STARDUST
Real Name: Stardust
Occupation: Superhero
Legal Status: Citizen of his own private star with no criminal record
Identity: Publicly known
Also Known As: Stardust the Super Wizard; the Super Wizard Stardust
Area of Operations: The United States and the solar system
Base of Operations: His private star in outer space
First Appearance: 1939
Group Affiliation: None
Relatives and Associates: The Sixth Column (young boy followers), an
unnamed girl whose family was killed by Venusian Vultures (Fantastic
Comics #12) who now lives on Stardust's private star
History: The Super Wizard Stardust’s vast knowledge of interplanetary
science makes him the most remarkable man who ever lived. His scientific
rays make him master of space and planetary forces. Stardust devotes his
amazing skills to crime-busting and most frequently combats the evil forces
of the Fifth Column who are determined to take over the United States. He
also fights evil Martians, other space aliens, and mad scientists from time to
time.
Body type: Heroic male with an abnormally small head
Powers, Abilities, and Equipment: Stardust’s amazing array of
superhuman abilities and gadgets are too extensive to list in detail. Having
said that, the list below details most of them. Stardust's vast arsenal of rays
and other scientific items enable him to perform virtually any feat, provided
that it isn't overly difficult to draw. Note that Stardust appears to suffer
from a strange psychological compulsion that forces him to employ these
powers against evil in overly elaborate and unnecessarily difficult ways.
Two other things bear mentioning before we get to the list --
1. Stardust faced enemies that were immune to his rays on at least one
occasion (the Emerald Men). He then revealed himself to be an extremely
effective hand-to-hand combatant.
2. Reading the list of Stardust's powers provided below is a lot like staring
Cthulu in the face. Be warned that it just might drive you insane.
Now a list of Stardust's advanced scientific ray and gadget derived powers...
ARTIFICIAL LUNGS - These enable Stardust to breathe safely under any
condition.
ATTRACTOR RAY – Stardust’s attractor ray enables him to create a fake
planet Earth by attracting steam from the Moon. To be completely honest,
we didn’t quite understand the mechanics of the advanced interplanetary
science behind this one.
CONTROL PLANES – Stardust is able to mentally control military aircraft.
CRIME-DETECTOR – The Crime Detector is a device located in Stardust’s
headquarters that vibrates whenever crime is detected in the solar system. A
dial on the detector then points to the planet on which the crime was
detected. For example, if a crime were to take place on the planet Mercury,
then the Crime Detector’s dial would point toward Mercury. Stardust made
a name for himself fighting crime on "a lot of planets" before first visiting
Earth, so it would be wrong to assume the device only ever points toward
our world.
DELICATE DETECTING UNIT – The portable Delicate Detecting Unit
alerts Stardust instantly whenever America is in danger.
IMMUNITY TO HEAT OR COLD - Exposure to the gas of a certain star
has made Stardust able to withstand any temperature extreme.
MOST POWERFUL RAY – Using his most powerful ray which flashes
from Stardust’s left bicep, the hero can cause all of his enemies to fly into
the air and then travel to wherever he wants them to, for example into the
fiery heart of the raging sun.
RETARDING RAY - Used to slow down moving objects
SKY WRITING – When Stardust flies, he leaves a trail of energy in his
wake. Stardust is able to cause messages to appear in this trail of energy,
such as “AMERICA, BEWARE THE FIFTH COLUMN!” Often Stardust
employs this ability merely to gloat at the end of his adventures, rather than
to transmit any useful information.
SPECTRAL RAYS - Stardust's spectral rays can render him invisible or as
bright as a star.
STARDUST FLASH – Stardust can transform into a human-sized talking
star that gives off brilliant illumination. Additionally, Stardust is able to
materialize a hungry panther in the center of this star, which will then leap
forward to attack his enemies.
STAR-METAL SKIN - Stardust's costume is composed of a flexible star-
metal skin controlled through rays from a distant sun that renders him
indestructible by chemicals or electrical or violent force or any other means.
SUMMON THE SKELETONS OF A CRIMINAL'S VICTIMS - Using this
strange ability, Stardust can summon the skeletal remains of a criminal's
victims and force the criminal to stare at them.
SUSPENSION RAY – This device makes things levitate and can be set to
have a time limit that will expire after Stardust is gone.
TENTACLE HAND - Stardust can transform his hand into a badly drawn
tentacle-like thing to choke his enemies.
