The Oracle Code is a YA DC standalone graphic novel following Barbara Gordon, hacker extraordinaire. After a mugging-gone-wrong, Barbara finds herself paralyzed from the waist down and in an attempt to rehabilitate her, her father sends her to the Arkham Centre for Independence. Babs isn't adjusting well to her disability and shuts down any attempts to process her trauma. But after befriending a fellow patient Barbara discovers a mystery at Arkam and unravels a major conspiracy

I liked The Oracle Code for the most part. As a Barbara Gordon and Oracle stan, I think Marieke Nijkamp captured the tenacity, resourcefulness, and bravery that makes Barbara such an engaging character and translates elements of her backstory into a standalone YA graphic novel well. I can see people who chafe at "unlikable" protagonists being frustrated with Barbara in this story. She lashes out, isolates herself and makes exasperating choices throughout the story. But, that serves her character and the journey she goes through as the story progresses. Nijkamp captures how demoralizing losing your sense of self can be and the hard work it takes to build yourself back up again and redefine your trauma. And the triumph at the end of the story was perfectly rendered.

Something I don't love about the book is how heavy-handed its themes are. I understand this book is for teens and is designed to be approachable for people who may have never encountered discussions of ableism before, but the simplistic way Nijkamp coveys the ways people view disabled people as "broken" and needing to be "fixed" was disappointing. The shallow dialogue and mustache-twirling, gun-toting antagonists were a little too surface level for my liking.

I did enjoy Manuel Preitano's art. His simple, youthful art style with flatter colours and less heavy inking worked perfectly for a YA graphic novel. Preitano utilized the jigsaw puzzle motif and imagery well throughout the story and I loved the little nods to the original comics like the yellow in Bab's wheelchair matching her original Batgirl costume. Hands down the best art in this book are the stylized horror stories scattered throughout. Preitano's blend of childlike designs and dark iconography was chilling.

The Oracle Code is a solid DC YA graphic novel. Its characterization was compelling and its storytelling solid. Despite its weaknesses, I would recommend it to people looking to get into Barbara Gordon but feel intimidated by the decades-long DC canon.