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Batman: Battle for the Cowl #0.5
Oracle: The Cure
She was once Batgirl, but now Barbara Gordon has taken on the role of Oracle, the information liaison to the DC Universe's Super Hero community. But after Oracle's all-female super team known as the Birds of Prey falls apart, she heads out on her own to discover a new heroic path! Now back in Gotham City as a recluse, Barbara loses herself to her Oracle identity entirely. And when the evil Calculator seeks the remnants of the Anti-Life Equation to save the life of his daughter, Oracle will be caught in a deadly game of online war - and when the smoke clears, her new destiny presents itself!
Barbara Gordon discovers a new path in this collection featuring the 3-issue ORACLE miniseries plus BIRDS OF PREY #126-127.
Barbara Gordon discovers a new path in this collection featuring the 3-issue ORACLE miniseries plus BIRDS OF PREY #126-127.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
164 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 22, 2015
I must admit that I don't see the purpose for the hate towards this volume. To me, it was awesome seeing Barbara Gordon (pre-reboot when she was the disabled and older in her late 20's hacker extraordinaire Oracle) really use her smarts to outdo bad guys.
The essential story is that Wendy and Marvin (a nod to the Wonder Twins) were attacked by their Wonder Dog that was some monster, and brutally mauled. Marvin died but Wendy survived and is in a coma. Their father, a man going by the name of the Calculator, uses his brilliance at computers and other things to test out perfecting the anti-life equation that Darkseid recently conquered earth with. His goal is to bring his daughter out of the coma.
Of course, to do this he has to kill many people as he tries to test out parts of the formula, without telling them of the danger and that he is using them a guinea pigs, of course. He doesn't care as he wants to save his daughter. As much as one might sympathize with him, his harming of others, as well as his cruelty and sociopathy in doing so, motivates Babs to stop him.
I understand the criticism of those who allege in titles with Barbara Gordon in them that she is boosted too much. Far too much. But compared to other stories about her, this one actually shows her in a somewhat bad light at times. She realistically undergoes nightmares, heightened awareness, wishing she were dead at times, lashing out at and hurting others, so on, among other symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
What I loved more than anything was that she managed to take down a threat through her brain, showing why even in a wheel-chair and without some of her more impressive physical abilities, she is a force to be reckoned with.
I really loved this title, though the covers did bother me. They really were a tad too fan-servicey, not because I am against it, but think that to have a serious title with no fan-service and then use it on the covers, is a little dishonest and pathetic. It also disagreed with the serious tone of the book.
I know others don't like the story like I do, but I loved it. Highly, HIGHLY Recommended.
The essential story is that Wendy and Marvin (a nod to the Wonder Twins) were attacked by their Wonder Dog that was some monster, and brutally mauled. Marvin died but Wendy survived and is in a coma. Their father, a man going by the name of the Calculator, uses his brilliance at computers and other things to test out perfecting the anti-life equation that Darkseid recently conquered earth with. His goal is to bring his daughter out of the coma.
Of course, to do this he has to kill many people as he tries to test out parts of the formula, without telling them of the danger and that he is using them a guinea pigs, of course. He doesn't care as he wants to save his daughter. As much as one might sympathize with him, his harming of others, as well as his cruelty and sociopathy in doing so, motivates Babs to stop him.
I understand the criticism of those who allege in titles with Barbara Gordon in them that she is boosted too much. Far too much. But compared to other stories about her, this one actually shows her in a somewhat bad light at times. She realistically undergoes nightmares, heightened awareness, wishing she were dead at times, lashing out at and hurting others, so on, among other symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
What I loved more than anything was that she managed to take down a threat through her brain, showing why even in a wheel-chair and without some of her more impressive physical abilities, she is a force to be reckoned with.
I really loved this title, though the covers did bother me. They really were a tad too fan-servicey, not because I am against it, but think that to have a serious title with no fan-service and then use it on the covers, is a little dishonest and pathetic. It also disagreed with the serious tone of the book.
I know others don't like the story like I do, but I loved it. Highly, HIGHLY Recommended.
August 25, 2021
Oracle: The Cure collects the last two issues of the 2003 Birds of Prey series (Birds of Prey #126–127) and the three-issue miniseries – Oracle: The Cure.
