History: <late 16th Century> Political forces caused wars to flare up around Europe, so Jon Valor, desiring to see justicce done, created the identity of Black Pirate and assembled a crew of buccaneers. At the end of the war the Black Pirate was captured by the Spanish and sentenced to death. King Phillip spared him when he found Jon had married his ward Donna Bonita. In exchange the Black Pirate would serve the Spanish flag.

(Sensation Comics I #41) - Black Pirate and Justin attended a All-Fools’ Day carnival where the local jester was made king for a day. Some knaves attacked the jester, and while the Pirate and Justin fought them off, one of the knaves abducted the jester and disguised himself as the fool. The false jester stole the Queen’s royal necklace, but the Pirate and Justin were on to him and easily dispatched him. The Queen thanked the Black Pirate, but told him she was wearing false jewels anyway since it was All-Fools’ Day.

(Sensation Comics I #49) - The Black Pirate and Justin sailed past the Pillars of Hercules to a small port town. When they tried to drink from a fountain the king’s minister Jules La Rogue stopped them, telling them there was a steep tax on water. La Rogue and his guards knocked out the Pirate and Justin and imprisoned them. They soon broke out, kidnapped La Rogue and removed his wig and shaved his beard so no one would recognize him. They brought him to a tavern where he experienced first-hand how unjust the taxes were, taxes on food, taxes on seats, and so forth. The Black Pirate then brought him before the king, who was unaware that La Rogue was levying high taxes for his own benefit. The king repealed the taxes, earning the love of his people.

(Sensation Comics I #51) - The Black Pirate and Justin were greeted by a ship of Englishmen led by Captain Trask, who pretended to be friendly. The Pirate discovered a message in a bottle on the shore, requesting help from slaves held captive by Captain Redbeard. The bottle had pearls in it, a sign that the slaves’ savior would be well rewarded. Trask saw the pearls and revealed he was a rogue Englishman working for the Spanish as a freebooter. He kidnapped the Black Pirate and Justin, and set sail to find the location of the slaves to steal their booty. Redbeard operated out of the Sargasso Sea, and he put both Trask and the Pirate in chains and put them aboard a slave ship. The Pirate met the woman who sent the message, who freed them all. Trask joined with Redbeard in hopes of defeating the Pirate, but Justin rammed the slave ship into Redbeard’s ship, defeating the villains. The Pirate freed the slaves and left Redbeard and Trask in the Sargasso, and told them he’d come back for them in a year to see if they were ready to reform.

Comments: Created by Sheldon Moldoff

Black Pirate received a profile in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3.

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