REVIEW: ‘Stargirl The Lost Children,’ Issue #3

Stargirl The Lost Children #3 from DC Comics introduces us to the Lost superhero kids of the 1940s. Geoff Johns scripts this issue, with Todd Nauck on pencils, Matt Herms on colors, and Rob Leigh on letters. Stargirl and Red Arrow made it to the island of the Lost. Now separated, Stargirl must help the children while Red Arrow attempts to escape imprisonment.

Now there has been a previous comic giving us a sneak peek into the Thirteen lost children and how Courtney got on the trail to find them. Now here, Red Arrow has been caught, has a run-in with the Childminder, and receives some brief dialogue with a cellmate she can’t see. This is a six-issue series, and I wanted to see Courtney and Emiko as partners, and I’m not sure if having them apart is the best move. I can see this will allow Red Arrow to confront Childminder and set free this mystery cellmate, but there isn’t much time to get the two heroines together.

Meanwhile, Courtney wanders the jungle with Wing, Cherry Bomb, Airwave, and Robbie the Robot Dog. I still need time to decide which is my fave, but after a series of misadventures, this party comes across the other children, and it’s quite a list. For mostly brand new characters, they all have a very Golden Age feel. Some are well-established, like the Newsboy Legion. But the others are cool youthful versions of Justice Society mainstays. This is a small catalog of characters, and I hope to get a lot of mileage in the DC Universe.

This is a much bigger storyline since its goal is to expand the cast from the Golden Age. And Courtney is the perfect character to find them and introduce them to the modern world. Assuming, that is, that something horrible doesn’t happen along the way. I love how Johns has presented the character he created years ago. Courtney is still hopeful but has become a human repository of Golden Age knowledge, and some of her remarks in this issue point out there may be other secrets she isn’t ready to divulge about it.

Childminder is a colorful hot mess of a villain who gives off Baba Yaga and Granny Goodness energy. It will be interesting to see who her boss is and how the kids can get away from him.

Johns is writing a good story with some excellent additions to DC. He scripts a Stargirl who is ready to be a leader and teacher. I love Nauck’s big-eyed, uncluttered illustrations, and just when I think coloring can’t get any brighter, along comes the work of Herms to prove me wrong. This issue is powerfully bright to behold. Leigh’s stately lettering keeps your eyes on the target while they’re dazzled by lines and highlights. This is a beautiful issue with an all-star cast I can’t wait to see explode into the wider universe.

But first, escape will have to be in order. Red Arrow will need rescuing, and the bad guys will be defeated. All we know so far is that this entire island is meant to ‘save’ the Lost. Whether that’s true or a lie remains to be seen, and I’m betting on the latter. If you haven’t tried this series yet, do so. Stargirl is a great character who has come a long way, and here it shows. This looks and feels like an old comic, and this is a good way for newer fans to get a handle on the Golden Age without having to absorb loads of back issues. You might find new favorite heroes inside.

Stargirl The Lost Children #3 is available now wherever comic books are sold.