… or, as it should say on Mikel Janín’s terrific cover, Stargirl 25th Anniversary Special. Because that’s what this final issue of the limited series is – not the epilogue to the lengthy story we’ve followed over the last few years, but a love letter to Courtney Whitmore. I’m not inclined to moan too much as writer Geoff Johns, on the final page, dedicates the book to his sister Courtney Elizabeth Johns, who died tragically young and inspired Stargirl.
The rest of the JSA are in the comic, they’re there by the score, in a series of excellent action spreads by artist Todd Nauck with colourist Matt Herms and letterer Rob Leigh. It’s just that this really isn’t a JSA tale, it’s a Stargirl spotlight in which the JSA are simply part of Courtney’s story.
And it’s not that I don’t like Courtney, I’ve followed her since way back in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #1 and through to the recent Stargirl: The Lost Children series. And I did like this story, which begins at a baseball game in Blue Valley, home of Courtney and her family.
The story is called Curveballs, because there’s an extended baseball metaphor for Courtney’s progress from schoolgirl to superhero, brat to thoughtful young woman, that becomes very tiresome very quickly. Still, at least Johns is trying to knit together a bunch of flashbacks into something weighty.
We eventually leave the flashbacks and see Courtney in the now, giving a speech as she graduates school. I’m not sure if everyone will be giving a speech or whether she’s valedictorian, but boy, she talks about herself a lot. Still, we do see how she’s grown, as Mom Barbara, brother Mike and baby sister Patricia are fondly namechecked. And then a word about Pat Dugan – aka the superhero S.T.R.I.P.E. – to whom she was pretty horrible for a while after he married Barbara
Reader, I teared up. Even though I’m sure I’ve seen a similar scene previously, either in some other Stargirl comic or in the fun TV show. What the heck, this works. Interminable sports talk aside, Johns chooses his words well, Nauck conveys the emotions, and when the following page gives us a hero shot of Courtney ready to greet the future and we get that dedication, I’m a blubbering wreck.
This isn’t the Justice Society of America #12 I wanted, but it’s a pretty great Stargirl story. And there’a a bonus, extremely rare sighting of retired Starman Jack Knight.
Next month, Justice Society of America (vol. 5) #1. Fingers crossed it’s actually about the JSA.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought this issue was weird/out of place. Like you said, it wasn’t a bad issue but a strange last issue. This whole series has been strange though with all the delays and ideas just ignored or nonsensical … I would love to know what really happened
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Me too…didn’t the original solicitation for this issue talk about the JSA going worldwide?
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What a waste of paper and my time. I wanted a JSA story. I think it’s great Johns was able to memorialize his late sister with a character but it’s a character I don’t care for. I also dislike Nauk’s art immensely. Then there’s the padding of so many double page spreads. At least it didn’t take Johns six months to churn out this pointless comic.
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The spreads were a bit overdone, one would’ve been enough.
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I wasn’t invested in Courtney before the TV show but it sounds like her future is bright. I’m guessing as personable as Courtney is, she’s probably the Student Body President or the Senior Class President either or both can be called on to give graduation speeches.
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That makes sense Rick, thanks. I find all these US school traditions fascinating, in my day we just shuffled off quietly on the last day of a school stage. Mind, things are changing now, with lots of UK schools having proms.
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This was easily my favourite issue! Given that this entire series has focused on everyone but the JSA, it doesn’t really surprise me that this issue is a spotlight on Stargirl. And I’m all for it! My only complaint is that I won’t know where to file this issue. Most likely it will get put with the rest of the Stargirl series, despite the JSA title.
Like you, Martin, I was a blubbering fool by the end of the issue. It felt to me like Johns was using this issue to, if not exactly say goodbye to the character of Courtney, to pass her off to the rest of DC with his blessing.
I loved every bit of this issue from the Ringo cover to the final message from Johns and the dedication to Lee Moder. And now, I’m gonna dig into the back issue bins for a Stars and STRIPE reread.
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I am intrigued, I see from the credits that there was indeed a Mike Weiringo cover, presumably some reused art, but where was the dedication to Lee Moder? I was sure there would be one when I saw the final page of the issue, but couldn’t find it.
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Yes. The Ringo cover was one of the alternate bonus covers. Very simple committed sketch of Courtney.
The Lee Moder tribute was on the last page of the floppy, paper comic. Were you reading digital? Was it not included? Johns writes how much the character of Courtney meant to him and then talks about Lee and John’s appreciation of all he added to the character. I don’t have the comic handy or I’d take a quick pic of it.
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Thanks for sharing the Lee Moder tribute, I only found out recently that he’s no longer with us.
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I was okay with this being the last issue of Johns’ latest run, although I agree it was not what I had been expecting. Still, given that so much of Johns’ career has involved DC’s Golden Age characters and their successors, it’s fitting if this is in fact goodbye as he moves on to non-DC work.
If you look at the spreads of the book they really do define what Johns tried to do with the characters. First he simply helped revive the JSA as an ongoing in the late 1990s. Then in the following volume in the early 2000s he further expanded the number of “legacy” characters. Then in this current volume he attempted to reform some of the JSA’s villains into members AND establish the JSA in the future. It was probably his least successful turn on the title given its brevity and the delays, but it was still entertaining and I’m glad we got it. So in a way this twelfth issue ALSO celebrated the team, even though it was focused on Courtney.
