Jon Valor

Jon Valor was a 16th-century privateer who sailed under letters of marque, operating just within the law while employing all the cunning and combat skills of the high seas. Known as the Black Pirate, he was a masterful swordsman capable of besting multiple opponents at once.

Few characters carry the salt air of the Golden Age quite like Jon Valor, who first sailed into the pages of Action Comics #23 in 1940, brought to life by the legendary duo of Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster — the same creative minds who gave the world Superman. A swashbuckling figure known as The Black Pirate, Valor carved out his own corner of DC's earliest era, sharing anthology pages with some of the most iconic names in comics history, including Superman, Green Lantern, and Starman. With five key-issue appearances to his name and a presence that stretches across Action Comics, Starman, and Sensation Comics — spanning an remarkable 85 years of publication history — he's a genuine artifact of the Golden Age with a surprisingly durable legacy. For collectors who love discovering the rich, adventurous texture beneath DC's flagship titles, Jon Valor is exactly the kind of hidden gem worth seeking out.