Earlier in the week, I was struck down with a malady, the details of which I won’t bore you with; the salient point is that when I’m unwell, reading comics makes me feel better. So, I took my day in bed as an opportunity to read the recent Batman story arc ‘Death of the Family’, in which The Joker made his long awaited first appearance in the New 52.

Aaaand . . . it was good. Some parts better than others, obviously, as is usually the case when storylines proliferate across multiple books with different creative teams. Scott Snyder’s run on the central Batman title has been justifiably praised, and I harbour residual affection for the character of Nightwing from when he first appeared in New Teen Titans back in [puts hand across mouth and mumbles old, old date as inaudibly as possible], so I’m enjoying that comic, too – although I harbour the sneaking suspicion that Dick may never return to his Wolfman/Perez heights. But the stand out in an arc that was of pretty high quality all through, was undoubtedly Gail Simone’s Batgirl.

Holy Definitive Takes, Batman! DC took a lot of flak for their decision to give Batgirl/Barbara Gordon back the use of her legs after so long being in a wheelchair (courtesy of events in Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s brilliant Batman: The Killing Joke graphic novel), but in Gail Simone they had a writer – perhaps the only writer – with the chops to pull it off. And she’s done a magnificent job. Her depiction of Batgirl as a young woman coming to terms with her second chance, bravely taking up the cowl again while at the same time suffering understandable doubts and anxiety over what The Joker did to her is a masterclass in comics writing. And the way she reacts to The Joker’s actions in this storyline is a joy to read. I can’t say more without spoiling it – and you should all go out and read this story immediately (Batgirl #13-16) – but this book is quite simply one of the best comics on the market at the moment.

Bizarrely, DC almost took a .38 calibre to their own tootsies a little while ago when the decision was made to push her off the book. Madness. I confess I was one of the self-righteous horde who took to Twitter to let them know in no uncertain terms that I don’t read Batgirl because of the character, I read Batgirl because of Gail Simone; if she goes, so do I. I guess the people spoke and were listened to, because soon after it was announced that she’d be staying, which is excellent news. The esteemed Mike Carey put me on to Gail Simone’s writing by passing me a copy of The Secret Six – one of the best recommendations I’ve ever had, and I’d soon read all of her run on that (fantastic) series – and I now count myself a fan. I will read whatever she decides to write. And in the unlikely event that you’re reading this, Gail, and you think you might have an SF or fantasy novel you’d like to write? Don’t waste any time wondering where to send it – I might know a few people who’d be interested . . .

However, as a DC fan of nearly thirty years, the whole reboot has got me more excited than pretty much anything the company has put out in that time. I really hope it goes well and that the universe is not "booted back" after a few months.

The general cry of "but <insert favourite story here> has been wiped from continuity" doesn't hold any water with me. The stories still exist and, if you have the issues/books, you can still read them whenever you want to.

DC are to be applauded for trying to shake up the market, something which they have been successful at (even if just in the short term) if the sales figures are to be believed.