Stardust the Super Wizard is a fictional character

Character (arts)

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

, a comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 superhero

Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

 from the Golden Age of Comics. Created by writer-artist Fletcher Hanks

Fletcher Hanks

Fletcher Hanks, Sr. was a cartoonist from the Golden Age of Comic Books, who wrote and drew stories detailing the adventures of all-powerful, supernatural heroes and their elaborate punishments of transgressors...

, he first appeared

First appearance

In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...

 in Fox Comics' Fantastic Comics

Fantastic Comics

Fantastic Comics was a comic book superhero anthology title published by Fox Feature Syndicate during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title is notable for having introduced the characters Banshee, Black Fury , Nagana, Queen of Evil, Samson, and Stardust the Super Wizard.-Publication history:The...

#1 (Dec. 1939).

Publication history

Stardust appeared in 16 issues of Fantastic Comics (Dec. 1939 - March 1941), as well Big 3 Comics #2 (1941, undated on cover). Some of his Golden Age adventures were reprinted by AC Comics

AC Comics

AC Comics is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.AC Comics specializes in reprints of Golden Age comics from now-defunct companies whose properties lapsed into public domain and were not reprinted elsewhere...

 decades later, and collected in the books I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets!: The Comics of Fletcher Hanks (2007, ISBN 1560978392), and You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation! (June 2009, ISBN 1606991604) edited by Paul Karasik

Paul Karasik

Paul Karasik is an American cartoonist, editor, and teacher, notable for his contributions to such works as City of Glass: The Graphic Novel, The Ride Together: A Memoir of Autism in the Family, and I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets.- Biography :In the early 1980s, after having graduated...

.

A new story of Stardust appears in Image Comics

Image Comics

Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...

' Next Issue Project

Next Issue Project

The Next Issue Project is a series of American comic-book anthology one-shots published by Image Comics beginning in February, 2008. The multi-title project, edited by Erik Larsen, creator of Savage Dragon, features comic book characters that have fallen into the public domain.The premise behind...

 of Fantastic Comics #24. Stardust also makes a cameo in a panel of Savage Dragon

Savage Dragon

Savage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon...

 #141.

AC Comics used the character in Femforce

Femforce

Femforce is a comic book published by AC Comics that began publication in 1985, detailing the adventures of the titular team: the "Federal Emergency Missions Force" or "Femforce", some of them original creations, while others originated in the 1940s and 50s, lapsing into public domain by the time...

#137 and 140, in which AC's own Stardust (a superheroine who had no ties to the original) met the Super Wizard.

Stardust is mentioned in the "Minions of the Moon" segment of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century is the third volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill. Co-published by Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Comics in the US and UK respectively, Century will be published in...

.

A reimagined version appears in two webcomics

Webcomic

Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....

, one by writer Jason Derr and artist Simon S. Andrews. and another written and drawn by Joey Peters.

Fictional character biography

Stardust is an alien from an unnamed planet (in some stories, a star), whose "vast knowledge of interplanetary science has made him the most remarkable man that ever lived." He arrives on Earth vowing to clean up crime, and uses the powers that his knowledge has given him to fight all evil-doers.

Powers and abilities

In addition to such powers as super strength, flight, and invulnerability, Stardust's powers included "retarding rays" that slowed down moving objects; thought recording; the "delicate detecting unit" (a combination of ESP and super-vision); the ability to transform

Shapeshifting

Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...

into a human-sized star; and many others.

External links

• Cory Doctorow reviews an anthology of Fletcher Hanks' work