Whether comic readers want to admit it or not, comic books are like soap operas. Besides the serial nature of the writing, love and relationships are often a factor when the heroes aren't punching villains in the face. There have been some great relationships portrayed in comics such as Spider-Man and Mary Jane, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, Superman and Lois Lane and so on.
You'll notice that some of those 'great couples' up above are no longer together. Part of the reason is reading about them trying to get together adds more spice to the stories. Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon are another couple that are meant to be together but for various reasons seem to be apart more than they're together.
With the changes we'll be seeing in DC's "The New 52" relaunch, what will happen between these two young lovers? We know Dick is going back to his roots by becoming Nightwing again and Barbara will be jumping back into her Batgirl identity. With the freedom these roles allow them and the minor tweaks being made to their characters, will we see Nightwing and Batgirl get back together again?
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What went wrong with them before? There was always a flirtation and attraction between the two. It never fully had a chance to go anywhere. The biggest blow in their relationship was when Barbara finally decided she wanted to make things official. Finding the nerve to fully tell Dick how she felt, she went to his apartment to tell him exactly how she felt. The problem was she waited just a little too long. Dick had started a relationship with his fellow Teen Titans member, Starfire. When Starfire answered the door, Barbara was shocked, embarrassed and heart broken. Even though Dick's relationship with Kori lasted a while and the two almost got married, it's always been clear that Barbara was his true love.
Over the years, the two have shared their feelings towards each other. During the 'No Man's Land' storyline, they came to terms with how they felt and Dick even proposed to Barbara right before the 'One Year Later' storyline. It was Barbara that pulled away, wanting Dick to be sure he had time to find himself.
Even though Barbara getting shot by the Joker put an end to her Batgirl identity, she stayed in the superhero game by becoming the information broker, Oracle. Despite this, Dick and Barbara didn't quite have the opportunity to operate side-by-side. This is the problem some other comic book couples face. Spider-Man and Mary Jane or Superman and Lois Lane may have had committed relationships but with one not being a hero in the thick of the action, it almost becomes hard for the other to relate to their world.
What will the relaunches mean for the characters? We're seeing some interesting tweaks being made with some characters but Batman writer Scott Snyder has Tweeted that events in the Batman Universe will still stick. Dick has always been carefree and a bit immature but we've seen incredible growth with him during his time as Batman in the pages of Detective Comics. As he may be ready to set down roots in Gotham City, this could also mean he's ready to have Barbara by his side as he creates those roots.
Starfire may have been a sore point between the two. From what we've seen and heard about Starfire's role in the upcoming Red Hood and the Outlaws, it almost sounds as if this Starfire won't have had a history with Dick. That means no awkward memories or resentment from when Barbara discovered they were an item.
Of course it there's also the fact that Barbara doesn't necessarily need a man in her life. She's done a superb job re-establishing herself after being shot by Joker. Her heart may belong to Dick and Dick may be showing signs of maturing, but he might not be completely ready or deserving quite yet.
Dick will be spending time in Gotham but will also be hanging out with Haley's Circus trying to find out more about his past (at least by the look of things in the first few issues of the new series). Barbara will somehow get her superhero identity back and maybe it'd be better for her to adjust to these changes before heading back to Dick's arms. And from the look of the cover to Batgirl #3, they might not be hooking up just yet.