THOUGHT RECORDER – Stardust’s thought recorder can read the minds
of his enemies, which makes detective work a snap.
TRANSFORMING RAY - Stardust uses this ray to transform his enemies
in various ways, including turning them into icicles so that they melt and die,
changing them into rats (and sometimes rats with human heads), and
changing them into giants so he can then kick their asses in a "fair" fight.
TUBULAR SPACIAL – This mysterious device grants Stardust the power
to fly in outer space. It relies on accelerated supersolar light rays in order to
do so.
TV RAY – Stardust’s portable TV ray allows him to spy on his enemies no
matter where they’re located.
ETC - You'd better read the comics for yourself. The full magnitude of
Stardust's incredible powers defy description. For example, we completely
forgot to mention that he can levitate islands and then cause them to flip over.
Notes: Stardust is in the public domain. His only appearances were in
Fantastic Comics 1-16. By consolidating access to EIGHT of his adventures
on our site and creating this character page, we’ve gathered together the most
comprehensive repository of Stardust-related knowledge on the Internet. If
you have any Stardust-related information, comic scans, etc, we'd greatly
appreciate any help you can provide in making this page better. If you feel
like spending $450, then you could buy us Fantastic Comics #2 (excerpts at
right) on ebay! :P
Creator
Stardust is the creation of Fletcher Hanks (AKA Henry Fletcher, Hank
Christy, Barclay Flagg, etc), who is perhaps best described as the Ed Wood
of comics. His career spanned only three years, 1939-1941. During that
time he invented several characters, all pretty weird. Okay... to be honest
we really don't know if the lumberjack character is weird, since we've never
seen any comics featuring him.
Other Fletcher Hanks Characters
Fantomah - the first female superhero, a jungle princess who uses Egyptian
magic to turn herself into a nine foot tall female version of Skeletor. She
exacts brutal and elaborate revenge against the enemies of the jungle in much
the same fashion as Stardust.
Tabu - This "Wizard of the Jungle" is a Tarzan-like boy who learned magical
powers from the animals of the jungle. For example, the birds of the jungle
taught him to fly. He also wears a cape and no pants. "Tabu," indeed.
Space Smith - This space hero of the future is nicknamed "Space" and his
last name is "Smith."
Big Red McLane - A lumberjack.
News:
Fantagraphics is scheduled to publish a book that reprints Fletcher Hanks
material in Spring 2007. The editor is Paul Karasik and the book will
reportedly include biographical material about Hanks. The title is "I Will
Destroy All Civilized Worlds," which looks to me like something a Stardust
villain must have said in one of those comics I've never seen.
Finally:
Fletcher Hanks' was reportedly a "ladies man" and an alcoholic with a violent
temper. What Fletcher Hanks' 86 year-old son Fletcher Hanks Jr. had to say
about him: "My father was the most no-good drunken bum you can find."
He's in our view the ultimate "outsider artist" to ever work in comics and a
surrealist comics visionary. As for his personal life... eh well, we admit to a
certain morbid curiosity, but it's not really our focus or what we admire
about him.
Real Name: Stardust
Occupation: Superhero
Legal Status: Citizen of his own private star with no criminal record
Identity: Publicly known
Also Known As: Stardust the Super Wizard; the Super Wizard Stardust
Area of Operations: The United States and the solar system
Base of Operations: His private star in outer space
First Appearance: 1939
Group Affiliation: None
Relatives and Associates: The Sixth Column (young boy followers), an
unnamed girl whose family was killed by Venusian Vultures (Fantastic
Comics #12) who now lives on Stardust's private star
History: The Super Wizard Stardust’s vast knowledge of interplanetary
science makes him the most remarkable man who ever lived. His scientific
rays make him master of space and planetary forces. Stardust devotes his
amazing skills to crime-busting and most frequently combats the evil forces
of the Fifth Column who are determined to take over the United States. He
also fights evil Martians, other space aliens, and mad scientists from time to
time.
Body type: Heroic male with an abnormally small head
Powers, Abilities, and Equipment: Stardust’s amazing array of
superhuman abilities and gadgets are too extensive to list in detail. Having
said that, the list below details most of them. Stardust's vast arsenal of rays
and other scientific items enable him to perform virtually any feat, provided
that it isn't overly difficult to draw. Note that Stardust appears to suffer
from a strange psychological compulsion that forces him to employ these
powers against evil in overly elaborate and unnecessarily difficult ways.
