when it comes to writing Barbara, are there any past creators you draw inspiration from? How about other characters like the Secret Six, Deadpool, or Agent X (a personal favorite!)?

All of them and none of them, in a way.

That sounds weird…hmm.

None of them, because I want her to feel fresh and many of her stories are pretty dated (I’m talking about her Batgirl stories, not her Oracle ones). They are simply from a different era and time has passed some of those tropes by. She was relatively independent and progressive for the most part, but there’s still some oddball stuff.

However, I take a LOT from previous versions in terms of what I love about her…that she’s smart, determined, she stands on her own, she’s not a sidekick, all that stuff, I think that’s all classic Barbara. She’s not as world-crushing as she gets as Oracle, but that’s in there somewhere, the roots of it.

My favorite Barbara story by far is Batgirl: Year One, but I don’t know if it’s a huge influence at this point, I’ve not read it in a good while.

Everything and nothing, in a way.