A fifteen-issue series starring Courtney Whitmore as the new Star-Spangled Kid by Geoff Johns.
Not caring for her mother's beau, Pat Dugan, Courtney Whitmore went through his boxes when he moved in and discovered the Cosmic Belt. Without knowing of Dugan's past as a costumed hero, she used the belt and a modified costume to become the new Star-Spangled Kid, much to Dugan's annoyance. Consequently, Dugan created the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor to keep his new stepdaughter safe and once again became the adult sidekick to a Kid Hero.
Geoff Johns would later adapt the comic into the 2020 live action series, Stargirl. It is currently airing on The CW.
Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. provides examples of:
- Aborted Arc: As a result of the book being cancelled, several storylines abruptly ended.
- It's implied Mary Kramer was being set up to become the new Gimmick Girl given the similarities between her name and the original (Mary Kramer, Merry Creamer) and her tendency to tinker with gadgets.
- Mike Dugan was clearly unhappy with losing the Star-Spangled Kid name to his stepsister, but claimed he needed the title and gear for some promise involving a girl he referred to as "J.R." whom he apparently planned to break out of jail.
- Pat tells Mike that he planned for his son to follow his legacy and take over piloting S.T.R.I.P.E., but this never happened and no reference to him continuing his 'training' followed. When Pat silently retires being S.T.R.I.P.E., Mike doesn't pick it up and whenever he appears after, Mike just acts like a typical bratty younger brother.
- A couple of epilogue pages blatantly hinted a new Seven Soldiers of Victory were going to form with the appearance of new versions of the Crimson Avenger and Alias the Spider. A new Crimson Avenger appeared in JSA but didn't appear to be connected to the one previously alluded to. Two new Spiders appeared in Starman as well Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers but whether they were connected to the one who appeared here is unknown. Finally, Morrison's Seven Soldiers officially nixed whatever Johns planned to do with the group.
- Arch-Enemy: Shiv for Courtney.
- Badass Family: Courtney's Star-Spangled Kid with S.T.R.I.P.E., her stepfather.
- Badass Normal: All of Courtney's powers are actually derived from her belt; she has no superpowers of her own. And let's face it, how many teenage girls, if granted something like the Cosmic Belt, would use it to fight supervillains?
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Courtney is so much this at the start. She stole the costume solely to divorce her mom from her hated stepdad (who was never shown doing anything wrong to her).
- Captain Patriotic: The Star-Spangled Kid and S.T.R.I.P.E..
- Character Development: The Courtney from early issues looks bizarre to us now, as she's blatantly bratty, snotty, arrogant, a pain in the ass, and openly disrespectful to adults.
- Clothes Make the Superman: The Cosmic Belt for Courtney and the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor for Pat.
- Crossover: Quite a few crossovers with other DC properties during its short run including Starman, Young Justice, Shazam!, Seven Soldiers of Victory and the JSA a team Courtney would eventually join.
- Custom Uniform of Sexy: One of the more noticeable ways Courtney modified the Star-Spangled Kid uniform. She often wears crop-tops in her civilian life too.
- Daddy's Little Villain: Shiv for her father the Dragon King.
- Disappeared Dad: Courtney's biological father left when she was very young.
- Foil: Shiv was a Foil to Courtney in that, while Courtney was the stepdaughter of an established superhero (Pat Dugan, a.k.a. S.T.R.I.P.E.) and initially became a hero to piss him off, Shiv is the biological daughter of an established supervillain (the Dragon King) and became a villain to make her father proud.
- Home Base: Pat's Pit Stop.
- Kid Hero: The series is centered on Courtney Whitmore becoming one.
- Legacy Character: Courtney Whitmore as the second Star Spangled Kid.
- Parent with New Paramour: Courtney's mother dating and marrying Pat Dugan is the catalyst that kicks off the plot as Courtney finds the belt while rummaging through Dugan's things.
- Powered Armor: The S.T.R.I.P.E. armor.
- Protect This House: In issue 11 Shiv attacks them at home.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: S.T.R.I.P.E. is the blue to the Star-Spangled Kid's red-oni tendencies.
- Sibling Rivalry: Her stepbrother Mike also wants the Cosmic Belt.
- What the Hell, Hero?: During the "Day of Judgment" crossover, Pat doesn't want to get involved because magic users like Doctor Occult only bring him problems, until Courtney asks him if he wants her to become the kind of hero who refuses help because it inconveniences her.Courtney: Is this the kind of hero you want me to be? One refusing to help? No matter what you do you can't watch me all the time. You couldn't have saved Sylvester... Even if you were there.
