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| Astra Furst
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© Juke Box Productions
AstroFacts
| Status:
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Active
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| Real Name:
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Astra Jeannine Majestros-Furst
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| Origin:
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Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 #2
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| Affiliation:
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First Family
Reflex 6
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| Base of Operations:
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(as a youth)
First Family's Headquarters on Mount Kirby
(current)
The Gordian Knot
Astro City
(with Reflex6)
Seattle
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| Range of Operations:
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Intergalactic and inter-dimensional
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Personal Data
InfoDump
| Headlines:
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July 9, 1986: Rex and Natalie: It's A Girl!
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| Appearances (in Publication Order):
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Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.1 #4, 6
Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 #1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 20
Astro City: Astra Special #1, 2
Astro City: Silver Agent #2
Astro City #1, 14, 23, 24
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Event Timeline
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Astra Furst
Third generation member of the legendary First Family, Astra is the adventurous daughter of the size-changing Natalie Furst and the monstrous Rex Zorus. Capable of transforming her entire body into energy, Astra has lived her entire life as a high profile superhero, yet she too can feel the pains of growing up and the struggle to find her path in life.
History
Childhood
Born in 1986, Astra Furst's astonishing powers emerged while she was a toddler. From all appearances and accounts, she participated in First Family battles at a very young age, probably several years before her earliest published adventure ("Safeguards") occurred circa late 1995. As the newest member of the First Family, she became an instant media delight and childhood celebrity. As such, Astra’s adolescence was far from normal, cocooned to a private environment that centered almost exclusively on family related projects and activities. She was home-schooled by Mister Smartie, a holographic, computer-generated construct built by her grandfather, Dr. Augustus Furst. She also trained in the use of her powers and as a young child, regularly joined the First Family on their many adventures including serious super human confrontations with The Unholy Alliance, the nigh-omnipotent Thunderhead, and Silver Brain.
A Secret Adventure
In 1996, Astra was recognized as possibly “the most famous, most powerful ten-year-old girl in the world.” However, while she excelled at being a superhero, she had difficulty relating to other children. She did not watch television, had never been to peer events, and had no friends her own age. On a journey home from a television interview, she spotted a group of schoolchildren playing hopscotch, Astra became obsessed with both the game and what it meant to be a “normal” kid. Thus, she “went on an adventure” of her own. An adventure so big to her way of thinking, she kept it secret from everyone, even her pet super-fish, 'ranium.
 As dusk begins to settle on the city, Astra makes an unnoticed departure from First Family Headquarters and heads in the direction of that hopscotch field she spotted while airborne earlier in the day. Hatching a plan to enroll in Bolling Elementary School under a pseudonym as “Astrid Ljinders,” she spends her first few days, making some friends and a jealous rival as she experiences the social norms of elementary school environs, while learning the rules and techniques of playing hopscotch.
Meanwhile back atop Mount Kirby, the First Family bursts into a panic, and then action as they discover that their youngest member is missing. Old villains are the immediate suspects, and several of them receive unexpected visits and demanding queries about Astra's whereabouts. Police authorities are notified while Media News Teams dramatically broadcast the mysterious disappearance.
Despite all the clamor, Astra remains focused on her adventure, and soon the goal of becoming the "best hopscotch player at Bolling Elementary School is realized. In her excitement at winning, she soars into the air, revealing her special energy powers and her real identity. Following a tearful but firm reunion, a stern lecture, and appropriate punishment, her mom and dad gain valuable insight from Astra's little adventure as well. Showing excellent parental skills, they adjust current living arrangements, enrolling Astra properly in Bolling Elementary so she can continue to interact with her peers and “get to know what normal life is like.”
Teenage Astra
In the earth year 2000, Armageddon, a 212th Century Scientist, schemed to destroy all the known universes. He had a twisted fear of his own death and decided when he died, he would take everything, every known atom of every known universe with him. He was in the act of creating some kind of reverse big-bang event until the First Family arrived to thwart him. In a desperate gambit, Astra stopped him and save many universes, dimensions and worlds. Still, a great proportion of them remain in a jumbled status, defying the known limits of physical laws. They collected together in an area now known as the Gordian Knot. For the first few years, Astra prevented the caldera of the Knot from perishing by applying her energy-based skills to stabilize the tremendous forces being unleashed.
College Years
In her continuing desire for a semblance of balanced, "normal" life, Astra attended Tarleton College as just another high achieving student. Yet the same problems of being a well known celebrity accompanied her. Besides the expected awkward peer social interactions, she was constantly harassed by a notorious gossip magazine called the Inside Scoop. She had a bit of luck when she encountered a fellow student, Matt Zimmer in a dormitory lunch room He seemed like a nice guy, they became good friends(and more). Disappointingly, they broke up on graduation day and it was pretty obvious the reason was his unsavory betrayal, feeding gossip about Astra to the Scoop.
