Thank you to Netgalley and DC Entertainment for an eARC copy of this book.

The Oracle Code isn’t just for old fans of Barbara Gordon, but for people who are completely unfamiliar with the character as well. What is so great about The Oracle Code is that while there are some shout-outs and references throughout for people who are longtime fans of the character, you can also read and enjoy the graphic novel without knowing anything about Barbara Gordon.

After a tragedy that resulted in Barbara being in a wheelchair, her father takes her to Arkham Center for Independence to help her process what had happened and get used to her new wheelchair. She faces a variety of challenges while she adjusts. During her stay at the facility, she stumbles across a mystery that she is able to apply her computer hacking skills to. She becomes more determined every day and learns a lot along the way.

The book was interesting, engaging, and just plain fun to read. It also didn’t shy away from the trials people may face when adjusting to living life with a disability. The way Barbara handled the changes in her life came across as very authentic. You could feel and understand her struggles as well as her building confidence as time went on.

Since this story is self-contained, it is easy to follow for someone who is completely new to comics. I highly recommend The Oracle Code to anyone who is a fan of Barbara Gordon or who is interested in her character but doesn’t know where to start.

My full review is available here: https://thegeekiary.com/the-oracle-code-graphic-novel-review/79873

Preface: Having read Shadow of the Batgirl, which really introduces Barbara Gordon to the DC Ink/Zoom line and lays the foundation for Oracle, I was hoping to see a continuation of that incarnation; an incarnation that looks at several aspects of Barbara’s character. Unfortunately, DC Ink continues to defy my expectations and places The Oracle Code in its own universe. This is something that is rather puzzling to me, as it seems at least the Raven and Beast Boy graphic novels will be set within the same universe. Could this not have been the same for Shadow of the Batgirl and The Oracle Code? I have a few answers that could explain that, however much I may disagree with it.

As a Barbara Gordon acolyte, I read and analyzed this work closely and perhaps unfairly so. That is why my review will be divided into two parts: one as a new reader and one as a Barbara Gordon fan and historian. Read one or both, depending on your preference. I will also include some thoughts that bridge between the two and will ask some rhetorical questions that either I am “still chewing on” or desire you, the reader, to consider. Now let's get into it.

Synopsis (provided by the publisher): The #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp (This Is Where It Ends) and artist Manuel Preitano unveil a graphic novel that explores the dark corridors of Barbara Gordon's first mystery: herself.

After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed, Barbara Gordon enters the Arkham Center for Independence, where Gotham's teens undergo physical and mental rehabilitation. Now using a wheelchair, Barbara must adapt to a new normal, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is dangerously amiss. Within these walls, strange sounds escape at night, patients go missing, and Barbara begins to put together pieces of what she believes to be a larger puzzle.

But is this suspicion simply a result of her trauma? Fellow patients try to connect with Barbara, but she pushes them away, and she'd rather spend time with ghost stories than participate in her daily exercises. Even Barbara's own judgment is in question. In The Oracle Code, universal truths cannot be escaped, and Barbara Gordon must battle the phantoms of her past before they swarm her future.

Analysis (spoilers ahead): Themes-Something that DC has done exceptionally well is tackling social and mental health issues that are not always discussed. We have seen anxiety/depression (Raven), domestic abuse (Catwoman), the trials and tribulations of middle school (Black Canary), difficulties with language processing (Cassandra Cain/Batgirl), and now we look at someone who has a physical disability, which from here on I will term “differently-abled.” The Oracle Code has its greatest success here because we finally see the representation of the differently-abled portrayed by the one character who brought that representation into mainstream comics (thanks to John Ostrander and Kim Yale). Nijkamp does a fantastic job with this, in showing not only Babs’ physical struggles but also filling nearly every ensemble page with several other forms of differently-abled representation. Pages are filled with characters, and Manuel Preitano does a wonderful job incorporating them seamlessly, using colors to focus on our main characters but never ignoring the others in the scene. As John Ostrander and Chuck Dixon did so long ago, Nijkamp also shows specific details or a “day in the life” of someone training to be differently-abled in a world that is not always conducive to it. Should this story continue to another graphic novel, the challenge will be to see how Babs (and perhaps others of her fellow residents) transition to the outside world and deal with the new struggles therein.

