DC’s ‘Batgirl’ Reboot Means Disabled ‘Oracle’ Disappears

posted on Jul 06 by Jessica in the Disability News, Fun category

DC Comics, founded in 1934, is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books. DC recently reported the return of the disabled heroine, Barbara Gordon a.k.a. Oracle, and formally known as Batgirl. In the Batman comic book issue “The Killing Joke,” the famous villain the Joker showed up at Barbara’s house, shooting and paralyzing her.

From her wheelchair, Barbara realized she could no longer be the high-flying superhero she had been, so she devoted all of her time to developing the most complex and powerful computer systems and renamed herself the Oracle, which is who she has been for over two decades, attracting quite a large following.

Oracle fans were not pleased to hear that the creators of the comic book are contemplating taking the character out of her wheel chair. DC Comics has not released a statement explaining why. In response to the news, Elena Babarich, creator of the web comic “Sister Claire,” began the “Oracle-Create-a-Thon,” which is a new Tumblr blog dedicated to fan art, fan fiction, and activism to maintain awareness of the physically challenged and to make the feelings of Oracle fans known to DC Comics. The blog features original works inspired by the character, as well as links to excerpts from the Oracle Comic books.

As the new story gets revamped, Barbara Gordon’s character will go to physical therapy and finally be able to get out of her wheelchair after more than twenty years, meaning she will no longer be a voice for the physically handicapped in the comic book world. On the blog, some fans expressed their excitement for the return of the non-physically challenged Batgirl. They also highlighted other disabled superheroes such as Professor X of the X-Men, who is also in a wheelchair, Daredevil, who is blind, and Dr. Niles Caulder (the Chief ), who is paraplegic.

Other fans, mainly those people with disabilities, felt DC Comics should not bring Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl hero back without the chair, feeling the change is “needless, dumb, and more than a little cruel,” as one fan explained. Most Oracle fans feel it defeats the character’s purpose.

The Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle storyline is not the only comic book that is going to be revamped. All 52 DC titles are going to be given a makeover. Questions from very concerned fans, worried that DC Comics is rebooting all of their stories, caused DC to release a statement explaining that this is not the case. In answering the question, “Does ‘The New 52′ undo events or continuity that I’ve been reading?” DC Comics’ reply is:

“Some yes, some no. But many of the great stories remain. For example – Batgirl. ‘The Killing Joke’ still happened and she was Oracle. Now she will go through physical rehabilitation and become a more seasoned and nuanced character because she had these incredible and diverse experiences.”

To read more on the Barbara Gordon story, visit www.DCComics.com.

Sources:
comicsalliance.com/2011/06/08/oracle-fan-blog-art-barbara-gordon-batgirl/
www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/13/batgirl-dc-comics-series-reboot
mania.com/10-handicapped-heroes-can-kick-ass_article_123200.html
dc.wikia.com/wiki/Barbara_Gordon_(New_Earth)
DCComics.com
oracle-create-a-thon.tumblr.com/
comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=33078

Image Source:
magazinedown.com/Bruce-Wayne–The-Road-Home—Oracle–1–One-Shot-_29535.html