Review: Stargirl: The Lost Children #4
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Todd Nauck
Colors: Matt Herms
Letters: Rob Leigh
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Corky fills the other Lost Children in on how they all got to the island. Inside, Judy Garrick is forced to open the time portal for the “buyer.” And, it’s definitely not who you think!
Positives
Let’s start with the incredible covers by Todd Nauck. Nauck recreates the cover to Flash Comics #10 and adds Judy Garrick to the image. Courtney’s eyes can be seen just above the top edge of the comic as she is reading it in the image. It’s reminiscent of other such covers of characters reading a classic comic, like the cover of Sensational She-Hulk #2. It’s a fun image that crosses that fourth wall a bit. How many of us have sat enwrapped reading a comic. To have Courtney reading a Golden Age Comic, and the one that “introduces” Judy Garrick, it’s just a very imaginative decision. Will we also see Judy’s first appearance in the above issue recounted with her worked into the original story of “Killer Kelly?” Nauck’s variant is simply the recreation with Judy Garrick that Courtney is reading so we get to see the complete cover.
The story moves in an exciting direction as Corky Baxter explains to the Lost Children how they all got to the island and what the Childminder’s plan is. It’s difficult to take retcons a lot of the time. It usually depends on how it’s done. So far, Johns is presenting a plausible and interesting way for integrating all these new characters. He’s utilizing a nearly forgotten character like Corky Baxter in an interesting way who seems to be at the crux of the situation. Additionally, he’s making us care about Judy Garrick, despite her existence presenting Jay and Joan Garrick with a complete about face in the family department.
As for what’s about to happen to the Lost Children, Childminder has made a deal to sell them. The buyer arrives and it’s a complete surprise, but it fits in with Johns ability to incorporate nearly forgotten DC characters into new stories.
Negatives
It’s possible that readers may not be drawn in to this series because of the particular characters. Many are new and others are nearly forgotten. The execution doesn’t leave room for criticism, though.
Verdict
Stargirl: The Lost Children #4 may be the best issue of the series so far. We get a lot of backstory from Corky in the issue, but it moves things along quite well and the surprise at the end is fantastic. With the right amounts of character wrapped in an outstanding cover. It’s simply a fantastic comic that even a new reader could follow. These may not be your favorite characters, but they could easily become that!
