Jack Cole: The Bob Clampett of Comics

Many years ago, when I was first getting into classic cartoonists, I would constantly read in interviews about the genius of Jack Cole. So every time a fancy hardcover comics compilation came out with reprints of Cole comics I would eagerly buy it, but I just couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. For some reason, every time these books and magazines reprinted Cole, they would pick the absolute worst of his comics- really early, crude artwork, and usually very badly reproduced or "restored." I knew and loved his Playboy cartoons, but could see very little of that quality in the comics.
It wasn't until many years later that I finally found the good stuff online, and it blew my mind- finally! The energy, layout, movement, drawing, strangeness and invention, just the sheer ENTERTAINMENT of it all was even more than I could've hoped for. Cole put EVERYTHING into these panels- just pure joyful fun and energy.

Bizarre and beautifully unique character design:



Great hands:





This is an incredible page: fantastic perspective in the first four panels- and check out that cart whipping around the corner in panel 3. How about Plas pinching Woozy's lips closed with his foot claw in panel four? Can't beat the combination of virtuosic ability with unique imagination.



















How strange is this? He's got Chester Gould beat:





More great hands:









Wow:



Subtle: Love the folds on the suit, and Plas' limp arm on the stairs:



Yikes!