They are tortured unmercifully and often meet fates infinitely worse than death. The villains in a Fletcher Hanks story are not just simply punished or brought to justice by a super hero.
The heroic characters are forces of unstoppable nature. Several of Hanks characters are plainly modern gods of the type found in old textbooks describing the antics and meddling of the Greek and Roman pantheons. Stardust and Fantomah specialize in convoluted, impossible, horrifying acts of revenge that even taking into account unrealistic comic book reality defy any sense whatsoever. Brutal, unmerciful retaliation for real and one must assume, imagined slights, is the main theme of most Hanks stories.
The two most popular and well known creations, that of Fantomah and Stardust are represented well in the collection by Paul Karasik. It is only recently that Hanks has emerged as more than just a footnote among the mostly forgettable creators of what was considered cultural dross and disposable entertainment. Until the advent of the internet the output of Fletcher Hanks was mostly unknown or lost. It's a fun gathering of Golden Age tales from the early comic book industry and is perfect for anyone who is a fan of comic book history or just those interested in the pop-culture of another era. Simply put, the stories and art are insane enjoyment. The title of the book is derived from a panel in a Buzz Crandall of the Space Patrol story in which the megalomaniacal and hyphenated Lepus-The-Fiend plans to ruin the universal peace through anarchy and chaos. I fully recommend the collection of the Golden Age comic book stories of Fletcher Hanks, I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets by Paul Karasik.
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