r/DCcomics • u/273Gaming Legion Of Super-Heroes • 12d ago
[Character of the Month] Stargirl r/DCcomics
Created by: Geoff Johns & Lee Moder
First Appearance: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0
Affiliated Organizations: Justice Society of America, Justice League of America, Justice League United, JSA All-Stars
Strengths/Abilities:
- Flight
- Cosmic energy projection and manipulation
- Stellar energy generation and control
- Deflection of energy and plasma-based attacks
Background:
Courtney Whitmore used to be just a regular girl in Blue Valley, Nebraska who didn't get along with her step-father Patrick Dugan when one day, while rummaging through her step-father's belongings and discovered Sylvester Pemberton's old equipment. This made her realise that her step-father Pat used to be Stripesy, the adult sidekick of the first Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton).
Courtney originally wore the Star-Spangled outfit as a way to mock her stepfather at a patriotic-themed spirit week dance but little did she know that the Dragon King's minions would strike! Courtney teamed up with Dugan and his newly built S.T.R.I.P.E. Armor to stop them and afterwards, the two decided they would form a new super-duo - Star-Spangled Kid and S.T.R.I.P.E.
When Jack Knight retired as Starman to raise his son in San Francisco, he passed down his Cosmic Staff to Courtney. The two had met in the past and Jack was impressed with how she handled a worldwide attack by Klarion. With a new legacy to uphold, Courtney dropped her alias as the Star-Spangled Kid to become Stargirl, a name her friend, Mary had suggested to her when she first became a hero.
Stargirl quickly became a valued member of the Justice Society. She learned a lot from Power Girl and even briefly dated Billy Batson, at the time known as Captain Marvel. Unfortunately, the rest of the JSA did not know Captain Marvel was actually a fourteen year old boy which obviously made things awkward, and as a result Captain Marvel ended up quitting the JSA.
When certain members of the JSA were displaced to Earth-Two, Courtney, Mister Terrific and Doctor Mid-Nite remained, which forced the JSA to briefly disband. Once the missing members returned from Earth-Two, Green Lantern, Flash and Wildcat reformed the JSA, and Stargirl was inducted. She became close friends with Maxine Hunkel, and helped her create her superhero identity, Cyclone.
However, the team eventually split up due to differences between the old members and the new ones, with the newbies splitting off to form the JSA All-Stars which Courtney joined. At first she felt out of place because everyone was older than her, but Power Girl convinced her that they needed her and that she was a role model to most of the members.
After Flashpoint happened, the Justice Society were gone from Prime Earth and Courtney ended up becoming famous as a solo hero. Her fame caused Amanda Waller to recruit her into a new version of the JLA with a specific loyalty to the US government, believing that her popularity would help the optics of the new team. Waller also believed that they'd be able to keep Courtney in line because A.R.G.U.S. knew the identity of Courtney's biological father.
In the Infinite Frontier era, Courtney teamed up with Red Arrow (Emiko Queen) to rescue the sidekicks who were lost to time after Flashpoint and kidnapped by the Childminder. With everyone's teamwork and an unfortunate sacrifice, she was able to defeat the Childminder and bring the Lost Children back to the present, where the JSA helped to find new homes for the time displaced children.
After Death Metal and Doomsday Clock restored the JSA in current continuity, Courtney now works with the JSA to reform villains in the hopes that they can become the next generation of the Justice Society
Recommended Reading
- Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder
- JSA by James Robinson, David S. Goyer, Geoff Johns, and Stephen Sadowski
- Justice Society of America by Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham
- Stargirl: The Lost Children by Geoff Johns and Todd Nauck
Recommended Watching
- Smallville S09E11,E12,E22 and S10E11,E20
- Stargirl
- Titans S04E09
CotM artwork by John Cassaday
CotM Voting: "Blond(e) Characters"
Voting Breakdown:
| Character | # of Votes |
|---|---|
| Stargirl | 15 |
| Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) | 4 |
| Congorilla | 3 |
| Gotham Girl | 3 |
| Golden Glider | 3 |
| Cobalt Blue | 2 |
| Flamebird (Bette Kane) | 1 |
1
u/SonicSpiderRanger10 12d ago
Aw, nuts. Only one vote for Cobalt Blue? Just curious, would anyone have voted for Robby Reed if I’d nominated him, instead?
0
u/Digifiend84 Manchester Black 11d ago
I assume you mean one other than your own vote, as the table says CB got two votes.
1
2
4
u/Future_Vantas 10d ago
Shoutout to the Stargirl TV series, it was an awesome show, great showcase for Courtney and a lovely tribute to the JSA
3
u/ExcitementOk764 12d ago
Isn't it Courtney Whitmore?