Art by: Todd Nauck
Colors by: Matt Herms
Letters by: Rob Leigh
Cover art by: Todd Nauck (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: February 28, 2023
Stargirl: The Lost Children #4 amps up the reveals in a big way when Corky Baxter spells it all out to the group of forgotten sidekicks and hatches a plan to set everything right.
Is It Good?
Stargirl: The Lost Children #4 is the issue that brings most (not all) of the answers surrounding the time-displaced island and its collection of sidekick prisoners. The answers are creative, and the wow moment on the last page is intriguing, but this issue is a rare example of continuity that hurts rather than helps a story.
When last we left Stargirl, Corky Baxter showed up at the last minute to proclaim himself the "true hero" of the story. Now, Corky spells out the situation in lengthy detail to make sure everyone, sidekicks & readers, know exactly how everything happened, what caused it, and what needs to happen next to put all the sidekicks back where they belong.
On its face, Corky's lengthy explanation, complete with flashbacks and references to earlier stories, makes sense. However, some contributing stories happened decades ago, some only wrapped up a few months ago, and not all of those stories were well-received or closely followed. It feels like Johns is trying to build on his previous works as though Hypertime and the Omniverse make sense (spoiler: they don't), and this issue "proves" how it all ties together (spoiler: it doesn't). In other words, Johns's plot tries to make an interconnected, complex, impressive mountain out of a molehill.
Still, the writing execution is typically excellent for a Geoff Johns comic. The pacing is outstanding, despite the mountains of exposition. The dialog is rock-solid. And when the sidekicks marshal their forces for an assault on Child Minder's castle, you can feel the spirit of adventure raising your excitement levels.
You could make the case that this issue (and the arc as a whole) would have been better served if Johns did NOT try to tie the adventure into Hypertime, the Omniverse, and the previous storylines. Simple is better.
Despite the story's ups and downs, Todd Nauck's art is brilliant. The character designs tug at your nostalgia heartstrings in the best way. Matt Herms's coloring is spectacular. And the action, even during the exposition flashbacks, is fantastic.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces:
Stargirl: The Lost Children #4 continues to show that this title is still one of the best non-Trinity books DC offers, with fun characters, big stakes, plenty of drama, and exciting action. That said, this issue is guilty of trying to tie too much into DC canon, making the explanation for the sidekicks' disappearance more complicated than it needs to be.
8.5/10
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