History:
DEREK SHININGSTAR
Real Name: Derek Shiningstar
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (New Universe) human
Occupation: C.I.A. regional director
Group Membership: C.I.A.
Affiliations: Charlie, Dogsled, Jack, John, Laszlo, Laura, Lookout, Emily Proudhawk, Eugene Proudhawk, Michael Proudhawk, Skipper
(former) Thomas Boyd, Emmett Proudhawk
Enemies: Edward Finelli, Joan Grant, Emmett Proudhawk, Psi-Force (Thomas Boyd, Michael Crawley, Anastasia Inyushin, Tyrone Jessup, Kathy Ling, Wayne Tucker), Rodstvow
Known Relatives: Mr. Shiningstar (father), Mrs. Shiningstar (mother, deceased)
Aliases: "Bill," "Firebase" (radio call sign)
Base of Operations: C.I.A. headquarters, Washington D.C., USA; formerly Eagle Canyon Reservation, Arizona, USA
First Appearance: (unidentified silhouette) Psi-Force I#1 (November, 1986);
(in shadows) Psi-Force I#5 (March, 1987);
(face seen) Psi-Force I#11 (September, 1987)
Powers/Abilities: Derek Shiningstar was an experienced military intelligence officer. He carried a handgun.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 190 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Psi-Force I#11 (fb)) - Derek Shiningstar grew up on the Eagle Canyon Reservation in Arizona. His mother died when he was young and his father was a harsh disciplinarian who often beat him. As a teenager, Derek tried to steal Emily Proudhawk's car. Emily's grandson Emmett was furious and beat up Derek, only stopping when Emily told him to let Derek go. Despite this introduction, in time Emmett and Derek became very good friends, along with Emmett's brother Eugene. The three young men spent the rest of their teenage years doing everything together, always under Emmett's leadership. As grown men, Emmett and Derek both joined the C.I.A. and they asked Eugene to join them but he chose to remain on the reservation.
(Psi-Force I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Opposed to the C.I.A.'s research into ESP which Emmett Proudhawk was in charge of, Derek stole Emmett's file, which included the teenage psychics Thomas Boyd, Michael Crawley, Edward Finelli, Joan Grant, Anastasia Inyushin, Tyrone Jessup, Kathy Ling and Wayne Tucker to "outside parties" who paid him for the file. Derek assumed other governments or corportations would exterminate the teenagers, eliminating the need for him to take action.
(Psi-Force Annual I#1 (fb)/Psi-Force I#1 (fb)) - Following the White Event (July 22, 1986), Emmett began to develop vast psychic powers as he became a paranormal. Emmett was determined to find five young paranormals with psychic abilities similar to his own so that he could mentor them. When Emmett went in search of the now-paranormal Thomas Boyd, Derek made Emmett think Boyd had been killed. In reality, Derek recruited Boyd as his own personal enforcer. Derek introduced himself to Boyd as "Bill," concealing his true identity. Although Emmett apparently didn't suspect Derek had betrayed him, he feared a mole in the C.I.A. was responsible for Boyd's death and continued his operation without C.I.A. clearance.
(Psi-Force I#11 (fb) - BTS) - Derek made an arrangement with his friend John to inform him if Emmett Proudhawk returned to the Eagle Canyon Reservation.
(Psi-Force I#5 (fb) - BTS) - While keeping Thomas Boyd as his personal operative, Shiningstar leaked Emmett's list of teenage psychics (including Michael Crawley, Anastasia Inyushin, Tyrone Jessup, Kathy Ling and Wayne Tucker) to "outside parties" who paid him for the file. Derek assumed other governments or corportations would exterminate the teenagers, eliminating the need for him to take action. Although the leaked list fell into the hands of the KGB and their operative Mindwolf slew Emmett in psychic combat, Emmett's five teenage proteges remained at large in San Francisco.
(Untold Tales of the New Universe: Psi-Force I#1) - Derek sent plainclothes agents with the codenames Lookout and Dogsled to capture Psi-Force but they were overpowered by the Psi-Hawk. Emmett's cousin Michael Proudhawk - who also served in the C.I.A. - proved to be a paranormal with psychic powers. Derek sent Michael to confront Emmett's proteges and use his psychic powers to force the teenagers into C.I.A. custody. However, the teenagers resisted Michael and fought him, ultimately placing him into a coma with their parabilities. Derek viewed Michael in the hospital the next day and resolved he'd need a "different approach" for dealing with Emmett's proteges.
(Psi-Force I#5) - On November 8, 1986, Derek brought Thomas Boyd (using the alias "Stalker") to San Francisco, California and briefed him about the five teenagers, who remained at large despite Derek's hopes. Boyd attempted to ambush and kidnap the five teenagers and deliver them to Derek but Anastasia Inyushin's parabilities helped her resist and overcome Boyd; Boyd fled.
(Psi-Force I#8 (fb)) - On November 16, 1986, Boyd shambled back to Derek's office, weakened from fighting Inyushin. Derek began assisting him in recuperating.
(Psi-Force I#8) - Once he was convinced Stalker was ready for another assignment, on January 4, 1987, Derek brought him to the nightclub Lorie's so Boyd could have a night of fun. On January 6, 1987, Boyd tracked the five teenagers to Alcatraz island, where they were going on a tour of the grounds. Boyd defeated them then radioed Derek, who sent Charlie, Jack and Laszlo to kill the teenagers. Boyd hadn't realized Derek intended to kill them and objected. Derek insisted the five teenagers had to be killed; this turned Boyd against Derek and he helped the other teenagers defeat Derek's men then went on the run from the C.I.A.