Two other things bear mentioning before we get to the list --
1. Stardust faced enemies that were immune to his rays on at least one
occasion (the Emerald Men). He then revealed himself to be an extremely
effective hand-to-hand combatant.
2. Reading the list of Stardust's powers provided below is a lot like staring
Cthulu in the face. Be warned that it just might drive you insane.
Now a list of Stardust's advanced scientific ray and gadget derived powers...
ARTIFICIAL LUNGS - These enable Stardust to breathe safely under any
condition.
ATTRACTOR RAY – Stardust’s attractor ray enables him to create a fake
planet Earth by attracting steam from the Moon. To be completely honest,
we didn’t quite understand the mechanics of the advanced interplanetary
science behind this one.
CONTROL PLANES – Stardust is able to mentally control military aircraft.
CRIME-DETECTOR – The Crime Detector is a device located in Stardust’s
headquarters that vibrates whenever crime is detected in the solar system. A
dial on the detector then points to the planet on which the crime was
detected. For example, if a crime were to take place on the planet Mercury,
then the Crime Detector’s dial would point toward Mercury. Stardust made
a name for himself fighting crime on "a lot of planets" before first visiting
Earth, so it would be wrong to assume the device only ever points toward
our world.
DELICATE DETECTING UNIT – The portable Delicate Detecting Unit
alerts Stardust instantly whenever America is in danger.
IMMUNITY TO HEAT OR COLD - Exposure to the gas of a certain star
has made Stardust able to withstand any temperature extreme.
MOST POWERFUL RAY – Using his most powerful ray which flashes
from Stardust’s left bicep, the hero can cause all of his enemies to fly into
the air and then travel to wherever he wants them to, for example into the
fiery heart of the raging sun.
RETARDING RAY - Used to slow down moving objects
SKY WRITING – When Stardust flies, he leaves a trail of energy in his
wake. Stardust is able to cause messages to appear in this trail of energy,
such as “AMERICA, BEWARE THE FIFTH COLUMN!” Often Stardust
employs this ability merely to gloat at the end of his adventures, rather than
to transmit any useful information.
SPECTRAL RAYS - Stardust's spectral rays can render him invisible or as
bright as a star.
STARDUST FLASH – Stardust can transform into a human-sized talking
star that gives off brilliant illumination. Additionally, Stardust is able to
materialize a hungry panther in the center of this star, which will then leap
forward to attack his enemies.
STAR-METAL SKIN - Stardust's costume is composed of a flexible star-
metal skin controlled through rays from a distant sun that renders him
indestructible by chemicals or electrical or violent force or any other means.
SUMMON THE SKELETONS OF A CRIMINAL'S VICTIMS - Using this
strange ability, Stardust can summon the skeletal remains of a criminal's
victims and force the criminal to stare at them.
SUSPENSION RAY – This device makes things levitate and can be set to
have a time limit that will expire after Stardust is gone.
TENTACLE HAND - Stardust can transform his hand into a badly drawn
tentacle-like thing to choke his enemies.
THOUGHT RECORDER – Stardust’s thought recorder can read the minds
of his enemies, which makes detective work a snap.
TRANSFORMING RAY - Stardust uses this ray to transform his enemies
in various ways, including turning them into icicles so that they melt and die,
changing them into rats (and sometimes rats with human heads), and
changing them into giants so he can then kick their asses in a "fair" fight.
TUBULAR SPACIAL – This mysterious device grants Stardust the power
to fly in outer space. It relies on accelerated supersolar light rays in order to
do so.
TV RAY – Stardust’s portable TV ray allows him to spy on his enemies no
matter where they’re located.
ETC - You'd better read the comics for yourself. The full magnitude of
Stardust's incredible powers defy description. For example, we completely
forgot to mention that he can levitate islands and then cause them to flip over.
Notes: Stardust is in the public domain. His only appearances were in
Fantastic Comics 1-16. By consolidating access to EIGHT of his adventures
on our site and creating this character page, we’ve gathered together the most
comprehensive repository of Stardust-related knowledge on the Internet. If
you have any Stardust-related information, comic scans, etc, we'd greatly
appreciate any help you can provide in making this page better. If you feel
like spending $450, then you could buy us Fantastic Comics #2 (excerpts at
right) on ebay! :P
Creator
Stardust is the creation of Fletcher Hanks (AKA Henry Fletcher, Hank
Christy, Barclay Flagg, etc), who is perhaps best described as the Ed Wood
of comics. His career spanned only three years, 1939-1941. During that
time he invented several characters, all pretty weird. Okay... to be honest
we really don't know if the lumberjack character is weird, since we've never
seen any comics featuring him.
