I know a lot of people have been skeptical about Barbara Gordon being able to walk and becoming Batgirl again. This, however, was one change in DC Comics' "New 52" that I was actually looking forward to. I was never a fan of Cassandra Cain's darker version of Batgirl and, though I read the entire series, I never felt that Stephanie Brown quite captured Batgirl's essence. I'll miss Oracle, but having Babs back in action is, I think, a good thing. She is the one true Batgirl. The only difficulty I'll have reading the series is picturing Babs as a free-spirited young adult again, instead of as the older, wiser, cautious, and set-in-her-ways Oracle. Does this mean that Babs is younger than Kate Kane? And now we'll have a Batgirl and a Batwoman both as redheads. What will Gotham City's villains think? That they're mother and daughter?
After some significant lagging in her writing abilities with the later issues of the Secret Six (did she stop caring?) and her Wonder Woman run, I see that Gail Simone is back at the top of her game in the new Batgirl. It was a great opening story to what looks like a "fun" series and gave a brief, but reasonable, explanation for Barbara Gordon being able to walk again. I also like that Babs has a recurring fear of being shot again. It gives her a weakness, and it'll make for some great storylines in the future.
I'm sold. If no other new series, I look forward to reading Batgirl for years to come.
