The new TV series Stargirl debuted last week on the DC Universe streaming app (and the next day on The CW), and one of the character’s co-creators, Geoff Johns, has been making the rounds promoting the series and a new collection of the stories that introduced her. During an appearance on the DC Daily webseries yesterday, Johns showed off a piece of never-before-seen early artwork of Stargirl, used in pitching the character and the series to DC Comics, by the late, great Mike Wieringo.

Mike Wieringo Stargirl
Stargirl by Mike Wieringo

The Stargirl original DC Universe series, which also marks Johns’ first time as a showrunner, is a project near and dear to his heart. Courtney Whitmore, better known as Stargirl, first appeared in the pages of her own DC Comics book Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., the first comics project by Johns, more than twenty years ago. Courtney was created as a way to honor the legacy of Johns’s late sister who passed away tragically in the TWA Flight 800 crash on July 17, 1996.

Based on the extremely positive reception from critics and fans, I would not be surprised if a second season for the series is greenlit. Unfortunately, Stargirl has been MIA within the proper DC comics universe of late, though she did reappear alongside her JSA teammates at the conclusion of Doomsday Clock. With any luck, it won’t be long before we see the adventures of Courtney Whitmore once more in the pages of DC Comics. In the meantime, it’s the perfect time to revisit the original Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. series.

Mike Wieringo Stargirl
Detail from Mike Wieringo’s Stargirl illustration

The reveal of previously-unseen Mike Wieringo art is always a welcome event. Before his untimely death in 2007, ‘Ringo’s unique and dynamic art graced some of the most beloved comics in the last two decades, most notably acclaimed runs with writer Mark Waid on The Flash at DC and Fantastic Four at Marvel. Wieringo’s only published work on Stargirl was actually on an adult-sized version of the character, Starwoman, for the cover of a tie-in to 2000’s Young Justice: Sins of Youth event.

The first two episodes of Stargirl are available to stream on the DC Universe app now, with new episodes debuting every Monday and airing on The CW the following day, edited for time.