The other theme that runs throughout is this “code.” What is the Oracle code? Yes, Barbara is a hacker (hacker-in-training?), but that is too literal here. We get a clue from a conversation she has with her father where he tells her to not give up, saying, “I know you. There’s not a code you can’t crack, not a puzzle you can’t solve. There’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it.” Babs responds “I couldn’t stop that bullet. I can’t solve this puzzle because I’m the puzzle now. I can’t crack the code because I’m the code.” Preitano’s art reflects this, with disorganized puzzle pieces creating disordered images. Then the puzzle starts to come together as Babs begins to break the “code,” coming to terms with herself, that she does not need to be “fixed,” that this is who she is now. Perhaps more apt of a title would have been The Babs Code.

The art by Manuel Preitano is different than most comics I have read, but I think that it fits the tone, style, and youth of the story. I especially like that the art style changes with the different stories that Jena tells, and how clever that the final story looks as if it were drawn on lined paper. The puzzle theme and heavy use of yellow all fit with and are emblematic of, this Barbara Gordon’s story. And, as I said before, filling the background with a diverse group of people without having them detract from the main players by using a lack of color was a clever idea.

Choose Your Own Review
For the new reader: As previously asked, one wonders why The Oracle Code does not continue the same continuity of the recently released Shadow of the Batgirl. A possible explanation of this is that the latter is Cassandra’s story, not Babs, though Babs does play an important role. The Oracle Code seeks to establish Barbara as the main character in her own story, and in so doing, we must see her at the beginning of her heroic career and thus equal to the age of the intended audience.

Similar to Black Canary: Ignite, we see a young woman struggling to come to terms with herself, and in this case, the person she is has changed dramatically. An adolescent’s ability to cope with trauma varies depending on the person and situation, and it is inappropriate to say that one reaction to trauma is “better or worse” than another. As we see at the beginning of the story, Barbara Gordon is a fun and intelligent young woman who loves investigating and cares deeply for her father. She is capable and seems to want to be a master of herself and her circumstances. When the ability to be master of herself is taken away from her in an instant, it is conceivable that she acts negatively, becoming morose, apathetic, and full of attitude. Thus Barbara’s greatest challenge is breaking away from that self-destructive behavior, fully accepting herself as, changed, yes, but also still whole. Babs begins to regain her wholeness once she sets out on a mission, finally distancing herself from her inward contemplations and looking outward towards helping others. In helping Jena and the others from the basement, she reconnects with her lost friend Ben, makes new friends, finds and understands her new capabilities, and perhaps becomes a stronger person than she originally was.

New readers will be able to easily digest this story without fear of a complicated backstory. All you really need to know are Babs and her father Jim Gordon. A new universe has been created for both of them, and hopefully, that universe is expanded upon for the future.

My main question/concern, even as a new reader is this: how is this character distinctly Barbara Gordon? What prevents me from taking this story and having the character be named “Kimberley Rockmore?” I want new readers to come away from this story with an understanding of who Barbara Gordon is and why she is so important (and she is objectively one of the most important characters) to the DC Universe. This Babs may have some of “my” Babs’ characteristics, but I’m not sure she has her spirit. If someone asks a new reader, “who is Barbara Gordon?” what sort of answer can we expect using The Oracle Code as source material?

For the seasoned Barbara reader: The issue with crafting a story with a tweenage Barbara Gordon at the center is that you do not have the years necessary to include all aspects of her past. With this story, we lose Babs’ history as Batgirl and only show her as a youthful hacker on the rise. As many argue that Barbara loses something in not being Oracle, I argue that the same is true of her not being Batgirl. Without that aspect of her journey, we do not see the Babs who is a champion of the people, selfless, heroic, and one who so loves and respects her father that she wishes to emulate him. Here we see a selfish Babs and one who, while she does love her father, does something reckless without considering the repercussions for herself and someone else. This is where we get to the core of my problems (as a historian): this is not Barbara Gordon. While Babs certainly was ornery after the events of The Killing Joke and through much of the “Birds of Prey” run, she still gave herself a purpose and helped people. Here we see Babs actually roll away from someone in need of help and is a touch more than ornery - I would even call her a brat. It was difficult for me to read this character, and it took until the second act, when she finally has a mission, for her character to stabilize and be close to recognizable as Barbara Gordon.

