Writer Geoff Johns ends his generally commendable ten-year tenure with DC's first super-team via a pleasant Day in the Life issue. The day belongs to Stargirl - it's her belated birthday, her actual one having been spoiled by super-villainy. And she's not happy, as she makes clear at the start while leaving the Blue Valley school bus (I thought she was now at college?) in an illustration reminiscent of the classic X-Men #168 splash page featuring a rather peeved Kitty Pryde. 
The issue is a treat for fans of the old Stars and STRIPE book as we get to see Courtney Whitmore with her mother Barbara, stepdad Pat (aka Stripesy), blended brother Mike and pal Mary (who I always thought would become a new Merry, Girl of 1000 Gimmicks - darn, wrong gain!). Court's party is the scene of lots of characterisation showing how members old and young have matured through Johns' run on this and the previous JSA book. The sentimental conceit is just the right side of self-indulgent, with the only off notes being the many gags around Starman's supposedly charming schizophrenic illness. Oh, and it seems that Stargirl no longer even tries to protect her identity, as evidenced by her allowing a batch of JSA-ers to hover around her as she goes to the dentists - that's even creepier than Jay's hair.The also-exiting Dale Eaglesham draws up a storm as ever, though his Jay Garrick, with longer hair and more wrinkles than usual, yet still madly buff, looks a little creepy. Alex Ross provides three linked covers showing the entire team; mine is nice and colourful, but almost everyone looks eeeeevil.
I get that the Alex Ross artwork is part of a larger picture, but it still seems odd that Power Girl is featured so prominently on the cover, yet Stargirl is featured so prominently in the actual story.
ReplyDeleteoverall, i was happy with it, though i forgot it was a farewell issue and was taken by surprise at the end. (by court's lips, though, i could tell she still had the braces on!)
ReplyDeletei thought court was in college, too, so seeing her get off that school bus was weierd. then again, she didn't have any books like mary, so maybe she was just along for the ride... (i also thought thom was cured of his insanity.)
Thom was cured until Gog was defeated, when he reverted. And yep, Thylacine, the Alex Ross cover is one of three-- Stargirl is dead-center of the three. This is the right-hand cover.
ReplyDeleteBut I'd been thinking Court was in college, by now, too. The answer's in the first of the One Year Later JSA books -- I remember a scene where she and one of her older teammates (Alan, maybe) are talking about *something* to do with college (though it might be campus visits, college applications or financial aid, in which case she'd still be in high school).
I'm so sorry Power Girl was ever elected head of the JSA. Ever since, she's hardly played any part in JSA stories, other than going off by herself and getting lost on faux-Earth-2 enough to come back so the story could focus on Superman-2.
ReplyDeleteWhat WAS up with Jay's hair, anyway? At least I think it allows us to make Wildcat's comment about Wonder Woman a fairly modern-day one instead of referring to (boo!) Hippolyta-as-WW. He had just as ugly hair when that happened, which means it must be recent. That's one hair style that people are going to shame him out of quickly.
I just read a comment on the DCMBs that said that Stargirl was the Wesley Crusher of the JSA. How true!
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