Oracle: The Cure trade paperback is a hodgepodge of a collection, compiling the three issues of the title story with the final two issues of the original Birds of Prey series – one of which was turned over to Oracle's villainous analogue, the Calculator for the Faces of Evil event.
Oracle: The Cure is a deceptive title for the three-issue miniseries as it suggests that Barbara Gordon's crippled body would be cured, when in fact it's the Calculator searching for the means to revive his comatose daughter.
Kevin VanHook (Birds of Prey #127 and Oracle: The Cure #1–3) and Tony Bedard (Birds of Prey #126–127) penned the trade paperback. For the most part it is written moderately well. Bedard throws in a couple of nice touches, particularly with regard to the Calculator, but he lacks a handle on so many of the remaining cast, who’re either mediocre to begin with or given little but a momentary cameo role. VanHook captures Barbara’s determined character and her computer talents, but a plot centered on people interacting with a computer screen isn’t ever going to be the most dynamic.
Fernando Pasarin (Birds of Prey #127 and Oracle: The Cure #1–3), Julian Lopez (Oracle: The Cure: #1–3), and Claude St. Aubin (Birds of Prey #126–127) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part it was penciled moderately well. St Aubin's style is just serviceable – especially for the end of a long lasting series. Lopez illustrates the real world scenes while Pasarin occupies himself with those set in a virtual environment for the miniseries.
Overall, this particular Birds of Prey series is difficult to evaluate as there is much of the series not collected in the trades. Approximately fifty issues are not collected from the first trade to the next. Chuck Dixon did a wonderful job in building up the team from the ground up, while Gail Simone to the team into the stratosphere. Unfortunately, the narrative took a nosedive as Tony Bedard and Sean McKeever took over. Artistic-wise, the series suffered from many mediocre pencilers and those that were superb often overly sexualize the female characters.
All in all, Oracle: The Cure is a moderate conclusion to a somewhat wonderful series.
Oracle: The Cure trade paperback is a hodgepodge of a collection, compiling the three issues of the title story with the final two issues of the original Birds of Prey series – one of which was turned over to Oracle's villainous analogue, the Calculator for the Faces of Evil event.
Oracle: The Cure is a deceptive title for the three-issue miniseries as it suggests that Barbara Gordon's crippled body would be cured, when in fact it's the Calculator searching for the means to revive his comatose daughter.
Kevin VanHook (Birds of Prey #127 and Oracle: The Cure #1–3) and Tony Bedard (Birds of Prey #126–127) penned the trade paperback. For the most part it is written moderately well. Bedard throws in a couple of nice touches, particularly with regard to the Calculator, but he lacks a handle on so many of the remaining cast, who’re either mediocre to begin with or given little but a momentary cameo role. VanHook captures Barbara’s determined character and her computer talents, but a plot centered on people interacting with a computer screen isn’t ever going to be the most dynamic.
Fernando Pasarin (Birds of Prey #127 and Oracle: The Cure #1–3), Julian Lopez (Oracle: The Cure: #1–3), and Claude St. Aubin (Birds of Prey #126–127) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part it was penciled moderately well. St Aubin's style is just serviceable – especially for the end of a long lasting series. Lopez illustrates the real world scenes while Pasarin occupies himself with those set in a virtual environment for the miniseries.
Overall, this particular Birds of Prey series is difficult to evaluate as there is much of the series not collected in the trades. Approximately fifty issues are not collected from the first trade to the next. Chuck Dixon did a wonderful job in building up the team from the ground up, while Gail Simone to the team into the stratosphere. Unfortunately, the narrative took a nosedive as Tony Bedard and Sean McKeever took over. Artistic-wise, the series suffered from many mediocre pencilers and those that were superb often overly sexualize the female characters.
All in all, Oracle: The Cure is a moderate conclusion to a somewhat wonderful series.
February 20, 2023
It's unfortunate that this all be it far too short Masterpiece is the closest thing we ever got to a stand alone Oracle series
December 17, 2024
2.5 stars
While I didn't hate Oracle: The Cure the story didn't do much for me. I've never been fond of The Calculator as a villain. I don't think he's very interesting and rarely produces exciting stories for Babs or the Birds of Prey and this story is no exception.
