Courtney Whitmore was an average teenager when she learned that her stepfather, Pat Dugan, was once Stripesy, the sidekick of the Golden Age hero The Star-Spangled Kid. After modifying his old costume for herself, Courtney became the new Star-Spangled Kid, aiming to fight evil and annoy her father. Instead of being annoyed, Dugan created a robotic suit he called S.T.R.I.P.E. and joined his daughters battle for justice. In this second and final volume of the series, the heroic duo battles the Dragon King, while Pat Dugan's former comrades, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, face the threat of the Nebula Man...

The original superhero team, the Justice Society of America are Earth's mightiest defenders, whose ranks include the Flash, Green Lantern, Power Girl, and Hawkgirl.

Volume 2 of Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E continues were Volume 1 left off - following the adventures of Courtney Whitmore, the Star Spangled Kid, before she joined the Justice Society.

Teenager Courtney has discovered that her stepfather was the sidekick of wartime hero the Star-Spangled Kid, and taken up his legacy - accompanied by her stepfather, who has an 8-foot suit of armour. But the two just can't seem to keep out of trouble.

This graphic novel collects together issues #9-14 of the DC Comics series, and throughout this volume there seems to be an ongoing theme - which explores a number of child/father relationships.

There is a good balance between humour, action and the occasional heartache. The introduction of Sir Justin, better known as The Shining Knight, provides a lot of the humour throughout this collection.

Also included are a handful of pages of rough sketches as well as unused cover sketched. Whether you're coming to this collection raw, or having read the first volume, this graphic novel is packed with meaty goodness.

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Nick Smithson