Follow that Star(man) - Starman #17
Deadly Attraction
The said villain, one Doctor Polaris knocks Pee Gee out with a blast of energy, using these circumstances to his advantage, though I'm not sure why he plays the innocent bystander for almost a whole page especially as by the end of his he puts the whammy on Pee Gee!
We then get to the titular hero of this comic, Starman, who's dealing with his own subplots from previous issues. I must confess I've never read the series, despite the many recommendations I've seen, but all this soapy goodness makes me want to give it a chance once I have a few fewer Power GIrl comics to read! There's lots of really good stuff here, but I'm going to skip things to concentrate on the "main" part of the plot.
Pee Gee is just waking up to a full-on ranting Doctor Polaris who tells her all about his powers, though Pee Gee seems to be fully on board as to who and what he's about. Pee Gee isn't about to go down like a chump and is struggling from where Doctor Polaris has her pinned up, which seems to break his concentration a little. It's enough to break free and goes on the offensive, only to bounce off his force fields. So she does the sensible thing and flies away, a long way from the angry Pee Gee who was fighting to the bitter end. After not being able to contact the JLI, she still isn't willing to give up things completely, she decides to get some local help with an amusing scene one of his family answering the phone to Power Girl!
Finally, the two heroes meet up, except Pee Gee has been knocked unconscious and is wrapped up by Doctor Polaris, who also wraps up Starman in a similar manner. Being his comic he obviously manages to escape and catch Power Girl just before they both hit the ground. It, however, knocks them both unconscious, and Doctor Polaris gets his moment to gloat at our unconscious heroes, ending the issue on a suitable cliffhanger.
It's always interesting to see how different writers handle the same character, and as well as give us a decent Flash (I know he's much better in his solo comic but I have to go by what I've read in the JLE) but a solid on brand Pee Gee. To be honest, she's not that different from what we get so far in JLE, I guess thanks mostly to the work put in before JLE.
The main difference I get is a dedication to consistency, something that doesn't always happen in JLE, and whilst both are fine in their own way after one the other makes a nice change of pace!
It makes me glad you liked this issue, as I'm a big fan of writer Roger Stern. He has a strong sense of giving characters a consistent voice, so it's good to confirm you think he did right by PG. Stern's work on Starman is delightful, and only (YMMV) 28 issues, and a breezy read. I do think you'll like Will's sister and mom, who get a lot of attention in the series. Looking forward to your take on next issue!
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