smart superhero!

4 stars because the last story in this volume wasn't as good but it was fine.

I'm not usually a fan of DC heroes but this I'm on board with. I do wish she was still a Librarian though... The only aspect of this New 52 reboot that I don't love! ( )