Confession time: this is the first issue of Batgirl I’ve read from start to finish and is the first time I’ve ever actually read Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. I remember being frustrated when first hearing that DC was taking Barbara out of her wheelchair and giving her back the mantle of Batgirl. Part of this is because I’m a very big advocate for individuals with disabilities in my real (a.k.a. not internet) life. I’ve always loved that Babs was a much bigger badass after her spinal chord injury than she ever could have been before it. I was also disappointed because Stephanie Brown, the latest – and blonde – Batgirl leading right up to the relaunch would be seemingly written out of continuity. My little sister has started to get into comics lately, and Stephanie was her favorite character. She was pissed, and I was sad that she was already losing a favorite after just getting into comics.

Now, how did Gail Simone do with the new-old Batgirl? Pretty well, actually. I actually preferred this to Justice League last week, although to be fair, I came in with zero expectations, and the story is a lot easier to handle than the big flagship title of the company. At it’s core, Batgirl grabbed me with a new villain who carries a grudge and knows too much about those around him. The mystery sucked me in immediately, and has me excited to read next month’s issue. I want to see where the story is going, and really, is there any better indicator of quality?

I also loved the final scene of the book in which Batgirl experiences an all-too human reaction that makes me genuinely feel for her. What’s even better, it put me in her corner while putting her on the wrong side of the law. As if she weren’t an underdog enough, Simone puts her in a bad spot in more than one way, and the best part is that evokes some very familiar – and welcomed – feelings I get when I think about the best Spider-Man stories. Not bad at all.