Other Fletcher Hanks Characters
Fantomah - the first female superhero, a jungle princess who uses Egyptian
magic to turn herself into a nine foot tall female version of Skeletor. She
exacts brutal and elaborate revenge against the enemies of the jungle in much
the same fashion as Stardust.
Tabu - This "Wizard of the Jungle" is a Tarzan-like boy who learned magical
powers from the animals of the jungle. For example, the birds of the jungle
taught him to fly. He also wears a cape and no pants. "Tabu," indeed.
Space Smith - This space hero of the future is nicknamed "Space" and his
last name is "Smith."
Big Red McLane - A lumberjack.
News:
Fantagraphics is scheduled to publish a book that reprints Fletcher Hanks
material in Spring 2007. The editor is Paul Karasik and the book will
reportedly include biographical material about Hanks. The title is "I Will
Destroy All Civilized Worlds," which looks to me like something a Stardust
villain must have said in one of those comics I've never seen.
Finally:
Fletcher Hanks' was reportedly a "ladies man" and an alcoholic with a violent
temper. What Fletcher Hanks' 86 year-old son Fletcher Hanks Jr. had to say
about him: "My father was the most no-good drunken bum you can find."
He's in our view the ultimate "outsider artist" to ever work in comics and a
surrealist comics visionary. As for his personal life... eh well, we admit to a
certain morbid curiosity, but it's not really our focus or what we admire
about him.
THE ADVENTURES OF STARDUST
CARTOONS
Virtual Cartoon: Stardust vs. The Mad Giant Experimenter
COMICS
1: Stardust is Coming
6: Stardust vs. the Mad Giant Experimenter
8: Stardust vs. The Emerald Men
10: Stardust vs. the Super Fiend
12: Stardust vs. the Vultures of Kaos
13: Stardust vs. The Fifth Column (Again)
14: Stardust forms the Sixth Column
16: Stardust vs. "Slant-Eye"
LINKS
Stupid Comics: Stardust vs. The Fifth Column (Again)
with entertaining commentary
Summaries of Several Stardust Adventures
CARTOONS
Virtual Cartoon: Stardust vs. The Mad Giant Experimenter
COMICS
1: Stardust is Coming
6: Stardust vs. the Mad Giant Experimenter
8: Stardust vs. The Emerald Men
10: Stardust vs. the Super Fiend
12: Stardust vs. the Vultures of Kaos
13: Stardust vs. The Fifth Column (Again)
14: Stardust forms the Sixth Column
16: Stardust vs. "Slant-Eye"
LINKS
Stupid Comics: Stardust vs. The Fifth Column (Again)
with entertaining commentary
Summaries of Several Stardust Adventures
Evidence that Stardust is NOT gay:
| Stardust likes his women with receding hairlines and pointy shoulders! But who doesn't, really? Also, you can see in this picture that sometimes Stardust is nine feet tall or so. Not always, mind you... just sometimes. |
Other Stardust Comics (that we have limited
information about)
Fantastic Comics 2: Stardust vs. "Rip-the-Blood"
information about)
Fantastic Comics 2: Stardust vs. "Rip-the-Blood"
| “Stardust again visits the Earth… He has learned that a man of vast power is seeking to plunge the world into a gigantic war. Through the underworld of the leading nations this man secretly controls their governments and munitions factories. If he can cause a world war, he will become the fiercest and most powerful man in all history. Few people know he even exists. Lords of the underworld call him “Rip-the-Blood.” Rip- the-Blood fears no one – except the mysterious and mighty Stardust.” |
Fantastic Comics 7 was reprinted in RAW Magazine
#5. Unfortunately we don't own either the comic or
that magazine...
#5. Unfortunately we don't own either the comic or
that magazine...
There's a custom Stardust skin available
for the game Freedom Force that you can
get here. We tried to contact the creator
of the skin, unfortunately with no luck.
Anyway, if anyone uses this skin to create
Stardust Machinima videos, we'd love to
see them!
for the game Freedom Force that you can
get here. We tried to contact the creator
of the skin, unfortunately with no luck.
Anyway, if anyone uses this skin to create
Stardust Machinima videos, we'd love to
see them!