Many people were pissed over Moore's Disposable Woman treatment of Barbara Gordon in The Killing Joke, me included. This review of the story, however, made me realize something important: that was what The Joker wanted. Barbara is a young, athletic woman, and has probably done her fair share of community work (and not just as Batgirl). Joker, however, had probably hoped to make everyone in Gotham (not to mention the audience) remember her as "that poor girl that was shot by Joker", and nothing more (much like Sarah Essen Gordon). But, thanks to one John Ostrander and one Kim Yale, he failed at that - Barbara's more well-known than ever as Oracle.
