Batgirl Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection

For me Barbara Gordon is always going to be Batgirl, mostly due to Batman the Animated Series.  But I also have a soft spot for the other characters Cassandra Cain & Stephanie Brown that have taken up the mantel over the years.  One of the biggest differences between Marvel & DC is that DC is all about legacy where several prominent heroes have passed on their mantels to younger characters to continue their alter egos role in the shared universe.  I am of the generation where Barbara Gordon is known mostly as Oracle.  The story that changed the character for an entire generation was Alan Moore's amazing story The Killing Joke which came out in the late 80's when I was a mere child.  So everything I have read of the pre-New 52 DC Universe depicts her as Oracle a wheel chair bound heroine.  This was an ok read for someone who has some idea of Barbara's previous history.  My biggest problem with this new series is not that it has put Barbara back under the cowl, but that it cut Bryan Q, Miller's fabulous run on the heroine to an untimely end which I am a huge fan of.  The first story in this volume is kind of weak in terms of getting me excited about the character it was the second story in this volume that I felt was a true return to form for the character.  It reminded me of Chuck Dixon's Batgirl: Year One which is an essential read for anyone who wants to know the pre-New 52 origin of the character.  One the selling points for this series & really a selling point for returning Barbara Gordon to the Batgirl persona is fact that DC gave the series to Gail Simone.  Gail Simone is know primarily for writing Barbara as Oracle so if there was any other writer that could possibly due this re-introduction justice it would be Chuck Dixon.  If DC had handed project to another writer it might not have gone over as well or still be going as strong as it is today.  I look forward to reading more because I love all the characters of the Bat-Family & Batgirl has a unique legacy within that family that is trumped only by Robin.