L. B. Cole

Leonard Brandt Cole

Biography

Born in Germany, Cole was awarded a doctorate of Anatomy & Physiology at the

From 1942 to 1948, Cole ran his own comics studio, often packaging work for a variety of publishers, including Ace Magazines, Aviation Press, Chesler Publications, Farrell Publications, Fawcett Comics, Holyoke Publishing, Magazine Enterprises, Spotlight Comics, Novelty Press, Orbit Publications, and Rural Home Publishing.^[1]

In 1949, publisher

After the closure of Star, Cole continued doing cover illustrations, many for Classics Illustrated Junior. In the early 1960s, Cole was art director and editor at Dell Comics.^[1] From the mid-1960s through the 1970s, Cole created instructional materials and audio-visuals for University Films.^[1]

He gained further recognition when comic fandom grew in the late 1960s and through the 1970s. In 1981, he created a new painting that was featured on the cover of the 11th edition of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. During this same time, he began selling re-creations of his classic covers.^[1] In the early 1990s, Ernie Gerber published his two-volume Photo Journal Guide to Comic Books which featured on its covers a number of Cole's covers. As a result, the demand for Cole's work increased dramatically.^{[citation needed]}

Cole married Ellen Kovack in 1942; she later became a proficient letterer in her own right.^[1][7]

Cole died of a heart attack on December 5, 1995.^[2]

Awards

An

Notes