Young Adult Years
As a young adult, Astra leads a busy life. She remains an active member of the First Family, balancing team adventures with her private life and personal goals. She is also a member of the Seattle based super-hero team, the Reflex 6, but spends the bulk of her time working with specialists from all over the galaxy in the continuous efforts to unsnarl the maze of star systems tangled in the cosmically confusing area called the Gordian Knot. As a side bonus, the various cultures living there, gives her expanded opportunities to feel normal, just another super-powered soul among many in a crowd. Something she has craved for years.
Powers
All of her powers originate from her ability to generate and control an unidentified energy source. She seems to have the combination of her mothers ability to internalize those powers and her uncle's ability to externalize the energy. She seems to be able to tap into that energy into a stronger, perhaps purer power expression.
Her powers include the following:
- Energy Form
- Astra can instantly convert her entire body into energy while retaining her consciousness and rough physical form. She has also been observed transforming specific parts of her body, such as her hands and forearms. While in her full energy form, Astra can fly and appears immune to physical attacks.
- Flight
- While her top speed has not been measured, Astra is incredibly agile in flight, able to dodge multiple lasers, weave complex patterns, and fly through small openings.
- Energy Blasts
- Like her uncle Nick, Astra can project damaging streams of energy from her hands.
- Energy Manipulation
- Astra has some fine control over her energy projection, allowing her to: encircle enemies in coils of energy; emit particle streams that can she can use to manipulate and levitate small objects; create “energy camp-fires”; and even “draw” simple symbols or shapes (such as a hopscotch board) in the air or a suitable surface. She is also able to affect energy other than her own by partially merging her energy form with the external power.
- Disruption
- Astra’s energies can seemingly disrupt various types of transmissions, including psychic communication.
- Energy Empathy
- As an energy being herself, Astra has an innate understanding of other forms of energy. During one battle with the Silver Brain, she was able to partially dissolve into the villain’s power core and shut it down.
- Strength level
- Presumably normal human strength for a woman who engages in intensive regular exercise.
- Weaknesses
- While Astra is seemingly intangible in her energy form, she can be injured by other energy attacks or beings composed of pure energy (such as the Silver Brain’s Anti-Bodies). When she is not transformed, Astra is essentially a normal human, susceptible to injury, hunger, and cold.
- Abilities
- Tutored by her genius grandfather and the A.I. construct Mister Smartie, Astra is bright and well-educated, with knowledge of everything from molecular biology to the documented weaknesses of known villains. At ten, she was so well-versed in computers that she was able to falsify school records and enroll herself in Bolling Elementary School. However, her writing skills are only normal, at a level one would expect from an average person of her age. She is also a skilled hopscotch player.
Equipment
As a member of the First Family, Astra has access to a wide range of equipment. She has been observed using:
- First Family Uniform
- Astra’s First Family uniforms can be reprogrammed to transform from her familiar orange-and-black jumpsuit into other types of clothing, including an insulated hooded parka and even pajamas. The uniform also includes a locator chip.
- Cerebra-Circuit
- A device that attaches to the forehead and protects against mental domination powers, such as those possessed by the Silver Brain.
- Vehicles
- Although she can fly on her own, Astra also has access to the First Family’s stable of vehicles, including Family-1, the First Family’s transforming transport.
- Teleportation device
- This device, worn like a wrist watch, can create a portal to First Family Headquarters at the press of a button. It only works in specific spots, though, possibly areas that are pre-arranged in some way.
- Power-Sceptre
- As a member of the Monstro City royal family, Astra owns a sceptre device similar to her grandmother's. In addition to boosting her own innate abilities, this symbol of office has energy-related abilities all its own, such as the generation of a protective bubble around its wielder.
Observations
- Astra’s favorite color is green.
- Over the years, the celebrity press have romantically linked her to Lindsay Lohan, Shia LeBeouf, Prince Harry, and various others. The first claim is utterly false, and the others are of doubtful veracity as well. Her genuine former boyfriends include the fellow superhero Kid Jackdaw (briefly in their teen years) and the alien prince Gavrad of Tellurin.
- As the granddaughter of Madame Majestrix, Astra is officially Majestros-Third, third in line to the throne of Monstro City. Additionally, being the biological granddaughter of the leader of the Beast-Men as well, she is set to receive her position in that animalistic tribe's hierarchy when she is in her mid-40s.
- The energy source seemingly shared by Natalie, Nick, and Astra Furst, has not been identified, although it strongly resembles the energy seen encircling Nadia (Natalie and Nick’s birth mother)[1]. Augustus Furst has also harnessed it for various weapons, and as the energy source of his Energenerator.
- As a child she had a pet named Uranium.
Speculations, Theories
Astra has a very dynamic DNA body chemistry. Derived from a compositional blending of her father's reptilian species, and her mother's already “cross-breed” mixture (Nadia, a possible superhuman; and Kaspian, the Prince of the Beast-Men), it’s quite possible that Astra could yet develop or exhibit other powers. Based on her parentage, such powers could include super-strength, increased durability, enhanced senses, and superhuman agility.
Issues of Interest
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