KIRK DUNSTER

Real Name: Kirk Dunster

Identity/Class: Human (1950s era)

Occupation: Reporter, amateur chemist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: "Men from Mars"

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unidentified American city

First Appearance: Uncanny Tales I#41/3 (March, 1956)

Powers/Abilities: A normal human, Dunster was a skilled reporter and news photographer.

Having some knowledge of chemistry, Dunster secretly developed a "recreating fluid"--when sprayed from an atomizer, the chemical mist somehow recreated happenings from the past, allowing him to perceive (both visually and audibly) prior events.

Height: Unrevealed (5'10"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (165 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Black

History:
(Uncanny Tales I#41/3 (fb) - BTS) -  Kirk Dunster worked for the Daily Globe newspaper, where he was a top reporter. Believing that past events didn't completely just vanish, but merely went into another dimension, Dunster spent five years researching his theory, because he wanted to get the latest news "scoops" by looking into that dimension--figuring he could accomplish this feat by chemical means, he began experimenting to develop a "recreating fluid".

(Uncanny Tales I#41/3) - After mixing the chemical formula, Dunster poured the bubbling fluid into an atomizer, then tested it--he was elated when the sprayed mixture recreated an event from the year 1777.

   Later that day, Dunster took the atomizer to a sports arena, where a boxing match had been held five hours earlier--the championship bout had ended five seconds into the first round, and every photographer in town had missed the knockout blow; but by spraying his "recreating fluid," Dunster was able to get a picture of the winning punch for the newspaper.

   The next day, Dunster went to a boathouse by a lake outside of the city; he used his "recreating fluid" to get a picture of sportsman Sir Barton's secret jet boat. Shortly afterward, he got the "scoop" on other news services by reporting that the queen of Vuldania was secretly engaged to her escort (presumably by using his "recreating spray"); the newspaper world soon regarded Kirk Dunster to be a most remarkable reporter.

   For a time, Dunster was living a happy and exciting life because of his clandestine news-gathering technique; but one day, his editor sent him to cover "another of those 'men from Mars' stories"--although he thought the assignment was silly, Dunster agreed to cover it because with his spray, he could finally prove a story was fake... and besides, it would be good for laughs.

   After driving to a small farm in a rural area, Dunster spoke to the elderly farmer who claimed to have seen the "little people" the night before, but the strange creatures had just vanished after he fired his shotgun. The farmer directed Dunster to one of the shacks on his property where it had all happened.

   Although he thought that the farmer was just telling him an imaginary story, Dunster went into the shack and sprayed the atomizer; but as his recreating vapor filled the room, he was shocked to see five "men from Mars" standing by the wall! As he fled from the shack in panic, Dunster momentarily turned around with his camera and snapped a picture of the unearthly beings, then jumped in his car and drove to the nearest phone-booth.

   But when he called his editor and told him how he had a picture of "little men," Dunster heard a voice that told him he wouldn't be allowed to show anyone the picture; suddenly, unseen hands seized Dunster's camera and atomizer, and both the items disappeared in a puff of smoke.

   Dunster raced back to his home to get another batch of his recreating fluid; but when he got inside, he found that the strange creatures must have already been there, because the fluid was gone, and Dunster figured it would take him years to make it again... if he ever could.

   Later, Dunster went to the Daily Globe office, where his editor asked him about the picture of the "men from Mars" that he said he had; realizing he had no proof of the creatures' existence, and that people would only think he was crazy if he continued with his unsubstantiated claim, Dunster just replied that he had only imagined it all... but thought to himself that he had lost the greatest story of the century.

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Joe Sinnott.

In this 4-page story--Shadows From the Past!--the "men from Mars" never actually stated that they came from that planet--it was just a generic term used by Dunster's editor.

The "recreating spray" didn't just affect Dunster--when he used it in the sports arena, a janitor also saw the recreated boxing match, but he just thought he was hallucinating.

It remains to be explained how so many different races/beings allegedly originated from Mars.

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Kirk Dunster has no known connections with:

The "recreating spray" has no known connections to:

These "men from Mars" should not be confused with:

Kirk Dunster's atomizer

After secretly developing a chemical fluid which could recreate sights and sounds that had already occurred, reporter Kirk Dunster poured it into an atomizer. By spraying the mist, it allowed him to see and hear past events--a greater quantity of spray was able to recreate an event from centuries ago, while a weaker spray recreated events from just hours in the past.

Dunster first sprayed the atomizer at his home--in the year 1777, a theater once stood at that location, and Dunster was able to see and hear a play performed in that theater, where actors were portraying the story of the American flag.

Continuing to use the spray, Dunster was able to report on a variety of events by recreating recent happenings and witnessing them himself, so he was able to provide first-hand accounts of news stories and photographs for the Daily Globe.

But "men from Mars" eventually took the atomizer, along with the rest of Dunster's recreating fluid from his home; the formula for the recreating fluid seemed to be complex, because Dunster doubted that he could ever duplicate it.

--Uncanny Tales I#41/3

"Men from Mars"

Possibly reptilian, these unearthly green beings (see comments) had vaguely humanoid bodies, with long tentacle-like arms. They seemed to have some form of handgun holstered at their waists, and apparently were able to somehow render themselves invisible.

After somehow arriving on Earth, they appeared one night in a shack on an elderly farmer's property; when the farmer fired his shotgun, they vanished.

The next day, the editor of the Daily Globe newspaper heard rumors of the "men from Mars," so he sent reporter Kirk Dunster to cover the story. Although he doubted the old farmer's claim, Dunster used his recreating spray in the shack, which brought forth an image of the strange beings from the previous night, and Dunster even managed to snap a picture of them before he fled in a panic.

But before Dunster could show his editor the photograph of them, the "men from Mars" confiscated his camera and recreating spray--they even took the remaining recreating fluid from Dunster's home.

(Comment: There was only one image of these creatures seen in the story, and they were either off-panel or invisible at the conclusion; since the farmer stated that they seemed to vanish, I'm assuming they could somehow render themselves invisible. And although they're listed as enemies, they perhaps had benevolent intentions, judging by how they spoke to Dunster in the two panels.)

--Uncanny Tales I#41/3 (Uncanny Tales I#41/3 (fb) - BTS

images: (without ads)
Uncanny Tales I#41/3, p1, pan1 (main image - Kirk Dunster, holding test tube of recreating fluid)
Uncanny Tales I#41/3, p2, pan1 (headshot - Kirk Dunster)
Uncanny Tales I#41/3, p4, pan1 (Kirk Dunster takes picture with his camera as he runs from farm shack)
Uncanny Tales I#41/3, p4, pan7 (Kirk Dunster; Daily Globe editor [background])
Uncanny Tales I#41/3, p1, pan3 (Kirk Dunster first uses recreating spray from atomizer)
Uncanny Tales I#41/3, p3, pan6 (Kirk Dunster sprays atomizer in farm shack)
Uncanny Tales I#41/3, p3, pan7 (five "men from Mars")
Uncanny Tales I#41/3, p4, pan3-4 (invisible "men from Mars" take Kirk Dunster's camera and atomizer)

Appearances:
Uncanny Tales I#41/3 (March, 1956) - unidentified writer, Joe Sinnott (pencils/inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 02/15/2026
Last updated: 02/15/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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