The Oracle Code

[leahandillyana]

The Oracle Code is my favourite entry from DC Ink. It's an alternate story of Barbara Gordon who was never Batgirl, and instead as a preteen was accidentally shot during a police chase. Her father, wanting her to get the best treatment, sends her to Arkham Center for Independence, where disabled children learn to live with their disabilities. However, something seems not to be right with the institution, and after investigating Barbara and her friends discover that the released children never left ACI.










I really did enjoy the message here. While not at all subtle, "disabled lives are not worth less than abled lives" is a message than doesn't appear in children's fiction enough. Furthermore, the book does a good job of presenting a life of a disabled child and problems they face that don't even come to mind for somebody abled. Plus, I like how it simplifies Barbara's story. She truly shines as Oracle, while as Batgirl she basically is That One Chick. I also enjoy the make up of her friends group. In canon, she is the only disabled character (I loved the few years when she regularly interacted with Cassandra). In the comic, only one of her friends is abled.

Comments

[cyberghostface]

Yeah they had a good thing going with Cass as Batgirl and Barbara as Oracle.
Shame DC regressed there.

[icon_uk]

Okay, this is one to track down... Thank you for posting!

[lilacsigil]

This is really cool! I will track this down.