Stargirl: Where Do I Start?

She was one of the longest serving members of the Justice Society of America, and the latest in a pantheon of heroes going back to the original Golden Age hero of Star Man. But for all of that, Stargirl is only a teenager. And could be her biggest strength.

DC’s Stargirl was recently inducted into the Justice League of America team by Geoff Johns and David Finch, serving as one of the team’s youngest members ever. Despite her age however, the young woman born Courtney Whitmore has a long history in comics. Stargirl was created by a young Geoff Johns in 1999’s Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.S. #0, and based lovingly on Johns’ own sister who died tragically in the 1995 TW Flight 800 accident. On numerous occasions Johns has been quoted as saying she’s his favorite character in the DCU, and now with him as the publisher’s chief writer and Chief Creative Officer she is getting her biggest stage yet to go into action.

In this week’s Where Do I Start?, I look back at the character’s 14 year history in comics and pull together five texts that will give you all you need to know on DC’s young starlet.

Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Vol. 1 & Vol. 2: Before Geoff Johns was “Geoff Johns,” he was a young comics writer trying to make his way in the industry. DC gave him that chance by doing a modern day revamp of the classic heroic duo of the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, and thus came Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Partnering with artists Lee Moder, Scott Kolins and Chris Weston, Johns introduced Stargirl (then going by the mantle name of Star-Spangled Kid) as an enterprising heroine who found her stepfather’s superhero gear and takes up the family business. Her stepfather, the original Stripesy, builds a suit of armor to stand by her and protect her as S.T.R.I.P.E. – Special Tactics Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer. Through fifteen issues collected in these 2 trades, Johns and Co. tell a great little father-and-daughter hero story that stands on its own as great comics.

JSA: Fair Play (Vol. 4): Shortly after her debut in Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E.S., Stargirl joins with other legacy heroes in the historic Justice Society of America title, JSA. This fourth volume shows her very early on in her membership, including one particularly great issue – #29 — where she and Jakeem Thunder are left alone to fend off Solomon Grundy — the villain who killed her predecessor, Star-Spangled Kid. Grundy is even more vicious than usual thanks to a dose of the Joker’s chemicals, but Stargirl and Jakeem finally fend him off in a last ditch effort that leaves Grundy charred from the inside out by Thunderbolt.

Sins of Youth: Starwoman & The JSA Jr.: This is part of the excellent “Sins of Youth” crossover that has it’s own collection, but just one story really focuses on Stargirl — or rather, Starwoman. In this story, Stargirl was transformed into an older version of herself and forced to live up to the standard’s of the original Star-Spangled Kid’s sister, Merry Pemberton, who feels Stargirl never lived up to the family mantle. Stargirl eventually proves herself, and is a major moment for her on her path to becoming a hero.

JSA: Black Vengeance: It all begins with the murder of Stargirl’s parents by the time traveling villain Per Degaton. Determined, Stargirl and the JSA go back in time themselves to the 1950s to save her family. The story features Stargirl fighting for family, but also dealing with her on-again, off-again romance with the traitorous Atom Smasher.

Justice Society of America: Black Adam & Isis (Vol. 5): This collection of 2009-era stories has a trio of great Stargirl-centric stories, most notably #26 — “Black Adam Ruined My Birthday!” In it, Stargirl is bummed about how a recent battle with Black Adam spoiled her plans for a birthday party only to be given a surprise party by the JSA. There’s some great moments here for all of the characters, including one of Starman bestowing Stargirl with her own costume and Cosmic Rod. The climax of the story is when Stargirl goes to the dentist to finally remove her braces — but I won’t spoil that ending.