Stardust the Super Wizard is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradi ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

from the

Golden Age of Comics The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known chara ...

who originally appeared in

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'', ...

published by

Fox Feature Syndicate Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...

. The character was created by writer-artist Fletcher Hanks. Stardust the Super Wizard made his first appearance in '' Fantastic Comics'' #1 (December

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

Publication history

Golden Age stories

Stardust the Super Wizard was featured in 16 issues of '' Fantastic Comics'' (December 1939–March 1941) and ''Big 3'' #2 (January 1941). All features, with exceptions of ''Fantastic Comics'' #6 and #9, were both written and illustrated by Fletcher Hanks. According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', Stardust's foes include "ordinary criminals, the Brain-Men of Mars, the Super Fiend, Skullface Kurd, and Yew Bee and his Fifth Column".

Reprints and collections

Stardust stories were reprinted in: * '' Raw #5'' (March 1983) * ''Crack #2'' (April 1984) * ''Men of Mystery Comics'' (2001, 2005, 2007, 2015) * ''Golden Age Greats Spotlight, vol. 3'' (May 2008) * ''Stardust the Super Wizard'' comics/ RPG (September 2016) Gwandanaland Comics issued the complete collection of Stardust stories from the

in ''Gwandanaland Comics #9: Stardust the Super Wizard'' (September 2016). The complete works of Fletcher Hanks have been collected in the Fantagraphics Books: * ''I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets!'' (2007) * ''You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation!'' (2009) * ''Turn Loose Our Death Rays and Kill Them All!'' (2016) The last volume is a combination of the first two with additional material. The complete collection catalogs all 15 of Fletcher Hanks' classic Stardust stories. In 2008, editor Paul Karasik received an

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are List of Eisner Award winners, prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Acad ...

for "Best Archival Collection/Project: Comic Books" for his work on ''I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets!'' In 2009, Fantagraphics started to include a Fletcher Hanks mini-comic coloring book titled ''Color Me or Die!'', featuring a cover by Charles Burns, to people who ordered volumes of ''The Complete Fletcher Hanks''.

Index

Fictional character biography

Stardust, whose vast knowledge of interplanetary science has made him the most remarkable man that ever lived, devotes his abilities to crime-busting. In later episodes, he changes his focus to racket-busting. In his

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

adventures, Stardust patrolled the entire occupied

Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

. The stories, however, focused primarily on his dealings with the planet

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...

. Nothing is known of Stardust's past. Stardust stories followed a tried-and-true formula. The Super Wizard would use his omniscient powers to eavesdrop on criminals plotting a crime. The main villain would describe his grandiose plan (e.g. to commit genocide, lay waste to a city, destroy democracy, etc.). Stardust would pontificate on how evil the villain's plans were but did nothing to prevent them. The villain would then put his plan into action, and many people were either killed or forced to flee. When Stardust arrived on the scene, he would verbally berate the villains and then set into motion a series of increasingly bizarre and violent acts of revenge against the evildoers, often turning their own schemes against them. When the dust cleared, the citizenry would often bemoan the fact that they were unable to thank their hero who had already flown back to his secret headquarters in the stars.

Further adventures

The character of Stardust the Super Wizard is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired ...

. As such, he can and has been used by a host of creators over the years. New Stardust stories offer individual interpretations and explorations of the original character. These stories attempt to fill in plot holes, propose backstory, and otherwise embellish a seminal character in comics history. Publishers of tabletop role-playing games have created campaigns featuring Stardust the Super Wizard, allowing players to interact, collaborate, and write their own stories.

Powers and abilities

Skills

Stardust is a master of

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consi ...

and planetary forces, possessing a vast knowledge of interplanetary

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

. He is also a skilled

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

specializing in

data collection Data collection or data gathering is the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an established system, which then enables one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes. Data collection is a research com ...

. Although Stardust has never exhibited any formal combat training, his physical size and strength make him a formidable brawler.

Physicality

Physically, Stardust appears as a clean-cut, blond-haired, blue-eyed, white human male of heroic proportions. His height has been estimated anywhere between 7'3" and 9'9" tall. His genealogy has never been revealed. Although he has vested interests in Earth, it is unclear if he is of Earthly origin. Stardust has exhibited a number of powers that are not attributed to his mastery of space and planetary forces. These powers may be attributed to an alien physiognomy, cybernetic augmentation, genetic modification, tetralogical manipulation, or a combination of these factors. The unexplained powers of Stardust include: * ''Superhuman strength''. He has lifted grown men off the ground one-handed and tossed them out a window with little effort. * ''Superhuman speed and accelerated perception''. Stardust once delivered a well-timed uppercut while traveling at 300,000 miles per minute (18 million miles an hour). * ''Superhuman endurance''. Stardust has never been known to tire—or sleep for that matter. * ''Superhuman durability''. Stardust is immune to extreme heat and cold due to exposure to gas emitted from a star. * ''

Extrasensory perception Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke Universit ...

''. Stardust has been able to sense danger and perceive events over great distances. * ''Artificial lungs''. Stardust's

respiratory system The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies g ...

has been augmented, enabling him to breathe safely under any condition.

Star-metal Suit

Stardust wears a flexible sky-blue unitard made of star-metal that fits him like a second skin. It is controlled through rays from a distant sun, rendering him invulnerable to chemicals and indestructible by electrical or violent force. Stardust has worn mid-calf boots in both blue and red.

Radiation belt

Stardust wears a corset-sized gold

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...

belt (aka ''ray belt'') around his midsection. The belt is in a

starburst MicroPro International Corporation was an American software company founded in 1978 in San Rafael, California. They are best known as the publisher of WordStar, a popular early word processor for personal computers. History Founding and early su ...

motif and features two rows of red studs. The radiation belt empowers Stardust with a wide array of beams, rays, and arcs. Each ray is represented by its own red stud. Energies from the belt can be used at a local level to affect individual persons or expanded to levels that affect the movement of planetary bodies. The radiation belt does not need to be charged and is not dependent on an outside energy source. It has never overloaded or shown even minor stress despite the great demands that have been made of it. Stardust appears to be limited merely by the breadth of his scientific knowledge and his ability to make good choices.

Thought-recording collar

Stardust wears a thought-recording collar that reproduces his internal monologue. The recordings are transmitted via thought-recording rays in order to establish telepathic communication with individuals or groups of people. The collar is gold colored and designed in starburst motif. It features a row of red studs similar to the ones found on Stardust's radiation belt.

Tubular spacial

The tubular spacial is a luminous forcefield that enables Stardust to travel on accelerated super-solar light waves at tremendous speeds. Stardust has been recorded at speeds of up to 300,000 miles a minute (18 million miles an hour). When pushed to its utmost, the tubular spacial leaves a trail of friction-fire in its wake. It is Stardust's primary mode of interplanetary transportation. He is able to control the speed and direction of the tubular spacial at will. The field is impenetrable and virtually indestructible. The tubular spacial generates a null field that neutralized all forms of energy (kinetic, electrical, magnetic, gamma, gravitational, etc.) and also protects him from the crushing forces of acceleration. The tubular spacial preserves and protects him from the vacuum of space. Stardust can use the field for his own use, extend it to accommodate a passenger, or expand it further to encompass a large group of people. The tubular spacial can discharge a cloud of acid-proof dust that acts as

chaff Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...

and a

radar countermeasure Radar jamming and deception is a form of electronic countermeasures that intentionally sends out radio frequency signals to interfere with the operation of radar by saturating its receiver with noise or false information. Concepts that blanket ...

. Stardust can expand the wake of the tubular spacial and generate luminous skywriting.

Stardust flash

Stardust's trademark flash grants him the power of

teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction literature and in other popular culture. Teleportation is oft ...

, allowing near instantaneous transportation between two fixed points. A brilliant flash shaped like a 5-pointed star accompanies each transfer. The flash can range in size from 10 feet wide to thousands of miles in diameter. There does not seem to be a limit to the distance over which an object can be flashed. However, Stardust has never used his flash outside of a planet's

gravity well The Hill sphere of an astronomical body is the region in which it dominates the attraction of satellites. To be retained by a planet, a moon must have an orbit that lies within the planet's Hill sphere. That moon would, in turn, have a Hil ...

. His flash can teleport individual objects, people, groups, and even entire facilities. The flash can be further calibrated to target specific individuals, as when Stardust transported the entire staff of the F.B.I. from their offices and left all their office furniture behind. Objects can also be safely transferred into occupied space, as when Stardust instantly outfitted the Sixth Columnists with uniforms. Furthermore, the flash recalibrates and redirects the momentum of the object it transfers. This allows an object to match the relative velocity of its destination. Stardust was able to safely flash the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

from a moving plane to the stationary

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

in Washington D.C. Stardust's flash is also capable of affecting the momentum and vector of objects in its immediate vicinity. The flash is capable of affecting local objects, but can be expanded to a planetary scale. Stardust uses his flash to launch his tubular spacial. He also uses the flash at the end of his flight to remove momentum—allowing him to calmly walk out of his star. Stardust routinely uses his flash to enter buildings. If he enters a building after a long interplanetary flight, the building will shake just before he appears. Stardust typically announces his arrival before he appears.

Stardust's astral observatory

Stardust's

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

is a crime-detecting

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physi ...

and observation post that is located on what is referred to in early stories as a "private

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

" and in later stories as his "private

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

". Stardust's private star has a breathable atmosphere capable of sustaining human and plant life. It features rolling hills, a lush forest, and paved roads. Stardust lives in a massive castle which is a short walk from the observatory. The star has enough mass to sustain a number of small satellites. From his marvelously equipped observatory, Stardust stays apprised of the affairs of the planets. Equipment Stardust has utilized in the Astral Observatory, broken down into categories, include:

Crime detection

* ''Crime detector''. A delicate crime-detecting unit with a needle gauge that vibrates to alert Stardust when a crime has been planned and is about to be executed. * ''Crime-detecting scopes''. Various devices that indicate the nature, location, extent, and severity of a crime.

Criminal investigation

* ''Long-range televisional finder'' - a scanner equipped with a widescreen monitor and a thought recorder that tunes into the thoughts of criminals to reveal their whereabouts and current plans to Stardust. * ''Panoramic concentration unit'' reveals the power and influence of an organization and the extent of the crime being perpetrated, allowing Stardust to see the big picture.

Remote observation

* ''Dictaphonic view plates''. A square

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

that allows Stardust to observe and record criminals from afar. * ''Televisional crime-detecting unit''. A circular monitor that allows Stardust to remotely observe criminals. * '' Interplanetary television set and thought-process unit''. A

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...

monitor and speaker system that allows Stardust to remotely observe and translate the thoughts of criminals. One can assume this comes in handy when the criminals are from another planet and speak a different language. * ''Super-interplanetary television set''. A wall-mounted super-widescreen monitor equipped with an adjustable thought recorder that allows Stardust to observe criminals from afar. * ''Crime-detecting ray-phone''. A headset with earphones and a view plate that allows Stardust to view criminals from afar.

Mobile Technology

* ''Anti-cosmic relayer''. A device that reduces the radio frequency of remote controlled missiles and redirect them. * ''Concentrator''. A handheld wand that draws the heat rays of the Sun and concentrates them into a beam hot enough to melt an entire fortress. * ''Panoramic television unit''. A tablet-size device that allows Stardust to remotely view multiple sites. Used to observe the actions of the Sixth Column across the world. * ''Simplified television unit''. A

handheld A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...

television unit, the size and shape of a

smart phone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whi ...

, that allows Stardust to observe criminal activity from afar. * ''Super radiophonic sets''. Telecommunication devices used by the

Sixth Column ''Sixth Column'', also known under the title ''The Day After Tomorrow'', is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, based on a then-unpublished story by editor John W. Campbell, and set in a United States that has been conq ...

to contact with Stardust. * ''Universal sound plate''. A tablet-sized communication device that establishes an audio tele-conference with the operators of his super radiophonic sets.

Reception

In ''American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944'', comics historian Kurt Mitchell writes that the Stardust stories "highlighted Hanks' straitfaced absurdity and distinctively ugly ''dramatis personae''. In style and attitude, Hanks anticipated the underground comics of the 1960s and early '70s".

Footnotes

Sources

The Digital Comic Museum

Turn Loose Our Death Rays And Kill Them All! The Complete Works Of Fletcher Hanks
{{Tapas (platform) 1939 comics debuts 1941 comics endings Male characters in comics Fox Feature Syndicate superheroes Golden Age superheroes Comics characters introduced in 1939 Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Comics characters who can teleport Comics characters who use magic Comics characters with superhuman strength Superhero comics Wizards in fiction Tapastic webcomics Webtoons