Devil’s advocate here: these graphic novels are intended for a younger audience than myself, thus making it necessary for the main character to reflect the age of the reader. Therefore, Nijkamp had really no choice but to discard the Batgirl history, as it would be difficult to argue that Babs was Batgirl at age 9 or so.

Does tragedy/trauma irrevocably change a person? Is that something we explore here? Should we allow the poor characterization at the beginning in order to make way for her metamorphosis? Then again, does she really change, or does she just go back to how she was (all but physically) pre-trauma? What is her purpose, her drive? We see her use the computer handle and symbol of Oracle, but what does it mean besides childish games and hacks? How will she take what she did in the institute and transfer it to the outside world? Finally, and a slight detail, but if Babs has changed by the end, should not her wheelchair change as well and go handle-less, which is a detail that carries a great deal of symbolic weight?

The trauma is another major part of this story which is not explored. It is only vaguely alluded to in image and conversation. Due to following her father’s activities, she got in the way of a bullet. As much as I do not care for The Killing Joke, it is difficult to say what Oracle would be like without that story given her run-ins afterward with the Joker. Showing the trauma could be nothing, but it could also be everything. More explanation is necessary, especially since it has such an effect on Babs that she is clearly suffering from PTSD as well.

A key component to the Barbara Gordon mythos is her relationship with her father. While I was pleased to see him in this story, there is not much development between the two to show them as distinct among many familial relationships in comics. I was disappointed to see some tension enter into the comics when her father mistakenly says her injury was her fault. “This is not one of your puzzles,” he says on the phone when she talks about Jena, “and now is not the time to go chasing ghosts. That’s what got you into this situation in the first place.” To have Jim portrayed as anyone but a compassionate father who fully supports (and yes, has concern for) his daughter does an injustice to both characters and is symptomatic of the current comics looking to shake up the status quo with unnecessary strife.

Finally, longtime Babs' fans may think they will find some fun Easter Eggs in this story, as several previous DC graphic novels have employed, but I’m afraid you will be disappointed. Her cast of characters is all new and has no previous connection to Barbara’s history. One would at least hope that the friend she goes hacking with would be someone we could recognize. A possible explanation of this is that this is early in her life and she has yet to meet those people who will be an influence on her life and career as a hero.

Final Thoughts: Try as I may, it is difficult to have anything but a split mind about this book. It is an important and necessary story that brings representation to a group that has been without representation for so long. My main concern is that this is Barbara Gordon in name only, and the literal and symbolic importance of “Oracle” is not explained.

Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with a review copy of this title. You can purchase your own copy by heading over to Amazon.

-Reviewed by Stella Bowman for The Batman Universe

The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp is a wonderful addition. One of the best, truthfully. The story and art are fantastic and this is one that I couldn't put down. I love the story of Barbara Gordon, in general, within the DC Universe so it is pleasant to once again have a teenaged version that my nieces and nephew can read. I would recommend this one highly, the art is by far some of the best. It doesn't appear child-like, but it is sophisticated in the same result. It is wonderful.

I greatly enjoyed the examination of trauma, the path to recovery, and coming to terms with being a wheelchair user from the POV of Barbara Gordan, sans explicit Batman ties (apart from the Commissioner and a Robin plush doll).

I'm really liking the young adult versions of many of these DC characters. Barbara's beginnings were a definite plus. There were a few times that the book seemed to jump a bit in events, such as the moment Barb becomes paralyzed. But, it does right itself as the story progresses, with many flashbacks from her. Those first few pages also showed an attitude driven character, but with what Barb's gone through, it made sense for everything else that was to come.

Another part that I really enjoyed, were the illustrations in this novel. The style is not always one I go for, but there are different variations in here. Plus, it includes images like that above, which really added another nice touch to it all. It really told a story, and gave the reader a feel for things. Much of that, was pertaining to the facility Barb was admitted to. But, there is another moment in here with the cutest illustrations, but spookiest stories, about a girl, ghosts, dolls, and much more.