The plot of this book is mainly technobabble gobbledygook as Oracle surfs the web trying to stop the Calculator. If you're fond of early 2000s depiction of "the net" and MMORPGs this might be more fun for you but it did nothing for me.
The Cure halfheartedly tries to be about Barbara's relationship with her disability and her Killing Joke trauma but never explores it in a novel or interesting way. Chuck Dixon was writing stories like this with Babs in the mid-90s so to see it rehashed in such an uninspired way was tedious. Not to mention the comic never sufficiently address why Barbara disbands the Birds of Prey at all.
Overall Oracle: The Cure was a nothing-burger story with nothing interesting to say. I don't hate it, but it was very meh.
While I didn't hate Oracle: The Cure the story didn't do much for me. I've never been fond of The Calculator as a villain. I don't think he's very interesting and rarely produces exciting stories for Babs or the Birds of Prey and this story is no exception.
The plot of this book is mainly technobabble gobbledygook as Oracle surfs the web trying to stop the Calculator. If you're fond of early 2000s depiction of "the net" and MMORPGs this might be more fun for you but it did nothing for me.
The Cure halfheartedly tries to be about Barbara's relationship with her disability and her Killing Joke trauma but never explores it in a novel or interesting way. Chuck Dixon was writing stories like this with Babs in the mid-90s so to see it rehashed in such an uninspired way was tedious. Not to mention the comic never sufficiently address why Barbara disbands the Birds of Prey at all.
Overall Oracle: The Cure was a nothing-burger story with nothing interesting to say. I don't hate it, but it was very meh.
July 30, 2011
DC's information broker, and former Batgirl, Barbara Gordon takes on her evil counterpart Calculator. Overall, a mishmash of storylines from the Batte for the Cowl and Final Crisis that feel like it was forced into one volume. Anyone else tired of hearing how great Babs was as Batgirl in a book that based on her Oracle persona?
April 8, 2022
Aburrido, pero no me quedé dormido como al leer Azrael.
En sí lo bueno o rescatable es la relación con Final Crisis y la ecuación anti-vida. Supongo que ayuda a resolver por qué ya no se usó la ecuación para destruir el mundo (osea sí en otras dimensiones), pero aquí al menos Oráculo intenta mantener alertas sobre quién intente usarla.
Además, las partes del juego online, aunque así no funciona algunos diseños estaban padres.
En sí lo bueno o rescatable es la relación con Final Crisis y la ecuación anti-vida. Supongo que ayuda a resolver por qué ya no se usó la ecuación para destruir el mundo (osea sí en otras dimensiones), pero aquí al menos Oráculo intenta mantener alertas sobre quién intente usarla.
Además, las partes del juego online, aunque así no funciona algunos diseños estaban padres.
January 9, 2025
So, this was completely unnecessary, pointless, full of lame techno-babble, and a disappointment for the characters involved. Events barely mentioned here from the Teen Titans books propel the Calculator to try and save his daughter's life by...doing...things in a video game. Made little to no sense. Barbara seemed like an after thought here and in her place, a virtual world no one cares about. The art was fine but the writing was bad. Overall, a disappointing and bland read.
August 16, 2017
Some really good artwork for sure, but the story just doesn't work for me, I'm afraid. Too technical and I just can't get into those stories where the Virtual world crosses into the Real world etc. And causes peoples heads to explode.
November 11, 2017
Oracle disbands the birds and goes off on her own.
November 3, 2018
I thought the concept for this and the art were awesome. I think it just needed to be longer honestly. Still a very fun read.
February 18, 2020
I like the dive into Barbara's psyche. Didn't love the weird digital-world-affecting-real-world gimmick, but overall I enjoyed this.
February 21, 2023
Slow start, quite predictable, but still a decent read.
August 18, 2025
This is not very good. It's the last 2 issues of the Birds of Prey series and the 3 issue miniseries Oracle: The Cure. The Oracle mini is part of the Battle for the Cowl stuff. There's all kinds of fighting in the internet nonsense with the Calculator that makes no sense. Somehow, from within this online game he can cause players' heads to explode. It's really dumb.
