| Looking for a different version of this character? |
|---|
| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
Sylvester Pemberton was the Star-Spangled Kid, a Golden Age crimefighter and partner to Stripesy.
History
As the Star-Spangled Kid, Pemberton was the first child superhero not to be a sidekick, reversing the conventional dynamic by recruiting an adult sidekick of his own, Pat "Stripesy" Dugan. Together, the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy fought villains such as Doctor Weerd,[1] and, together with the Seven Soldiers of Victory, Black Star, the Iron Hand, and the Nebula Man. In battle with the last, he witnessed the death of his teammate Wing, and was thrown forward through time with the surviving Soldiers.[2]
By 1976, he had taken to using a gold-colored Cosmic Converter Belt and Starman's Cosmic Rod,[3] and had joined the Justice Society of America as a member-in-training, facing threats such as Vulcan and the Injustice Society in a bid to ensure the next generation would carry on the legacy of the JSA. Pemberton would later form a team comprised of that next generation, Infinity, Inc., seeking the membership of JSA legacy heroes such as the Harlequin's Son, who refused, claiming to have retired.[4]
Eventually, Pemberton was murdered, and his costume and equipment were turned over to Dugan until his stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore, took them up to fight crime as the superhero Stargirl alongside her stepfather as the armored S.T.R.I.P.E..[2] The violent nature of his death made Dugan initially resistant to Whitmore's superhero career,[5] while she was left with nightmares over his fate.[6] With his fellow Soldiers, Pemberton was commemorated with a statue in the Green Arrow's Arrowcave,[7] and a dam bearing his name was constructed in Blue Valley, Nebraska,[8] hometown of his successor Stargirl.[1] His likeness was also used as a disguise by the shape-shifting hero Miss Martian,[9] and his costume was stored in the Justice League Watchtower satellite's "Hall of of Lost and Found,"[10] and later animated by the villainous Insomnia to oppose the heroes fighting his nightmare invasion of the waking world.[11]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Notes
- Sylvester Pemberton was created by Jerry Siegel and Hal Sherman, first appearing in Star-Spangled Comics #1. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Sylvester Pemberton first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Infinite Frontier #0 by Geoff Johns and Todd Nauck.
- However, he was first mentioned in Justice League of America (Volume 3) #1, and Miss Martian appeared in his form in Static Shock #8.
Related
- 14 Appearances of Sylvester Pemberton (Prime Earth)
- 8 Images featuring Sylvester Pemberton (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Sylvester Pemberton (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Sylvester Pemberton (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stargirl: The Lost Children #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stargirl Spring Break Special #1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Justice Society of America (Volume 4) #1
- ↑ The New Golden Age #1
- ↑ Justice League of America (Volume 3) #10
- ↑ Justice League of America (Volume 3) #1
- ↑ Stargirl: The Lost Children #2
- ↑ Green Lanterns #15
- ↑ Static Shock #8
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 5) #21
- ↑ Knight Terrors: Night's End #1
  This character is or was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, or the Seven Soldiers in any of its various incarnations, created during World War II and later, it returned to battle time-traveling, dimension-spanning mysteries and monsters. |
 Justice Society of America member |