Jerry Steele was an American air ace who fought for his country during World War II as part of the American Eagle Squadron. On one of his missions, he ferried Ginger Dare, a member of the V-Group, a secret international anti-Nazi organization, into the occupied territories, where he was captured by the Nazis. He was tortured and placed in a concentration camp. When the prisoners tried to break out, Jerry distracted the Nazis long enough to give them time to escape. The Nazis killed Steele and dumped his body outside the camp. A mysterious farmer brought Steele back to life using a potion, snuck him past the Nazi patrols, and took him to his mountain cottage in Czechoslovakia. The farmer introduced himself to Steele as “Father Duroc,” leader of the V-Group. For three months, Father Duroc treated the young pilot with secret chemicals until he recovered. Once Steele was back to full strength, Father Duroc unveiled a magical costume that gave its wearer “greater physical and mental power than other men have.” He charged Steele to use his powers to fight the Nazis in America. As V-Man, he returned to the U.S. and recruited a group of local kids, creating an organization known as the V-Boys Defense Corps. The V-Boys served as V-man’s all-purpose assistants. V-Man communicated with them using a two-way video link he wore as a ring on his finger. The stories never bothered to explain where he got it from. V-Man was also occasionally assisted by Ginger Dare. To Dare, V-Man chose not to reveal his secret identity, allowing her to believe that Jerry Steele was a cowardly deserter. However, he had no problem sharing his secret identity with the V-Boys. The “…-” in the title of V…-Comics is morse code for the letter “V”. After V…-Comics was canceled, Fox went on to create similar-looking heroes (with different secret identities) known as Capt. V and the Puppeteer.
Description Jerry Steele was an American air ace who fought for his country during World War II as part of the American Eagle Squadron. On one of his missions, he ferried Ginger Dare, a member of the V-Group, a secret international anti-Nazi organization, into the occupied territories, where he was captured by the Nazis. He was tortured and placed in a concentration camp. When the prisoners tried to break out, Jerry distracted the Nazis long enough to give them time to escape. The Nazis killed Steele and dumped his body outside the camp. A mysterious farmer brought Steele back to life using a potion, snuck him past the Nazi patrols, and took him to his mountain cottage in Czechoslovakia. The farmer introduced himself to Steele as “Father Duroc,” leader of the V-Group. For three months, Father Duroc treated the young pilot with secret chemicals until he recovered. Once Steele was back to full strength, Father Duroc unveiled a magical costume that gave its wearer “greater physical and mental power than other men have.” He charged Steele to use his powers to fight the Nazis in America. As V-Man, he returned to the U.S. and recruited a group of local kids, creating an organization known as the V-Boys Defense Corps. The V-Boys served as V-man’s all-purpose assistants. V-Man communicated with them using a two-way video link he wore as a ring on his finger. The stories never bothered to explain where he got it from. V-Man was also occasionally assisted by Ginger Dare. To Dare, V-Man chose not to reveal his secret identity, allowing her to believe that Jerry Steele was a cowardly deserter. However, he had no problem sharing his secret identity with the V-Boys. The “…-” in the title of V…-Comics is morse code for the letter “V”. After V…-Comics was canceled, Fox went on to create similar-looking heroes (with different secret identities) known as Capt. V and the Puppeteer.