For those particular images, you'll have to venture into the novel. Believe me, there are more than a few that make this story unique. It was those added illustrations, and creepy tales, that kept me reading. Sometimes, without them, it might have felt a bit flat with all the goings. And, if you're here for an action packed story, this might not be where to start. But, if you're here for Barb's story and how it all came full circle, then this is the novel for you. I'm glad to have had the chance to read it!

***I received this copy from DC Comics, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

Creative and beautiful. I really loved the plot of this graphic novel and the concepts behind it. I think a few sections read a little choppy but overall this was a smooth and quick read.

Thank you DC Comics for the gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review!

I've read quite a few of the young adult releases from DC Comics and this one is definitely one of my favorites!

The plot was so different and definitely a mystery I too tried solving. I loved following Barbara Gordon's journey and especially towards healing. Loved that the author brought to us disability representation, and proved that people with disabilities don't need to be fixed to be seen as whole. To me this is one of the most important representations that definitely should be available in books and other media. This book is from an own voice author so I'm sure many will appreciate this book and see themselves represented in this.

We had ghost stories and mysteries to solve in this one as Barbara moves into Arkham Center of Independence after her injury. I believe this book taught a lot of important things aside from what I already mentioned above. The importance of our get feeling and how most of the time that feeling is definitely to be trusted. We got to see Barbara go through her healing process and as she discovered what was most important about herself. She also formed friendships as she adjusted to her new life.

The story was wonderful in every way! definitely felt a lot of different things reading this one. And the art work was simply the best thing ever! the artist is incredible. The art style was gorgeous and the I loved the use of colors and how the artist mostly showed in each panel who we should focus on.

Overall, I adored this graphic novel and i can't recommend this enough!

I really like that each one of the YA DC graphic novels has its own art style. It seems like they really tried to match the style with the character and focus on certain color palettes for them.

It made sense to have the Oracle be more of a mystery/Nancy Drew type story. It shows that they understand what the character is about since Babs was a hacker/Sleuth during her time as Oracle in the comics.

As an adult reader, I felt like at times the story was a bit rushed and that the mystery was solved a bit too easily but I can see how that would suit younger readers. The overall pacing was really good and they balanced the mystery with Babs learning to deal with her disability and make friends. It was nice to see that it had more depth than her just solving a mystery because it made the story more interesting.

Overall this was a great addition to the series and it is nice that they are focusing on more diverse characters instead of the usual DC group over and over again. I also like that they showed a disabled character and showed some of the difficulties and frustrations that she had. Hopefully, this can help teens that may be going through something similar.

I enjoyed this retelling of Barbara Gordon's Oracle origin story. This didn't have her being Batgirl before she was shot and paralyzed, instead she was a teen hacker. I wish there had been more to the story before she was shot, there wasn't really any reference to how she was before she was shot and paralyzed to compare to how she was in Arkham. The art was bright and a lot of the mystery was shown in puzzle pieces because Barbara saw how she was paralyzed and the mystery of Arkham as a puzzle she needed to solve. Overall I enjoyed this graphic novel.

Hello Again!


 I have recently been enjoying a lot of DC comics and this was the next one that I read! Before reading any of these comics (you can see other previous reviews here on my site or on my Goodreads page) I honestly knew little to nothing about the DC universe of its characters. My husband and I played the batman games together on the Playstation a few years ago and I have seen all of the newer films but that is about it (aside from watching Flash on the CW, which I am behind on but I used to binge that show in college). After reading this one I have already picked up two others that I will be talking about soon but I am loving learning all about these different DC characters, it has been super fun.


SPOILERS AHEAD


Barbara Gordon was left paralyzed after a gunshot wound and is now moving into the Arkham Center for Independence to help her relearn many day to day skills. Here Barbara will live with many other teens that are working on their own rehabilitation. However, once Barbara has arrived and settled she starts to feel like things are not right and that there is something more going on here. Barbara meets another teen staying at the Center who survived a fire with her brother however, her brother goes missing one night and then her! Barbara enlists the help of her other friends at the center to try to find out what happened to the other two teens and what is really going on here at the center.


