Probably McCulley's second most popular character (after Zorro), the Black Star is a criminal mastermind -- the kind once termed a "gentleman criminal." He does not commit murder, nor does he permit any of his gang to kill -- not even the police or his arch enemy, Roger Verbeck. Black Star does not threaten women, always keeps his word, and is invariably courteous. Nor does he deal with narcotics in any of his stories. He is always seen in a black cloak and a black hood on which is embossed a jet black star.

The Black Star and his gang use "vapor bombs" and "vapor guns" to render their victims instantly unconscious, a technique which pre-dated the Green Hornet's gas gun by several decades.

The Black Star first appeared in the Street & Smith pulp Detective Story Magazine on 5 March 1916. The stories proved very popular, and some were reprinted by Chelsea House in a series of inexpensive hardback books. The character's last original story appeared in 1930.