Skip to content

When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Thank you for your support.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks!

Home » DC Guides

Stargirl Reading Order (Courtney Whitmore)

  • by

Stargirl Spring Break Special #1 - Mike McKone Variant

Partly inspired by his sister Courtney, who died in the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, Geoff Johns created Stargirl (aka Courtney Whitmore) with Lee Moder in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999).

Courtney is the stepdaughter of Pat Dugan, the inventor of the powered armor S.T.R.I.P.E. and former sidekick of the original Star-Spangled Kid. She initially adopted the Star-Spangled Kid identity before joining the Justice Society of America (JSA) and becoming the successor to Starman Jack Knight, who entrusted her with his cosmic staff. She subsequently adopted the name Stargirl, becoming one of the JSA’s longest-standing younger members.

Following DC’s 2011 relaunch of its continuity as part of the New 52, Stargirl joined the new Justice League of America and received a revised origin. In this version, Courtney discovered the Cosmic Staff and the Star-Spangled Kid uniform in Pat Dugan’s office. Pat, who was then dating Barbara Whitmore, Courtney’s mother, agreed to train her, and Courtney became a superhero.

Stargirl was later adapted for television in Stargirl (2020-2022), with Brec Bassinger portraying Courtney Whitmore. The character has also appeared in other live-action and animated television series, as well as video games, but she is mainly a member of the JSA. Now let’s get into the Stargirl Reading Order to retrace her solo and team career in comics.

Stargirl Comics Reading Order

Courtney Before Stargirl: The Star-Spangled Kid Years (1999-2000)

Courtney Whitmore’s first appearance in a story was in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0, although she had previously been teased in a profile in DCU Heroes Secret Files #1 and All Star Comics #2. The series, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Lee Moder, introduced Courtney as the new Star-Spangled Kid and established her relationship with her stepfather, Pat Dugan, the former Stripesy. Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. ran for 15 issues and forms the foundation of Courtney’s early superhero career. If you want to know more about Jack Knight, whose Starman series is closely connected to Courtney’s early story, take a look at our Starman Reading Order.

The Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. series was originally collected in two TPBs (JSA Presents: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Vol. 1 & Vol. 2) that are hard to find now. But when the Stargirl TV Show was launched, DC Comics put out a complete collection titled Stargirl by Geoff Johns.

  • Stargirl by Geoff Johns (new TV tie-in collected edition)
    Collects Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #1-14, JSA All-Stars #4, and stories from DCU Heroes Secret Files (1999) and DCU Villains Secret Files (1999).

✮ JSA All-Stars #4 is set later, but it’s mostly the conclusion for Courtney and her father. If you don’t read the JSA, you can read it here. If you read JSA, though, things are a bit more complicated. Here are some directions to follow while following the JSA guide in the next section.

  • Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #1-3 before JSA#1
  • Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #4 before Day of Judgment
  • Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #5-13 before JSA #11
  • Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #14 is set after JSA #13-14

The Star-Spangled Kid joins the JSA (1999-2003)

Most of Stargirl’s comic-book career has been spent as a member of the Justice Society of America. Courtney joined the team during the late-1990s revival of the JSA, quickly becoming an important link between its Golden Age heroes and the next generation of superheroes. Her time with the JSA also covers some of the character’s most significant developments, including her transition from the Star-Spangled Kid to Stargirl. You can find a lot more about the team with our JSA Reading Order.

✮ The following comics have also been collected in JSA Omnibus Vol. 1 & JSA Omnibus Vol. 2, and also in JSA Compendium One & JSA Compendium Two.

✮ After JSA #30, Courtney receives Jack Knight’s Cosmic Staff in Starman #80, the final issue of James Robinson’s Starman series. The issue, “Arrivederci, Bon Voyage, Goodbye,” marks Jack’s retirement as Starman and his decision to pass the staff on to Courtney. It is collected in Starman: Sons of the Father and Starman Compendium Two.

🌟

Courtney Whitmore Is Stargirl! (2003-2010)

Courtney starts calling herself Stargirl in JSA: All Stars #4, following her acquisition of Jack Knight’s Cosmic Staff. The change is primarily a rebranding: she remains the same character, with the same powers and role within the JSA. From this point forward, however, Stargirl becomes her established superhero identity.

