One of the biggest changes to DC's rebooted New 52 universe was a new spine for Barbara Gordon. Crippled by a gun shot to the back in Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke, she spent a good couple of decades wheelchair-bound as superhero help desk Oracle. Then everything got reset and she got back on her feet, returning to duty as the one and only Batgirl! Except that darkness continued to haunt her through Gail Simone's run on the character, which came to an end this year thanks to editorial meddling that was apparently to blame for the continued grimness of the Batgirl book. Taking her place were Brendan Fletcher, Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr (the latter artist a newbie to comic books), who rejuvenated the character and brought her to a whole new audience. Batgirl 2.0 saw Barbara moving to Gotham City's equivalent of Brooklyn, starting a new life in a hip new location, with stories which (so far) have effortlessly blended superhero action with contemporary phenomena like anime and dating apps without ever feeling hokey or forced. It's just modern, real and also she kicked some motorcyclists in the head in the last issue.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