This might have been my favorite one of these comics yet (now after reading some others it definitely has some competition). I loved the mystery attached to this one and seeing Barbara work to figure out what was really going on. I also thought the art in this comic was really well done and just enhance the story. I found myself scanning the images at times looking for something I might be missing. I am giving this comic five stars on Goodreads and I can not wait to talk about the next one that I read!





**Thank you so much to the publisher who gave me an E-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Oracle Code tells the story of Barbara Gordon as she tries to recover from a horrific injury. She is sent to a home where she can recover and become used to using a wheelchair, where she starts to notice suspicious circumstances. However, she is unsure if it is her overactive imagination or if there is something actually sinister going on. I appreciated that this is a more child-friendly origin story for Oracle, avoiding the problematic story that is mainstream in DC comics. I also appreciated how it portrayed girls with disabilities as still powerful and skilled. However, I still thought the story was overly simplistic.

This new origin story for Barbara Gordon as Oracle is so well done. The story isn't about the violence of her origin story but what happens to her after and the person she becomes. It was a little spooky, which was kinda unexpected, and I didn't see the ending coming. I really appreciate that it's an OwnVoices book as well, after hearing Marieke Nijkamp speak about it at a conference, and that really stuck out to me as I read it.

The Oracle Code is one of the best graphic novels I've read in a really long time. There are practically no superheros in this novel, but the story is fierce, fun, and full of intrigue.

After getting shot, Barbara "Babs" Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon, becomes paralyzed and needs to use a wheelchair. Babs' father sends her to a mysteriously creepy mansion of treatment center where she can heal and get stronger, both mentally and physically. The story that unfurls includes late night ghost stories, missing girls, fierce female friendships, and strong disability representation. The plot itself is a perfect blend of gothic ghost stories and noir mysteries, and I've never seen better in a graphic novel.

The novel is impeccably illustrated, and I loved that the ghost stories and other bits were illustrated to look different from the main story. The coloring of the novel was just beautiful-- full of rich purples and greens with smatterings of purposeful reds and black. It really is a gorgeous book.

While it's a DC graphic novel, don't think you have to be a fan of superheroes to enjoy this book. You don't even have to know anything, really, about the DC comic universe before going into this book.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5! Bottom line: It's a lovely, diverse YA graphic novel with a strong plot and compelling characters.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eArc of the book for review. In addition to the below link, a review will be posted on my blog on release date, March 10, 2020.

Posted to Goodreads: Barbara Gordon is a brilliant hacker whose life is changed by one gunshot. Now, Barbara is a patient at Gotham Center for Independence where she will uncover a mystery of a sinister plot that is effecting her fellow patients.

I was happily surprised by this graphic novel. The story was a well-crafted origin story that left me wanting to read more about Barbara's journey to becoming The Oracle. Plus, the art felt like a classic superhero comic strip that felt perfect for an origin story.

This book was an iffy read for me, because although I've always loved Oracle, I've had a hard time with her origin story stretching back to The Killing Joke and the unnecessary fridging of Barbara Gordon. After getting that off my chest, this is an origin story for Oracle and Barbara Gordon that I can be invested in. Marieke Nijkamp did an amazing job creating a much better and less soul crushing backstory for Barbara. Thank You.

This was fantastic! I love the Oracle reboot. I don’t know what it does to Batgirl of Burnside (which was amazing, too), but I really like this!

It was fantastic to see a young “Oracle” - I realize this is a total retcon if it’s DC Canon, but sometimes there are good reasons for going there - and I think this one. I like the character of Barbara Gordon / Oracle, and while some diversity seems forced, this doesn’t. Especially since Oracle has been a superhero in a wheelchair - for what? Over 20 years now? To see her as a teen without having the horror of the Joker is a bit refreshing. I realize there are purists that will be put off by that, but you can’t please everyone. I think it’s worth it - and I’ll be looking for more of these.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

This is a young adult version of the Barbara Gordon mythos of Batgirl fame. Although she is no longer paralyzed, in the comic books, there was a time that she was, and she solved crimes from her wheelchair, being a hacker.

