i was so sad that you (that is an ambiguous you, it could be you specifically, your editors, or higher ups that made the decision) felt the need to redo Barbara's origin as batgirl, as opposed to Year One (which i believe was cannon before the reboot). her

Yeah, totally understand that feeling.

I see shared universe comics as improv. The idea for me is never to say, “no,” it’s to say, “yes, and…”

So I don’t want to say, THIS story didn’t happen. And B:YO is one of my all-time favorite stories.

But there is a very clear thing I keep seeing, which is people thinking that the New52 is pasting stuff over top of the old universe.

I understand why people think that—first, it would be nice to feel the old one still exists. And second, because some things, like Batman and Green Lantern, didn’t change that much.

But the idea is that this is a new universe, a new continuity. Almost every single hero has had their origin adjusted, villains are new, supporting characters are new, relationships are new. It’s a mixed bag, some are improvements, some might be less successful.

But it’s a new universe, and so the stories are unfolding as we see them. I think, if we fill every gap in the new 52 with our past knowledge of the previous universe, we are going to have a lot of disconnect, you know?

I’ve said it a lot of times, there’s a lot of stuff that I miss dearly that hasn’t yet shown up in the new52, and some stuff has been changed that I really loved.

At the same time, I can understand not wanting to do Killer Moth and a costume ball for a character’s origin story in a universe designed to grab new readers. I get why that wouldn’t be the approach DC would want.

I know that isn’t going to convince everyone, but I use that Star Trek movie comparison again. Some of the stuff in the original Star Trek series would be a tough sell if you were showing it to a brand new reader not already familiar with that continuity. So they have to rethink it some for a new version.

We also wanted something a little less reliant on other characters, and focused more on the Gordons. This story is about them, ultimately.

Anyway, totally understand your point. It IS a great book!