REVIEW: ‘Stargirl The Lost Children,’ Issue #1

Stargirl The Lost Children #1 from DC picks up a cool thread from The New Golden Age #1 and the end of the Stargirl Spring Break Special #1 from over a year ago. Geoff Johns pens the issue with Todd Nauck on pencils, Matt Herms on colors, and Rob Leigh on letters. Once again, the revitalization of the Justice Society has been an exercise in dragging feet. But we’re here. November 2022 is the kickoff to not just the return of the first superhero team but to a forgotten enigma involving the Golden Age. And who better to solve that mystery than Stargirl?

Stargirl The Lost Children #1 picks up where the Spring Break left off. Thanks to the TV show, many more people know this character and her story, which hopefully will boost the popularity of this limited series. Courtney Whitmore is still fighting bad guys in Blue Valley, Nebraska, and getting in trouble for it with her folks. What will be new to fans coming from the show, and even a few modern comic readers, will be how this issue begins. Johns begins with a chase back in 1942 courtesy of some crooks and TNT and Dan the Dynamite, two of DC’s more obscure heroes.

This particular Dynamic Duo is given a powerful, energetic scene courtesy of Nauck’s big-eyed, robust art style. Herms not only uses a coloring process to make the panels here appear worn and older, but the profundity of orange and green are envigorating as they inform Nauck’s dramatic pencils. Leigh’s lettering and SFX are equally explosive, and this opening shot for issue #1 thrilled me. Not to fear. This wasn’t done just to give us an action sequence but to introduce us to some new heroes who will play a role later on.

Stargirl, meanwhile, remains in drama. Thankfully she has a partner now in Emiko, the new Red Arrow and sister to Green Arrow. I loved this pairing from back in the Special, as it makes use of a great character that developed from Green Arrow’s often maligned New 52 run. Emiko was one of that era’s highlights, a brash, rebellious heroine who equals Courtney in spunk. Emiko has been on the trail of the Thirteen, a baker’s dozen of teen sidekicks from the Golden Age who not only disappeared back then but are forgotten by history. They intend to find these kids and bring them into the spotlight.

What makes this storyline fun goes beyond having two great leading women who can take names and kick tail. There’s an enigma to be solved, so we get a superhero mystery. But more to the point, there is an update to the often ignored past of the DC Universe, not just by fans, but by a company that sought to wipe it out eleven years ago. The idea it would return, much less receive additional storyline and characters, was unbelievable just over a year ago. Now we’re on the road to meeting not one but thirteen brand new heroes while getting to know the old ones. Having their pursuer be Courtney, a teen obsessed with the Golden Age, is all the more poignant.

Stargirl The Lost Children #1 starts with great affection for every character involved, lays the groundwork for cool winter mystery reading, and aims to put several heroes on the DC map. No small mountains are being climbed here. I love the opening salvo for the story, art, colors, letters, and overall vivacity. If you love the show, the Golden Age of comics, Green Arrow, or are looking for something new to put into your bin, choose this one.

Stargirl The Lost Children #1 is available wherever comic books are sold.