Batgirl to join the Birds of Prey full time

Barbara Gordon returns to the team she founded next month.

When DC's New 52 relaunch lineup was announced, fans of the Birds of Prey series were reasonably concerned with Barbara Gordon's disappearance from the team. Barbara was given her own solo series once again, returning to the role of Batgirl under fan-favorite writer Gail Simone. Still, fans hoped the character would get involved in the team outside of cameos (seen in the first issue). Now it appears, Birds of Prey writer Duayne Swierczynski is making Batgirl a permanent member of the team with Birds of Prey #4.

Discussing the series on The Source Blog, Swierczynski said, "Sure, Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl) was reluctant at first. She didn’t necessarily want to be hanging out with a gang of outlaws, and she has serious doubts about at least one member of team. But to Batgirl, friendship trumps everything, and you’ll see exactly how she finds her way to a permanent spot on the team in issues #4 and 5."

Strangely, the decision to add Batgirl into the mix may have been without Gail Simone's involvement. A fan asked her on Twitter about the announcement, asking if we could expect some synergy between the two books. She responded saying, "I hope so, I wasn't consulted." Regardless, it appears plans are set in motion.

Birds of Prey #4 arrives in stores December 21st.