(Psi-Force I#11) - John contacted Derek to tell him Emmett's five teenagers were on the reservation, staying with Eugene Proudhawk and his grandmother. Derek promised $1 million to John if he arranged the teenagers' deaths, but John failed in the task. Derek promised to pay for John's expenses but not the $1 million fee.
(Psi-Force Annual I#1) - Derek's agents found Thomas Boyd in San Francisco and attempted to kill him but Boyd was protected by Emmett's proteges, who added him to the ranks of their own group, which they learned Emmett had called "Psi-Force."
(Psi-Force I#19 (fb) - BTS) - As the C.I.A. had caught wind of Derek's unsanctioned actvities he was censured and placed under an internal investigation.
(Psi-Force I#24 (fb) - BTS) - After eight months, Derek was finally restored to active duty in Washington D.C. but ordered to keep away from Emmett Proudhawk's file.
(Psi-Force I#24) - On April 5, 1988, Derek violated his orders and once again accessed Proudhawk's file. Emmett's friend Skipper confronted Derek in his office, reminding him he wasn't supposed to be accessing the file. Derek insisted the members of Psi-Force were "his." However, before he and Skipper could air out their problems, the office was invaded by the powerful paranormal Rodstvow. Shiningstar accused Rodstvow of having killed friends of his and unwisely drew his sidearm; Rodstvow made the gun explode, obliterating Shiningstar's right hand. Rodstvow went on to savagely assault Skipper.
Comments: Created by Danny Fingeroth, Mark Texeira, Brett Breeding and Al Milgrom; face revealed by Bob Hall and Al Williamson.
In Psi-Force I#1, Emmett was seen discovering what he thought was Thomas Boyd's body alongside a silhouette of his partner; Psi-Force Annual I#1 identified the silhouetted partner as Derek.
Untold Tales of the New Universe: Psi-Force I#1 claimed to be set during 1987 but it had to be before Psi-Force I#5 since Shiningstar was about to pit Boyd against Psi-Force for the first time and the Official Timeline of the New Universe places that in 1986 (Psi-Force I#5 has a 1987 publication date, which is probably the source of the confusion).
Derek was Psi-Force's big antagonist up until Fabian Nicieza took over the series - his treatment of Derek in issue #24 seems needlessly dismissive, although he did leave Derek alive; maybe if the New Universe had lasted, Derek would've had the face-to-face encounter with Psi-Force that Fingeroth had been building towards.
I'd like to know what "friends" Derek was referring to when he tried to attack Rodstvow. There were a lot of hints that Derek was working with the KGB under the table (we know they bought the Proudhawk files, we just don't know if Derek sold them directly or to another entity who made the sale)-- maybe that's who he meant?
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Derek Shiningstar should not be confused with:
Charlie, Jack and Laszlo were three C.I.A. operatives whom Derek Shiningstar used in his operations against Emmett Proudhawk's teenage proteges. When Thomas Boyd captured the five teenagers at Alcatraz, Derek sent Charlie, Jack and Laszlo to kill the five captives. This upset Boyd and caused him to break off his alliance with Derek; he formed the Psi-Hawk with Jessup and Inyushin, who defeated Charlie, Jack and Laszlo. Wayne Tucker then used his telepathy to make the three men sleep until the next morning, enabling their escape.
--Psi-Force I#8
John was a resident of the Eagle Canyon Reservation in Arizona and friend to Derek Shiningstar. John was a construction worker. When Derek grew apart from Emmett Proudhawk he left instructions with John to contact him if Emmett ever returned to the reservation. Although Emmett didn't appear (as he died in San Francisco), John notified Derek when Emmett's five teenage proteges came to the reservation. Derek asked John to murder them and John agreed in exchange for $1 million. John stole dynamite from his foreman's office and when Eugene Proudhawk took four of the teenagers into a cavern to train their powers he detonated the dynamite. However, the teeangers saved themselves and Eugene using their parabilities. John telephoned Derek to tell him of his failure; Derek promised to pay his expenses.
--Psi-Force I#11
Laura was Derek's secretary at his Washington D.C. office. She tried to keep Skipper from intruding on Derek while he was viewing the Proudhawk file but Skipper barged in.
--Psi-Force I#24
images: (without ads)
Psi-Force I#24, page 9, panel 6 (main)
Psi-Force I#11, page 22, panel 6 (face)
Psi-Force I#8, page 17, panel 1 (Charlie/Jack/Laszlo)
Psi-Force I#11, page 4, panel 4 (John)
Psi-Force I#24, page 9, panel 4 (Laura)
Appearances:
Psi-Force I#1 (November, 1986) - Steve Perry (writer), Mark Texeira (penciler), Kyle Baker (inker), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Psi-Force I#5 (March, 1987) - Danny Fingeroth (writer), Mark Texeira (penciler, inker), Brett Breeding (inker), Al Milgrom (inker), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Psi-Force I#8 (June, 1987) - David Michelinie (writer), Bob Hall (penciler), Romeo Tanghal (inker), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Psi-Force I#11 (September, 1987) - Danny Fingeroth (writer), Bob Hall (penciler), Al Williamson (inker), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Psi-Force Annual I#1 (1987) - Danny Fingeroth (writer), Mark Texeira (artist), Bob Budiansky (editor)
Psi-Force I#24 (October, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), Mike Witherby (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Untold Tales of the New Universe: Psi-Force I#1 (May, 2006) - Tony Bedard (writer), Russ Braun (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)
First posted: 10/25/2026
Last updated:
10/26/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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