Barbara Gordon
| Barbara Gordon | |
|---|---|
Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Cover of Legends of the DC Universe #10 (November 1998); art by Kevin Nowlan.
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
as Batgirl: Detective Comics #359 (January 1967) as Oracle: Suicide Squad #23 (January 1989) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Barbara Gordon |
| Team affiliations | |
| Partnerships |
Batman Robin (various) Nightwing Black Canary Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) |
| Supporting character of |
Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) |
| Notable aliases | Batgirl, Amy Beddoes, Oracle |
| Abilities |
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Barbara Gordon is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by William Dozier, Julius Schwartz, and Carmine Infantino. At the request of the producers of the 1960s Batman television series, DC editor Schwartz called for a new female counterpart to the superhero Batman that could be introduced into publication and the third season of the show simultaneously. The character subsequently made her first comic book appearance as Batgirl in Detective Comics #359, titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" (1967), by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino. Written as the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon, her civilian identity is given a doctorate in library science and she is employed as head of Gotham City Public Library, as well as later being elected to the United States Congress.
In addition to appearing in other DC publications, she receives her first starring role in Batman Family which debuted in 1975, partnered with the original Robin, Dick Grayson. In 1988, following the editorial retirement of the character's Batgirl persona in Barbara Kesel's Batgirl Special #1, Alan Moore's graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke depicts the Joker shooting her through the spinal cord in her civilian identity, resulting in paraplegia. In subsequent stories, editor Kim Yale and writer John Ostrander establish the character as a computer expert and information broker known as Oracle. Providing intelligence and computer hacking services to assist other superheroes, she makes her first appearance as Oracle in Suicide Squad #23 (1989). She is featured in the one-shot comic Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey (1996) written by Chuck Dixon, which later became the monthly title Birds of Prey starring both characters. The series depicts her as a great intellect uninhibited by her paralysis, skilled in the martial art of eskrima. Employing Black Canary as her partner and field agent, Oracle later operates as the leader of a full team of female crimefighters who engage in global espionage missions, under writer Gail Simone. In 2011, following a company wide relaunch of all DC Comics titles, the character's mobility is restored and she is given a starring role in the eponymous Batgirl monthly comic, as well as Birds of Prey, as part of The New 52.
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