December 16, 2015
Not as good as the Birds of Prey I have read. I didn't mind Oracle, and I liked her back story - in fact, I mostly enjoyed the plot - but I found the art... less convincing? Perhaps more distracting from the dialogue? It just didn't work for me, anyway. Also it felt like Oracle got a little whiny at a couple of points; there are ways of having a character reflect on their disability that reflect the fact they're an adult dealing with it, without sounding like they're wallowing in self-pity... and the reason this is a problem here is not that feeling miserable about your disability is a bad thing, but it felt out of character with Oracle as a whole - it felt like she would mope differently, I think, and indeed in the end that's what she does. I'm not explaining this very well, I know.
November 21, 2022
It's no secret that I love Oracle. Babs is one of my favorite characters and so this was a great book to start this marathon with. This trade collects several issues of Birds of Prey, as well as the titular mini-series, both arcs focusing on Oracle Vs. The Calculator. This is intense, the art and story are both gritty and violent, but it's a very good exploration of Oracle without the Birds of Prey, who she parts with before the Cure. In the aftermath of the internet being replaced by the dark “Uternet,” Babs travels across the world posing as a scout for Oracle to save the lives of other hackers. We get to see her kick ass and hold her own in fights, and against the genius of the Calculator. Barbara shows us she’s strong enough, confident enough to pass up what could be a “cure” for her paralysis. Great art, a great story, and a great insight into one of my favorite characters.
January 28, 2016
In the spirit of my totally out-of-order Batgirl kick, I'm now reading the book where Barbara finds her cure (well, the thing that will lead to her cure). I'm reading it directly after The Killing Joke, which is where she got paralyzed in the first place... totally skipping the whole time she spent as Oracle running the Birds of Prey.
This one didn't impress me much. It's just like, hey! It's time to cure Barbara, let's come up with some crazy device that can magically be adapted to do that. *shrug*
This one didn't impress me much. It's just like, hey! It's time to cure Barbara, let's come up with some crazy device that can magically be adapted to do that. *shrug*
February 25, 2014
Definitely a post-Gail Simone Oracle book and it shows. It's not terrible, but between the weird sexualization of Oracle's character (lots of sprawled helpless drawings with shirt open and/or askew), the protagonist angsting about whether it would have been better had The Joker killed her, and writing that tries hard but isn't up to the Simone standard, it doesn't make for a very satisfying read.
May 12, 2016
muy por debajo de la calidad de BoP, un arco argumental que tendria que estar relacionado de alguna manera con BftC y nada es mas alejado, la historias es intrasendente a lo que la saga requiere y no posee ninguna rellevancia inmediata, las portadas son exelentes pero el arte interior es por momentos bueno y por momentos mediocre.
July 10, 2014
I like Oracle: The Cure because it showed that Oracle was no wimp or coward. Despite the calculator out to get her she was willing to do what it takes to help someone who truly needed it. The cure was not for her but what she could do for the person she was trying to help.
May 31, 2015
Part of my massive Barbara Gordon Re-read which I had a glorious amazing time with. It was nice seeing more Oracle/Barbara stories after the end of BOP, but this one wasn't all that well done. Though the references to A Killing Joke were well done.
May 9, 2016
I read this beacuse it was on the Battle for the Cowl issues that I have to read in order to understand all the event (is not necessary) but now I regret wasting my time with this.
August 9, 2010
Surprisingly well-told cyber action, though the ending leaves something to be desired.
December 1, 2010
The final showdown with the calculator. Feels a bit like a Birds of Prey book, but with different people helping her. Worth a read.
June 2, 2012
It was fun to see Oracle by herself and outside of the Birds of Prey.
January 28, 2012
Story is pretty good but the Calculator as the enemy?
April 6, 2012
I love Oracle as a character. This book is always a fun revisit.
May 2, 2016
A solid story with inconsistent art. It's interesting to see a paraplegic character sexualized the way Barbara Gordon is in this run and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
October 11, 2016
Ah before the New '52. I do miss the old DC Universe
February 8, 2021
A sweet follow up to the original Birds of Prey series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews