Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)

Barbara is working in the library while researching some clippings about crimes in Gotham.

Librarian Barbara Gordon made her comic book debut in Detective Comics #359 (1967) as the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon. In her original Silver Age adventures, Batgirl was a cheerful and inexperienced female version of Batman. After several supporting appearances in Batman, she was given her own comic strip in Detective Comics. This allowed her to quickly grow from a shy version of Barbara Gordon to a more modern and confident character whom her friends began to call "Babs". Without her glasses and buns, Barbara began to date, which would become a succession of boyfriends, the most popular of which were Jason Bard, a Vietnam War veteran (who later became a private investigator) and Dick Grayson, at the time still wearing the mantle of Robin.

Barbara proved to be quite popular as her readers began to send her requests for more guest appearances in other titles. In addition to appearing several times in Batman and Detective Comics, Batgirl also appeared in World's Finest Comics, where she met Superman, Supergirl, Bat-Mite, and Mxyzptlk for the first time. She also fought alongside the Justice League against the villain Queen Bee. Babs met Supergirl again in Adventure Comics #381, when the two heroines separately investigated an all-female criminal group.