Post by ShadowSouL: Padawan of Yoda on May 20, 2021 4:25:48 GMT
I knew based on the end credits for the show -- either at the end of every episode or just the last episode of Season 1 -- that Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl was based on co-creator Geoff Johns' sister Courtney.
However, I just found out that Courtney Elizabeth Johns was one of the victims of TWA Flight 800 way back in 1996.
Shortly after the crash, film school graduate Geoff Johns started interning for and collaborating with Richard Donner and eventually ended up becoming a major player at DC Comics, creating Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl in 1999 and basically having been DC's version of Stan Lee and Kevin Feige for the last decade.
I knew none of this at the time, only becoming aware of Stargirl through the television series when it premiered last year on The CW.
I remember that crash when it happened and have been creeped out by it ever since, and here I am 25 years later as a fan of a superhero show whose main character was directly inspired by somebody who died in that crash -- Geoff Johns' sister, no less!
So among other things -- and there are other things, just not as high-profile or popular -- the TWA Flight 800 crash directly inspired the creation of Stargirl.
Obviously, the crash had nothing to do with Geoff Johns' career arc. He was already headed in that direction anyway and he still would be where he is today.
However, it's very possible that if TWA Flight 800 never crashed or his sister wasn't on the flight, he may never have created Stargirl. Then again, he still might have created Stargirl and based the character on his sister even if she was still alive today. You just never know.
I wonder how common connections like this are. Probably not very much.
The relationship between life and art, especially in a case like this, can be very intriguing.
However, I just found out that Courtney Elizabeth Johns was one of the victims of TWA Flight 800 way back in 1996.
Shortly after the crash, film school graduate Geoff Johns started interning for and collaborating with Richard Donner and eventually ended up becoming a major player at DC Comics, creating Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl in 1999 and basically having been DC's version of Stan Lee and Kevin Feige for the last decade.
I knew none of this at the time, only becoming aware of Stargirl through the television series when it premiered last year on The CW.
I remember that crash when it happened and have been creeped out by it ever since, and here I am 25 years later as a fan of a superhero show whose main character was directly inspired by somebody who died in that crash -- Geoff Johns' sister, no less!
So among other things -- and there are other things, just not as high-profile or popular -- the TWA Flight 800 crash directly inspired the creation of Stargirl.
Obviously, the crash had nothing to do with Geoff Johns' career arc. He was already headed in that direction anyway and he still would be where he is today.
However, it's very possible that if TWA Flight 800 never crashed or his sister wasn't on the flight, he may never have created Stargirl. Then again, he still might have created Stargirl and based the character on his sister even if she was still alive today. You just never know.
I wonder how common connections like this are. Probably not very much.
The relationship between life and art, especially in a case like this, can be very intriguing.
