Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • All The Rage: Wizard & Glass

      Bill Schelly
      August 3, 2003
      All the Rage
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • What Looks Good for the Week of October 30, 2019

      Bill Schelly
      October 28, 2019
      Columns, Dark Horse, DC Comics, IDW, Marvel Comics, Valiant, What Looks Good
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: 6 Most Expensive Comic Books April 2021 Update

      nguyen ly
      April 17, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Singles Going Steady 9/7/2016: The Fist, The Steel, and the Flame

      Bill Schelly
      September 10, 2016
      Dark Horse, Reviews, Singles Going Steady, Valiant
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.0

      Incredible Hulks #635

      Bill Schelly
      September 2, 2011
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

      Daniel Gehen
      March 8, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Ramon Perez: Playing in the Sand

      Bill Schelly
      June 18, 2011
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade: Tim Tyler's Luck

      Bill Schelly
      November 21, 2013
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story

      Daniel Gehen
      March 26, 2021
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Bill Schelly
      September 15, 2020
      News
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: "Intro to Alien Invasion"

      Bill Schelly
      September 16, 2015
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: 6 Most Expensive Comic Books April 2021 Update
  • Collecting Profile: Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Collecting Profile: 1990 Marvel Universe Trading Cards
  • Collecting Profile: Red Sonja
  • Collecting Profile: Dr. Doom
  • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Classic Comics
Classic Comics Cavalcade

Editor’s Commentary: ‘Black Light: The World of L. B. Cole’

Bill Schelly
January 9, 2015
Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns

Black Light: The World of L. B. Cole
By L. B. Cole (with a biography of the artist by Bill Schelly)
Paperback, 272 pages $39.99, Fantagraphics Books

Editor’s Note: We’re big fans of both Bill Schelly and artist L.B. Cole here on Comics Bulletin. Bill has compiled a collection of art by Cole; we asked Bill to share his thoughts on the book and some of his favorite pieces from it.

In the beginning, the American comic book descended from newspaper comic strips, except for one thing:  comic books had covers. The history of the form is partly about the design and development of those all-important covers, which vie for the attention of newsstand browsers. A few artists became known as “cover specialists.” One of the foremost was Leonard Brandt Cole.

His covers are notable for what he called their “poster colors”—brilliant primaries often over black backgrounds—and an over-the-top sense of the bizarre mixed with whimsy. Black Light: The World of L. B. Cole features nearly all of them (about 350). Here are some of my favorites, shown chronologically.

Contact Comics #3 (November 1944) Aviation Press

ContactComics3nov1944aviationpressproof.jpg

Aviation comic books were popular during World War II. Cole, who was a licensed pilot, was especially skillful at drawing artfully acrobatic airplanes, such as on this superbly designed cover for Contact Comics. It’s his second with an all-black background, which became his trademark. They stood out on newsstands amid hundreds of other titles that presented browsers with a confusing riot of colors.

Mask #1 (February-March 1945) Rural Home

Mask1febmar1945ruralhome.jpg

For an example of Cole at his most bizarre, you need look no farther than Mask #1, which hit newsstands during World War II. What reader was Cole hoping to attract with this? No type in particular. He just wanted to grab the eye of a potential customer. I’m betting this did the trick. Again, note the black background.

Suspense #8 (June 1945) Continental Magazines

Suspense8June1945continental.jpg

Mr. Nobody, whose face looms behind the tortured figures in a skull-faced spider’s web, was Continental’s version of The Shadow. He tended to make sonorous, self-important pronouncements such as, “Whenever crime takes root and starts to flourish … remember this … that even if you think that nobody is watching you … I am there – in the shadows, alone!” Again, this isn’t like most other comic book covers published during World War II, which tended to veer toward the patriotic.

Catman #31 (June 1946) Continental Magazines

Catman31June1946proofcontinental.jpg

What I love most about this, one of L. B. Cole’s most iconic covers, is the snow effect. Note how the white “snowflakes” only appear over the blacks, not Catman’s or Kitten’s costumes. I like its circular design, and his portrayal of the ravenous wolves. Cole loved drawing animals, and he included them on covers whenever he could. He didn’t do many super hero covers, but this and the other Catman covers demonstrate that he was quite able in that genre.

Holiday Comics #5 (January 1952) Star Comics

HolidayComics5Jan1952star.jpg

Okay, so I’m a sucker for Cole’s “snow covers.” Here’s another one, his beautiful, if somewhat busy, treatment for Holiday Comics. This time, the snowflakes aren’t restricted to the black areas. Note the frenetic band down the left hand side. This was probably done because he knew that it would show even if much of the rest of the cover was overlapped by other books. More individual issues appeared in 1952—a total of 3,150 separate comic books—than any other year in the 1950s. (By 1959, the number plummeted to about 1,500 issues.)

Shocking Mystery Cases #51 (November 1952) Star Comics

ShockingMysteryCases51November1952.jpg

As far as is known, Leonard Cole didn’t take LSD or other hallucinogenic drugs, but some of his covers do share certain characteristics with the psychedelic art that emerged in the late 1960s. A number of them feature a swirling/pinwheel design, such as this one on Shocking Mystery Cases. The most widespread psychedelic aspect of Cole’s work is his penchant for placing bright colors in eye-catching, even eye-irritating, juxtaposition.

Confessions of Love #14 (February 1953) Star Comics

ConfessionsofLove14feb1953proof.jpg

“Flames of torment” leapt within the narrator of “My Fateful Love,” though she scarcely needed to confess her discomfort considering the incendiary imagery provided by Cole. The faces and figures on his romance comic book covers have a verisimilitude that suggests he used photo-reference for the work, though always in service of his cover designs. It should be noted that he was a co-owner of Star Comics, so he had complete editorial freedom to create the kind of covers that he felt would sell comics. Too bad the interiors of the Star Comics were so mediocre. (He drew few interior stories.)

Tales from the Tomb #1 (October 1962) Dell Comics

TalesFromTheTomb1oct1962dell.jpg

Only two publishers refused to submit their comic books to the Comics Code Authority in the 1950s, Dell and Gilberton (Classics Illustrated, etc.). When Western Publishing started their Gold Key imprint in 1962, there were three. In any case, Tales from the Tomb, with its spooky Cole cover, could never have passed the Code. Indeed, it incited many complaints from parents. Didn’t they want their kiddies reading “Nightmare stories of ghosts, ghouls and other grisly … ‘things’”?

End comment:

These are just a taste of the wonderful cover reproductions that make up most, but not all, of Black Light. Cole did spectacular work in most comic book genres:  crime, horror, Western, romance, science fiction, jungle, funny animal and more. The book includes numerous examples of his paperback covers, his commissioned pieces, his animal artwork, and more. But L. B. Cole will be best remembered for his eye-catching, masterfully designed and often bizarre comic book covers. We’ll never see his like again.

Bill SchellyFantagraphics BooksL.B. Cole

Share On:
Tweet
Review: ‘Agent Carter’ 1.01 “Pilot” & 1.02 “Bridge And Tunnel”
Comics Bulletin Exclusive Preview – Guardians 3000 #4 from Marvel

About The Author

<a href="https://comicsbulletin.com/byline/bill-schelly/" rel="tag">Bill Schelly</a>
Bill Schelly

Bill Schelly is an author primarily known as a historian of cinema, comic books, and comics fandom. He is also a portrait and comic book artist. Bill Schelly has been a comic book enthusiast since 1960

Related Posts

  • 4.5

    Review: SONG OF AGLAIA is a Showcase for Emotions

    Andrea Tessie
    September 5, 2018
  • DUMB: LIVING WITHOUT A VOICE Reminds Us Of Life’s Fragility

    Daniel Gehen
    August 15, 2018
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders