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Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E. and Brainwave costumes soar in sneak peek at The CW, DC Universe series
DC Universe is set to shine with the premiere of Stargirl on May 18, and SYFY WIRE has an exclusive first look at three newly-designed costumes for Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E., and Brainwave that fans can try on for size, alongside illuminating comments by the show's main costume designer, Laura Jean Shannon (Elf, Iron Man, The Boys).
DC’S reimagined Stargirl series hails from creator and comic book writer Geoff Johns — executive producer of Titans, Arrow, Batwoman, and The Flash. The vibrant action centers around high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger), who relocates to Blue Valley, Nebraska after her mother remarries Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), and inspires an uncanny crew of young heroes to thwart villains of the past. The live-action spectacle reinvents Johns' vintage 1999 Stargirl comics, and also puts a spotlight on the first superhero team ever, the Justice Society of America.
Each of these striking costumes was inspired by Johns' original comic and brought to life by Shannon and her team. Have a peek at Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E., and Brainwave in this trio of never-seen images hinting at the colorful style and old-fashioned tone of the show.
"With Stargirl, one of the things that was really important to Geoff Johns, and that I love, was he really wanted to embrace the classic old-school characters," Shannon tells SYFY WIRE. "He really wanted us to have a nostalgic feeling for the characters. The show is very immersed in nostalgia, and that was an important jumping-off point for him. He wanted the audience to see the characters and have a visceral reaction to them. To strike a chord that really brings them back to their youth.
"Stargirl is our hopeful hero who breathes life into a new generation of superheroes by assembling the new JSA!," she adds. "Taking a page from the books, we worked closely with creator, Geoff Johns, to integrate all of the classic elements of her costume as depicted in the source material while enhancing the aesthetic with custom details. Every aspect of her is custom designed, from mask to boots! Six unique tactical fabrics and sculpted armored stars enhance the practical aspects of her supersuits, along with a sculptural paint effect. Brec Bassinger is a true hero that exudes Stargirl’s quintessential sparkle and can-do attitude!"
"S.T.R.I.P.E. was inspired by various incarnations of the character through his generations as inked in the books, combined with elements of hot rods to speak to Stripsey’s penchant for and ability to work with classic cars," Shannon notes. "It was so much fun to bat around ideas with Geoff Johns early on to create a road map of a design that was then handed off to our talented VFX Brothers at ZOIC as well as the team at Legacy Effects who practically built this bad boy directly with Geoff’s input. Seeing him on set was an epic moment for all!"
"Brainwave was an amazing character to bring to life," she explains. "Historically, he had a very heightened aesthetic in the source material that we carefully extracted pieces of to infuse into our updated design. Unlike many of our super-suits which we add layers of age and wear to, Brainwave’s custom look, built by the amazing Jonathan Logan, was left pristine to speak to his character being motivated by using his superpower of mind manipulation and keeping himself unscathed. We loved watching Christopher James Baker morph before our eyes when he donned his supervillain suit!"
Stargirl premieres on DC Universe on Monday, May 18, and Tuesday, May 19 on The CW. DC Universe members are allowed to be the first to stream new episodes every Monday commercial-free in downloadable 4K Ultra HD, plus can view extended versions of select episodes and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of cast and crew.
