Review: Believe in Super Powers Once Again With 'Stargirl - The Complete First Season'

The new girl has got a secret! When high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) moves from the sunny west coast, to Blue Valley, Nebraska, she thinks her life has been upended! Courtney is happy that her mother, Barbara (Amy Smart) has just landed a great new job and married Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), and along with her stepbrother Mike, they are on their way to making a brand new start, but what secrets does Blue Valley hold? Just as they start getting settled in, Courtney makes a shocking discovery about her stepfather!

Once upon a time, Pat was the sidekick to a superhero named Starman, who wielded the power of the mysterious Cosmic Staff. When Courtney finds the staff, it isn't long before she begins to suspect that she is destined to inherit the power herself and that perhaps Starman may in fact be her long lost father. Unintentionally drawing attention to herself, Courtney soon learns that Pat is looking for the insidious agents that were responsible for the destruction of the Justice Society of America, a team of superheroes that operated before the "modern age".

Now that their secret is out of the bag, Courtney and Pat team up, when the evil Branwave, a member of the Injustice League attacks! Determined to defend the day, Courtney adopts the Cosmic Staff and becomes the new Stargirl, and whether Pat likes it or not, he's back in the sidekick seat, only this time, he's suiting up in a sophisticated suit of armor! Surrounding herself with a group of new friends, Stargirl is assembling a new team of heroes and resurrecting the Justice Society in time to thwart the mad scheme taking shape that may doom them all!

Unlike her contemporaries on The CW, "DC's Stargirl" benefits from its being set in high school. It's the origin story of a new generation of heroes, inspired by a "Golden Age" of characters that will resonate with the most seasoned comic book reader. The series creator, DC Comics writer Geoff Johns based the character of Stargirl (which he also originated for the comics) on his own real life sister, who died in plane explosion. He's always meant for Courtney Whitmore to capture her optimism and heroism – and there's a great deal of heart at the core of "DC's Stargirl".

The 3-disc set includes all 13 full-length episodes of the thrilling first year of the series, and although it is sparse on bonus content (none at all) it's great incentive to dive back into a genre that although has become somewhat formulaic across primetime expectations, "DC's Stargirl" has a freshness and exuberance that can't be denied, and it's propelled along by the charisma of its lead and cast mates. Here is an opportunity to believe in super powers once again! Add "DC's Stargirl" The Complete First Season to your collection now.

"DC's Stargirl" The Complete First Season
available on Blu-ray and Digital
$29.98
www.warnerbros.com/tv/dcs-stargirl-season-1