Captain Lincoln F. Sternn is a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

character created by

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...

. The character appeared in the animated film '' Heavy Metal'' voiced by

Eugene Levy Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Known for portraying flustered and unconventional figures, Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and ...

Personality and appearance

Captain Sternn is considered "part

Han Solo Han Solo () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the 1977 film ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars'', and later appeared in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), ''Star Wars: The F ...

, part

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

from '' The Great Escape''". The character, as written by Wrightson, is an amoral space captain whose adventures are set in the future. Sternn is sometimes considered a criminal with charges ranging from

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

. He is associated with supporting characters Hanover Fiste and Justine Tyme. He is drawn as a caricature of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, although his clothing is different; he wears a pseudo-

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

uniform A uniform is a variety of costume worn by members of an organization while usually participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency serv ...

. He is always accompanied by a small, levitating one-eyed

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

, named Beezer, that is his most faithful companion.

Creation

First conceptualized in the late 1970s, Captain Sternn was developed by artist

during his time at The Studio. The character's first published adventure was developed for Tyrannosaurus Press in 1977, and it was eventually published in 1980 in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine.

Publication history

* '' Heavy Metal'' Vol.4, #3 (June, 1980) - "Captain Sternn" (reprinted in ''Heavy Metal Special: One Step Beyond'' (January, 1996)) * '' Dreadstar'' #6 (September, 1983) * ''

Amazing Heroes ''Amazing Heroes'' was a magazine about the comic book medium published by American company Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. Unlike its companion title, '' The Comics Journal'', ''Amazing Heroes'' was a hobbyist magazine rather than an anal ...

'' #194 (September, 1991) * ''Captain Stern: Running Out of Time'' #1-5 (1993 - 1994) * ''Heavy Metal: The Movie'' (October, 1996) - "Captain Sternn"

Fictional character biography

Film adaptation

Captain Sternn's original story was adapted as the segment "Captain Sternn" of the

cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...

film '' Heavy Metal'' (1981). He was voiced by

, with the rest of the cast in that segment consisting of

Rodger Bumpass Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as well, includi ...

as Hanover Fiste,

Joe Flaherty Joseph Flaherty (born Joseph O'Flaherty, June 21, 1941 – April 1, 2024) was an American actor, writer, and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy '' SCTV'' from 1976 to 1984 (on which he also served as a write ...

as Sternn's lawyer Charlie,

John Vernon John Keith Vernon (born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz; February 24, 1932 February 1, 2005) was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada. He was best known for playing Dean Wormer ...

as the prosecutor, and Douglas Kenney as the bailiff Regolian. Hanover Fiste's transformation was caused by the Loc-Nar that came before him after the ''

Den Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita'' ...

'' segment. Unlike the original story, there is an additional scene where Sternn opens a trap door under Hanover Fiste, ejecting him into space as the Loc-Nar that Hanover had disappears into the film's next segment.

References in other works

Hanover Fiste was mentioned by name several times in the '' Dreadstar'' book, both in the Bernie Wrightson stories starring Aldo Gorney published in issue #6-7 and by Tuetun in issue #12. Hanover Fiste's lines were used in the Webcomic Freefall. The judge uttering the lines looked similar to the animated version of Hanover Fiste from the ''Heavy Metal'' movie.

Notes

This is the comic version of the segment "Captain Sternn" of the ''Heavy Metal'' film, not the original story.

References

External links

Bernie Wrightson Gallery of Captain Sternn Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sternn Fictional con artists Fictional drug dealers Fictional rapists Captain Sternn Captain Sternn Fictional pirate captains Space pirates