When Oliver Queen traded his soul for an entire multiverse the fabric of the acclaimed continuity spanning worlds of established DC lore would forever be affected.
One of the ramifications going forward for the shared universe would be the birth and inclusion of new characters. Character that will get their chance to play in the sandbox of the CW and DC universe networks.
One figure set to tread the waters of network relations is the Star-Spangled kid, Courtney Whitmore aka Stargirl. The premise of Stargirl may seem cheesy and out of place with the crazy assortment of characters and a weak narrative at first glance. However, when I actually sat down and watched the pilot, I was completely blown away by highlights such as the camera work, strong cast and the deep narrative.
In addition to the strong foundation, Stargirl feels like a show from a different generation. It’s one that doesn’t resemble or blend into the overcrowded saturation of the comic book genre.
Stargirl feels like a love letter to Smallville with hints of Sam Raimi Camp and even Shazam combined with The Flash. I know I’m throwing around big juggernauts in the realm of pop-culture, and media, but the praise is warranted because of the passion that is evident in the scripts or present in the cast, and even the vision of the director.
First off Stargirl does a tremendous job of world-building. Whenever shows are released the pilot has a job of grabbing your attention to get you to watch, but the pilot also has to lay down the seeds of what’s to come. By the end of Stargirl, you know the villain’s agenda; you can see the relationship between Bessinger as the lead, and the comedic heart of Luke Wilson as her sidekick, and you also get a taste of what’s to come in about 53 minutes. I don’t know about you but that’s a damn good pilot.
You get a feel of the universe being built before you. Without diving into spoilers, a lot of big reveals are coming, and the serialized nature spanning over the course of 13 episodes is a smart path to travel.
13 episodes is a good starting point, it’s also one that won’t bog down a freshman season from tedious not needed filler episodes.
I mentioned the camera work of the property previously. In this new chapter of DC Comics the camera feels like a character of its own. I haven’t felt this way about a project since Daredevil on Netflix. Stargirl feels like I’m watching a 90’s big-budget blockbuster. The shots are perfect and the colors don’t drown out a scene.
Another highlight is the creation of environments that are then brought to life by these once 2-D icons drawn on the panels of comics, trapped in the white space of life. However, with these shows, and the concept of bringing such characters to life and giving them an injection of realism, we can actually see their personalities, an the lives they endure, which unfold into our established pattern of reality and assimilate into our culture.
In conclusion, Stargirl is a show or property that was paved from the teen-esque atmosphere of Riverdale on The CW, and the heroic storytelling from the mind of Geoff Johns, and the team of DC comics. Stargirl honestly feels like a breath of fresh air for the once stagnant Arrowverse.
Ironically, with the departure of Oliver Queen and Arrow, new characters will start to make their long-awaited debuts on the CW, HBO Max, and DC Universe respectfully, and that will be a sight to see.
[…] ‘Stargirl‘ and the youthful nature juxtaposed with the dark tone shadowing the narrative, or the emotional ride of character development with a rag team of experiments who went awry include such highlights. […]