Hey Martin – any thoughts on Jeff Lemire coming aboard? I’ve long felt that the JSA needs some fresh blood on the writing side. I wasn’t a big fan of the runs that followed Johns’ several years ago. And then I had mixed feelings about his return to revive the title. I can’t say Lemire is a favorite writer but I’m cautiously excited. He certainly is an admired creator who has enjoyed lots of critical success. And in interviews he has spoken of his long love for these characters. So hoping it’s a great pairing.
-Brian
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I’m pretty excited about Lemire, I loved his Superboy run, and the Black Hammer books I’ve read have been great. I agree, it’s time for a new voice on a JSA strip.
Excellent thoughts about how this was indeed an appropriate farewell to the JSA, I suppose also that as Johns will have known that while this was the end of his series, another was incoming, he didn’t need to send them to Valhalla or whatever.
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I’ve not read this yet, it has just arrived, but sounds like the story of the series – never quite what seemed to be promised, but still pretty entertaining for that. I guess when Johns started he still felt like he had some influence over things and by the end of it had learned there were other plans that would get in the way and/or was more invested in his creator-owned work. I doubt that Huntress wasn’t supposed to be a permanent fixture, rather than shunted off to the future. I wonder if this was supposed to be a Stargirl special to round off the New Golden Age that ended up being put into JSA to take it up to 12 issues.
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Surely it was. I won’t miss this version of Huntress, she was a bit confusing, and the costume was sooooo drab.
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I’d love to know the backstory on how the New Golden Age shook out, and how this issue came to be (and perhaps what it was originally intended to be; I think a Stargirl Special is a good bet). Johns has had his Ghost Machine plans in the works for a long time, I’m sure — did they suddenly get incompatible with shepherding the New Golden Age? It might have been consuming more time than he’d expected, at which point he had to bow out (whether he jumped or was pushed is also an open question).
But that’s all backstage stuff. As for what’s on the page — I really liked it. Johns’s story is slight, of course — a tribute to his sister through Courtney, and the valedictorian speech she was never able to give — but Nauck’s art is top-notch. The double-page spreads here are outstanding. His work doesn’t have the gloss of George Perez, but he’s serving up some Perez-level multi-hero layouts — a cast of thousands, all doing something interesting.
As for the future, I’m looking forward to what Lemire and Orlotegui bring to the JSA. It’s been a while since I’ve read Lemire’s work — and I’m excited to see what he brings to the table in the years since we’ve crossed paths.
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I know I like Lemire even if I can’t recall what he’s done that I like or anything he’s done at all period. (Hm, sorta like when I try to think of Wein’s body of work) What I’m looking forward to is deadlines being met and a writer who works within the greater DCU rather than as an outlier.
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The spreads were objectively splendid, but I did find them getting repetitive – the JSA since Courtney joined hasn’t really had a lot of hugely visually distinct eras.
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That’s definitely fair. I remember those storylines, but it does feel like it was all one long run on the title with basically the same group.
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I too am very curious about the story behind the New Golden Age. I honestly think a big part of it seems to be Johns moving away from the monthly grind, meaning he never had any intention of being on a new JSA title for a prolonged period. I have no proof of that other than his projects over these last several years have been high profile limited series – Doomsday Clock, Three Jokers, the Flashpoint sequel, 12 issues of a JSA relaunch. It also fascinates me that Johns, intentionally or not, in these projects pretty much leapfrogs over the New 52 era he was such a part of at DC. It’s as if those years never happened and he’s just picking up things back in 2011.
I do recall that when the New Golden Age was announced the JSA was originally an ongoing. Or at least it was never specified up front as a limited series. It then along the way became a 12 issue limited series. So maybe there’s a story behind that? Or maybe it was just a marketing error.
I will say that Geoff Johns’ arc at DC really makes me appreciate Mark Waid even more. Both are now very respected and popular veterans of the industry (though Waid obviously has a few years on Johns). But while Johns went Hollywood – or I should say to be fair he returned to his Hollywood roots – and significantly paired back comic book writing, Waid after some time away from DC is back and writing MAJOR monthly books and miniseries. It’s easy to take that for granted but we shouldn’t.
-Brian
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I suspect that part of the story is the New Golden Age imprint was probably a deal struck in the Didio era, similar to Bendis’s Wonder Comics imprint, and the Young Animal imprint Gerard Way oversaw. And when Didio left as co-publisher, things he set in motion were either cancelled or given a very short leash. Or simply not renewed once the terms of the original contract ended. That might be the case here.
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Your thinking seems unassailable! Thats a great point about Johns ignoring the New 52, it hadn’t struck me. I guess he’s never going to come back and induct Canterbury Cricket into the JSA.
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I don’t wish to deny Johns his love letter to Stargirl, BUT it is the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s a shame that no one wants to own up to the shit show this series has been. Maybe that’s the “funny pages” way? The storyline we’ve been building up to was truncated and force into text boxes.
I’m done with Johns, hopeful to see Janín’s work again and eager for the next series under new management
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A very fair response. And yes, let’s see what the new series has to offer, I’m very optimistic. Jeff Lemire is very good, and I loved Diego Olortegui’s work on the Jay Flash book.
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