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the website, along with
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map. Batgirl Batgirl, from
Batgirl #1 of DC Comics New 52 Carmine
Infantino co-created Gotham City's Barbara
Gordon as a new version of Batgirl in a story
titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" in
Detective Comics #359 (January 1967). As
recounted by DC comics creators, the producers
of the very popular Batman television show,
approached DC Comics about the possibility of
introducing a new female character into the
comics, who could then be introduced into the
third season of the television show. Carmine Infantino sketched some ideas on a
new Batgirl (there had been a previous Bat-Girl
in the comics, but as a very minor, not terribly
popular character), and the head honchos at both
the network and at DC liked what they saw. Batgirl, by
Carmen Infantino The new Batgirl was, in real life, Barbara
Gordon, the brainy yet beautiful daughter of
Gotham City Police Commissioner Gordon. Barbara
Gordon was a PhD in Library Science who headed
up the Gotham City Library system. In
Batgirl/Barbara Gordon's comics debut in
Detective Comics #359 (January 1967), Barbara is
attending a costume ball dressed as a female
version of Batman. While at the ball, the
villainous Killer Moth attacks. Barbara Gordon
aids Batman in defeating the villain, and she
gets the idea to assume a secret identity as a
new costumed Superheroine, calling herself
Batgirl. The Batman television show helped propel
Batgirl into almost instant mass popularity. In
the show, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl is played by
actress Yvonne Craig. Yvonne
Craig as Batgirl on her Batcycle (a Yamaha
YDS-5E ) Copyright
© 1998-2013 Roger A. Lee and History Guy
Media; Last Modified: 04.07.13 "The
History Guy" is a Registered
Trademark. Comicshistory Search
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One of the best-known Batgirl stories
in DC Comics, was a story arc called "The
Killing Joke." In the Killing Joke storyline,
the Joker, Batman's archenemy, tries to drive
Commissioner Gordon insane, by having him live
through "one bad day." To this end, the Joker
visits Barbara Gordon at her home (unaware that
she is secretly Batgirl), and shoots her,
causing paralysis in her lower body. To the end
of his plot against her father, Joker takes
photos of the wounded woman in various stages of
undress to show to her kidnapped father. Barbara
survives, Commissioner Gordon retains his
sanity, but while surviving the attack, Barbara
Gordon confined to a wheelchair, thus ending her
career as Batgirl. Despite this physical
handicap, Barbara Gordon continued to fight
crime, developing the identity of Oracle, an
expert computer hacker and a vital source of
information for Batman and other superheroes.
With the partial re-boot by DC Comics in 2011,
Barbara Gordon re-appeareed as Batgirl , with
the retconned explanation that Barbara's
paralysis was only a three-year healing process
that led to her leaving the wheelchair and once
again donning her Batgirl guise.
