I just finished reading Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. today and while I have read it before, this was my first reading in a long time.
It is a great series, one everyone should give a chance and has me REALLY excited for the Star Girl series DCU has coming out in the future.
The characters were great. Courtney Whitmore AKA Star Spangled Kid (and eventually after this title Stargirl) is a great character, and from the small town with huge danger setting, to the interesting supporting cast to the humor and great teen female character, I got a huge Buffy vibe from it. If Buffy was a superhero… she would be Star Spangled Kid.
I also loved the Golden Age tie-ins as I have been a huge fan of the Golden Age characters almost as long as I have loved comics. Seeing The Seven Soldiers of Victory in a flashback, and the Shnining Knight in several issues was a great treat and one of the highlights of this great book. As was the fun and colorful villians Star Spangled Kid and S.T.R.I.P.E. found themselves facing off against.
Johns was still new but even this early in his career his ability to tell great stories with great characters was evident.
This is a great series and hope everyone who hasn’t read it gives it a chance, I don’t think they will be disappointed. Johns created a great character in Courtney Whitmore right out of the gate with DC and if this doesn’t get everyone exciterd for the Stargirl show nothing will.