In this version, she is a teenager, and is partially paralyzed, and has to solve the mystery of the rehabilitation hospital where she is recovering.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/the-oracle-code.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5605" />

A sort of Nancy Drew take on a teenage Barbara Gordon, there are interesting twists and turns, and Barbara tries to find out what is happening at a hospital where people have disappeared.

Nicely done.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

DC does it again! I'm having so much fun reading all of these DC YA graphic novels!

The Oracle Code was definitely a favorite and of all of them it feels the most concrete one.
The story does not feel rushed at all and its actually pretty detail oriented for a comic.

This graphic novel follows Barbara Gordon after getting shot and having to go through recovery from her physical
disabilities but also her emotional ones. She feels like shes lost her life and her friends and I feel like she was perfectly portrayed in this story. I will say that this one did have a creepier feel than the rest of the YA graphic novels and I absolutely loved it. The art style is another thing I loved! There are different styles in this one so be ready for a pleasant surprise.

I would absolutely recommend The Oracle Code! 5/5 stars from me!

Marieke Nijkamp's The Oracle Code is an alternate graphic novel take on the shooting of Barbara Gordon and her transformation into Oracle. In this version of events, Barbara Gordon is still Commissioner Gordon's daughter, but she is a teenager and already a hacker (although what sort of hacking she actually does is left largely unexplored, aside from the obligatory security system hacking she'll do over the course of the story). It opens with her being shot and then sent o the Arkham Center for Independence, a rehabilitation center for teens that she immediately suspects is a front for some hidden awfulness. She is, at first, reluctant to make friends or form attachments because her pre-shooting friends have ghosted her, but eventually her need to solve puzzles leads her to reach out to others as she works to figure out the mystery of several patients' sudden disappearances, including that of a resident who would come by and tell her portentous stories at night. Naturally, the day is saved in the end and ACI's ablist plot to genetically eradicate disability by making people "whole" is thwarted.

There are many good things to point to in this graphic novel. There's a diverse cast including (obviously) non- able-bodied folks and people of a variety of races and at least one hijabi. These characters are not only represented in the background of group shots, but comprise about half of the named characters, though Babs (as she bafflingly prefers to be called) remains a red-haired white girl. The ACI friends are realistic about their lives and tell Barbara that life on wheels is what you make of it and that old friends don't always stay, remaining friendly and forgiving when she rebuffs their friendly overtures. When one of Barbara's old friends finally reappears, their encounter is awkward and she schools him on "this is me now," even though she feels a little hypocritical doing so, not having fully embraced the reality of her life on wheels, herself. Those are all good things. Lots of representation.

Some things that rubbed me the wrong way, however, were Commissioner Gordon continually saying that his daughter can be "fixed," despite the fact that he clearly loves and admires here with or without the wheelchair. It's an oddly inconsiderate word for him to settle on, though it makes more sense as the baddies' plot is eventually revealed. Unfortunately, it also made me wonder, as a reader, if the Commissioner's language choice had something to do with some knowledge of ACI's hidden agenda to "fix" or "cure' disabled folks. I hope not. I was also less than comfortable with the casting of rehabilitation specialists as bad guys. I know there weren't a lot of characters to choose from for the roles, but I wonder about the message it sends to people in rehabilitation, that their physical therapists aren't just evil for giving them physically excruciating tasks in the hope of improving their independence and mobility, but that they're genuinely evil and want to rid the world of folks who aren't "whole." Or maybe I'm reading way too much into this. Probably I am.

I have not spoken about the art because there's not a whole lot to say about it. The artist did a good job of being inclusive in portraying the characters and I could always tell the characters apart, but otherwise it was pretty unremarkable. The whole color palette felt pretty subdued except for Jena's stories. There were some background Easter eggs that were neat to see, like Robin dolls or someone reading a book titled "Dial C for CATS.." Overall, the art was fine.

Ultimately, The Oracle Code feels more like a purchase for a public or school library than a book I would want to buy for myself or for someone else.

I loved this book so much. Babs is one of my all time favorite comic book characters and I was nervous about how she’d be adapted. I can happily say that her fire and essence were captured spectacularly well in this graphic novel. This was such a pleasure to read and it made my heart so warm. The representation for disabilities was so well done as well. It was a very powerful read and I’ve already pre-ordered a physical copy to add to my collection.