✮ The following comics have also been collected in JSA Omnibus Vol. 2 & JSA Omnibus Vol. 3.

One Year Later…

  • JSA: Ghost Stories
    Collects JSA #82-87. Issue #82 ties into Infinite Crisis, but starting with JSA #83, we are in the “One Year Later” era.

✮ During this period, DC published JSA Classified, a series of stories focusing on individual members and smaller groups from the Justice Society. Stargirl appears in several issues, most notably #14-16, a three-part story (following the events of JLA Classified #25) in which she teams up with Wildcat, Vixen, and Gypsy to rescue members of the JSA from Amos Fortune and the Gambler. These issues are largely a side adventure for Courtney and can be read alongside the main JSA run. You can find those issues here.

“One Year Later,” the Justice Society has been left fractured, with several of its members dealing with the aftermath of the crisis. At the same time, Alexander Luthor Jr.’s actions during Infinite Crisis resulted in the creation of a new Earth-Two, home to an alternate version of the Justice Society. Back on the main Earth, Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, and Ted Grant decide to rebuild the JSA. Written by Geoff Johns with art by Dale Eaglesham, Justice Society of America Vol. 3 begins here and marks a new chapter for Stargirl and the team.

🌟

The New 52 Stargirl: Joining the Justice League of America (2011-2016)

In September 2011, DC Comics relaunched its universe as the New 52, rewriting the histories of many of its characters. The Justice Society was largely removed from the main DC Universe and reimagined on Earth 2, while Stargirl remained on the main Earth and joined the newly formed Justice League of America, written by Geoff Johns.

The new JLA was assembled at the request of the U.S. government as a countermeasure to the already established Justice League. Stargirl is part of the team’s initial roster alongside Green Arrow, Hawkman, Katana, Vibe, Catwoman, and others. Although she appears throughout the series, Courtney generally has a supporting role.

✮ Stargirl’s time with the Justice League of America eventually came to an end during the events surrounding Forever Evil. Courtney subsequently joined Martian Manhunter’s new team at its formation, even suggesting its name: Justice League United (by Jeff Lemire and Mike McKone).

Most comics featuring Stargirl were written by Geoff Johns. With the writer becoming less involved in the DC Universe, it’s no surprise that Stargirl became increasingly difficult to find. She made a brief appearance in Johns’ Doomsday Clock (2017-2019), the Watchmen sequel that brought Doctor Manhattan and the Watchmen mythology into direct contact with the DC Universe.

Even with the launch of the Stargirl television series in 2020, DC published very little featuring Courtney until the Stargirl Spring Break Special (2021), written by Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman. The special reunited Stargirl with several members of the Justice Society and served as a bridge toward her later return to the DC Universe.

🌟

Stargirl & The New Golden Age (2021-Present)

Following Stargirl’s return in the Stargirl Spring Break Special, Geoff Johns brought Courtney and the Justice Society back into the spotlight thanks to the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. The event reveals that the JSA has been active in the past and sets the stage for their return to the present-day DC Universe. This leads directly into The New Golden Age #1, which launched what DC dubbed the “New Golden Age” and introduced a new generation of Justice Society stories, beginning with the Justice Society of America series.

✮After the conclusion of this last Johns’ Justice Society of America run, Stargirl appeared less frequently. She popped up during events, in backgrounds or in small supporting roles, like in Titans: Beast World Tour – Star City #1 during the Titans Beast World event and DC K.O.: The Kids Are All Fight Special #1 during the DC K.O. tournament. In the Justice League Unlimited comics, she also makes cameos, sometimes appearing in a panel or two with a few lines of dialogue, but never in a part that would be qualifiable as noteworthy. Also, while she is on the cover of the Christmas one-shot DC’s I Saw Ma Hunkel Kissing Santa Claus #1, you can call that false advertising, she’s not the star of any of the short stories in the book, only doing a blink and you’ll miss it cameo. 

In 2025, as part of the DC All In relaunch, writer Jeff Lemire and artist Diego Olortegui took over Justice Society of America, but didn’t bring Courtney back. She appeared to be on the reservists list, but she was not called in before JSA #19, when she came back to the team. 

🌟

Reading digitally?
Find the Stargirl comics on DC Universe Infinite.

Pin
Tags:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *