L. B. Cole

From the Weird Strange Archive

L. B. Cole

Leonard Brandt Cole (born Leonard Hildebrandt Cohen; August 28, 1918 – December 5, 1995) was an American comic book artist, illustrator, art director, and publisher active from the Golden Age of comic books through the mid-20th century. Renowned as one of the most prolific and visually distinctive cover illustrators of the era, Cole is best remembered for his high-contrast, poster-style cover art, innovative use of vivid flat "poster colors," and his leadership of Star Publications in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Early Life and Commercial Background

Cole was born in the Bronx, New York. In his youth, he worked in the commercial lithography and packaging trade, creating cigar box labels and commercial packaging. This early training in commercial printing and industrial color separation profoundly shaped his visual approach, instilling an understanding of how saturated inks, spot colors, and black separations could stand out on inexpensive newsprint.

Comic Book Career

The Golden Age and Studio Packaging (1940s)

Cole entered the comic book industry in the early 1940s, working initially through comic packaging shops such as the Louis Ferstadt Studio before operating his own independent art packaging shop:

  • Prolific Freelancer: Cole produced covers and interior stories for numerous Golden Age publishers, including Holyoke Publishing, Ace Magazines, Continental Magazines, Novelty Press, and Aviation Press.

  • Genre Crossovers: Known for his enthusiasm for science fiction and aviation, Cole frequently incorporated speculative technology, rocket ships, and ray guns into unexpected titles, famously illustrating futuristic craft and ray beams on covers for nominally realistic aviation books like Contact Comics and Captain Flight Comics.

  • Iconic Pre-Code Titles: During this decade, Cole produced several of the most sought-after covers among vintage collectors, notably Mask Comics #1 and #2, Suspense Comics, and Terrific Comics.

Star Publications (1949–1955)

In 1949, when Novelty Press ceased comic publication, Cole purchased rights to Novelty's assets and characters (including Blue Bolt). Alongside business partners, he founded Star Publications, where he served as publisher, president, and art director:

  • The Star Roster: Under Cole’s art direction, Star released an eclectic catalog spanning Pre-Code horror, crime, science fiction, romance, and Westerns, including Spook, Ghostly Weird Stories, The Horrors, and True-to-Life Romances.

  • Signature House Style: Cole personally illustrated the vast majority of Star Publications' covers, giving the line an unmistakable visual identity on newsstands.

  • Code Fallout: Following the 1954 Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency and the rise of the Comics Code Authority (CCA), market conditions for independent horror and crime publishers collapsed, leading Star Publications to cease operations around 1955.

Later Editorial and Commercial Work (1950s–1970s)

  • Dell Publishing: In the 1960s, Cole joined Dell Publishing as an art editor, directing layouts for Dell's extensive licensed comic lines (including movie, television, and Western properties) and illustrating nature and wildlife covers.

  • Paperback & Magazine Art: Outside periodicals, he painted covers for mass-market paperbacks, digests, and outdoor sporting magazines such as World Rod & Gun.

Artistic Style and Technique

Cole’s cover art stood apart from the conventional narrative pencils and academic illustrative styles of contemporary artists:

  • Poster-Style Aesthetics: Rather than illustrating a specific sequential scene from an interior story, Cole approached comic book covers like theatrical propaganda posters or billboard advertisements. His compositions relied on bold, graphic silhouettes, massive looming monster figures, and low-angle diagonals designed to seize attention on crowded racks.

  • "Poster Colors" and High Contrast: Cole pioneered the deliberate use of flat, unmixed secondary and tertiary colors—acid greens, vivid magentas, deep purples, and warm yellows—frequently layered against stark, solid black voids. This technique circumvented the muddy limitations of cheap 4-color rotary letterpress printing.

  • Signature Credits: In an era when work-for-hire creators were routinely anonymous, Cole was one of the few Golden Age illustrators who consistently signed his name prominently on the front cover.

Awards and Legacy

  • Rediscovery in Comic Fandom: In the 1970s and 1980s, Golden Age collectors and comic historians championed Cole’s work, heavily featuring his covers in milestone reference publications like Ernst Gerber’s The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books.

  • Inkpot Award: Cole was honored with the Inkpot Award at the San Diego Comic-Con in 1981.

  • Will Eisner Hall of Fame: In 1999, four years after his death from a heart attack in Queens, New York, Cole was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.