One area of focus in comic collecting that has been overlooked since other forms of media began to have such a great influence on the hobby is that of hunting down key comics by top creators. Never fear. We’re here to help you sort through the top books by individual creators, both in terms of investing and reading. This time we’re looking at the works of L.B. Cole.
Comic Covers as Posters
One of the boldest artists of the Golden Age was L.B. Cole.
His use of primary colors and stark backgrounds was second to none. His works have been growing in popularity since the 1960s and he is now widely regarded as one of the top artists of the 1940s and 1950s. The unearthing of the Promise Collection and its subsequent 2021 sales across a series of Heritage auctions has brought increased collector attention to Cole’s comic covers, as well as rising values. So rich is the trove of Cole covers that, as thorough as I hoped to be in this piece, many fine examples of his work had to be left out for brevity’s sake.
I strongly encourage anyone interested in Cole’s work to do their own research once they’ve finished this piece. A fine place to start is here: https://www.comics.org/cover_checklist/8093/.
L.B. Cole was born August 28, 1918. There are online discrepancies, however, regarding his place of birth. Some sources have him born in Germany, while others place his point of origin as the Bronx. In any event, Cole’s first professional job as an artist was for the Consolidated Lithography Corporation in Brooklyn where he honed his trade and worked designing posters. He began painting book covers for Phoenix Press in 1942 but shortly left to take a position at the Ferstadt Art Studio where he began his work in comics. Unable to serve in World War II due to his inability to pass his military physical, Cole’s skills as an artist were quickly in high demand. Cole brought his poster sensibilities to comic book covers, utilizing striking and bright colors that differentiated his work from just about anyone else in the field.
First Comic Book Work
Cole’s first comic work was an eight-page story in Super-Mystery Comics #v3#5, published by Ace Magazines in 1943. There are 18 graded copies in the CGC census. The most recent sale was a 0.5 graded copy going for $305 in a May 18 eBay auction. A year prior, a CBCS graded 6.0 signed by Harvey Kurtzman sold in a Heritage auction for $900. The highest price paid was $2,383 for an 8.0 in a 2017 ComicConnect auction. Considering the scarceness of graded copies, the prices are fairly affordable for Cole’s first comic book work.
First Comic Book Cover
It didn’t take long for Cole to make a name for himself as his first cover artwork was published just seven months after his start in comics. That would be the cover for Four Favorites #13, published by Ace Magazines in February 1944. There are five 6.5 graded copies in the CGC census out of a total of 16 across all grades. One of those 6.5s – a H.A. Crowley Pedigree copy – sold in a November 2025 Heritage auction for $3,600. It was the highest price paid for a copy as none of the ones graded higher has ever sold. The most recent sale was a 2.5 going for $780 in a March 4 Heritage auction, which gives us a pretty good range of prices you would expect to pay should you find yourself fortunate enough to find a copy.
Airplanes, Black Backgrounds, & Funny Animals
By 1944, Cole was creating artwork – particularly covers – at a dizzying pace for publishers such as the Holyoke Publishing Company, Continental, Narrative, Aviation Press, and Rural Home Publishing (actually a consortium of smaller publishers). These included books across a wide range of genres. Around the same time, Cole became an art director under Frank Temerson, owner of all of these publishers other than Holyoke and Rural Home, while simultaneously running his own comics studio providing packaged works to these publishers and more until 1948.
It’s a confusing web of publishing with some of the characters ending up under the Holyoke umbrella for a time before transferring back to Temerson’s bevy of comic publishers, with Cole being the key link that connects them all.
One of Cole’s earliest covers for the Temerson group was Contact Comics #1, published by Aviation Press in 1944. It’s one of the earliest clear examples of the poster design sensibilities that Cole brought to comic covers. There have as yet been no recorded sales of any of the 17 graded copies this year. Two that sold in 2024 were a 4.0 fetching $398 in a Heritage auction and a 3.5 selling for $410 in an eBay auction. The highest price paid was $1,050 for the sole top-of-census 9.0 in a 2013 ComicConnect auction.
In early 1945, in addition to his work for Temerson, Cole began producing covers for Rural Home Publishing, the first of which was Mask Comics #1. The series would only last two issues but they’re two of the most sought after by Cole aficionados. While not his first use of black as a background color on a cover (that would be Contact Comics #3), it is the most poster-like in its bold use of primary colors and level of detail. It’s also where we begin to see the heavy influence of Promise Collection prices on current values. There are 84 graded copies of this issue in the CGC census. The highest is an 8.5 Promise Collection Pedigree copy that sold in a 2021 Heritage auction for $102,000, then sold in a 2023 Heritage auction for $144,000. Sales this year include a 4.5 for $18,600 and a 1.5 for $6,300, both in Heritage Auctions.
While not quite at the level of the previous issue in terms of value, Mask Comics #2 is still high up on the want list of most Cole collectors. There are 65 graded copies, and the record price was $33,600 for a 7.5 Promise Collection copy that sold in 2021. There are two copies graded higher, an 8.5 and an 8.0, which have never sold. The most recent sale was a 4.0 that went for $5,520 in a November 2024 Heritage auction.
Cole’s most significant contribution to the world of funny animal comics came in Taffy Comics #1. The book is entirely comprised of stories of Wiggles the Wonderworm, a character Cole is credited with creating. A 9.0 graded copy sold in a 2007 Heritage auction for $2,629. However, it’s since gone down in value, with 9.2 and 9.0 graded copies selling for the same price of $1,440 in 2018 and 2019. The census count for this issue is a very low 11 copies and none have sold since 2021. It’s a surprisingly overlooked comic when you consider Cole’s contributions.
Horror & Sci-Fi
Cole’s horror covers are much sought after by both collectors of his works and fans of Pre-Code Horror comics. The earliest example is Suspense Comics #8, published by Continental in 1945. The skull-headed spider trapping the man and the woman in his web is both bizarre and effective. There are 74 graded copies, and the record setter is a beautiful 9.2 Promise Collection copy that sold in a 2021 Heritage auction for $60,000. The two 2024 sales include a 3.0 going for $3,360 in a Heritage auction and 2.0 Restored copy selling for $3,820 in a ComicConnect auction. The horror genre was one that Cole would return to with gusto later in the decade and into the 1950s.
The most valued of Cole’s horror covers is Suspense Comics #11. It’s his first use of a devil on the cover, a theme he would return to often. There are 74 graded copies in the CGC census. An incredible 9.8 Promise Collection copy sold in a 2021 Heritage auction for $132,000 and then sold in a 2023 ComicConnect auction for $147,000. The most recent sale was a 5.0 going for $19,230 in an October 2024 ComicConnect auction.
Cole had a distinct love of science fiction and began incorporating motifs from the genre into his artwork, even when the interior content had nothing to do with what he put on the cover. One of the earliest examples is Contact Comics #12, published by Aviation Press in 1946. Again, we see the stark black background and the use of bold primary colors. There is, additionally, a sense of the psychedelic in this work that one can see echoed in many book and record covers of the 1960s. There are 66 graded copies in the CGC census. Of course, the top seller was a pristine 9.6 Promise Collection copy that sold for $63,000 in a 2021 Heritage auction. We have a good range of values from sales this year, including an 8.0 fetching $18,000 in a January 12 Heritage auction and a 1.0 selling for $810 in an April 15 Heritage auction.
Another fine example is the cover for Captain Flight Comics #11, published by Four Star Publications in 1947. It has all the telltale markings of a Cole science fiction cover, although slightly less psychedelic than Contact Comics #12. A 7.0 copy just sold in a June 3 Heritage auction for $9,000, while a 3.5 sold in a May 11 eBay auction for $3,049. The record setter was a 9.0 Promise Collection copy that went in a (you guessed it) 2021 Heritage auction for $18,000. There is, however, a 9.4 graded copy that has never sold.
Superheroes & Birds of Prey
The Temerson group of publishers, as well as Holyoke, also put out superhero comics during the 1940s. Their most significant hero was Catman. Cole produced a number of covers for the series. One of the best examples is Catman Comics #32, published by Continental in 1946. In addition to the sheer power of Cole’s portrayal of the shark (a creature that graced more than one Cole cover), the use of the flat blue background, the red of the heroes’ costumes and the yellow and red of the fish displays the artist’s purposeful use of strictly primary colors to create a striking and highly effective cover. There are 66 graded copies, and a 9.6 Promise Collection brought in $45,600 for the seller in a 2021 Heritage auction. While there have been no sales this year, a 3.0 sold in a December 2024 ComicConnection auction for $1,438. Catman Comics #28 and Catman Comics #29 are two other exemplary covers produced by Cole.
Featuring a slew of long forgotten superheroes, Power Comics #3, published by Narrative in 1945, would likely exist in the dustbin of ignored Golden Age comics were it not for the vivid Cole cover. There are 48 graded copies, and the highest in the census, a 9.6 Promise Collection copy, sold in a 2021 Heritage auction for $26,400. Two copies sold last month: a 3.0 in a May 6 Heritage auction for $3,000 and a 3.5 in a May 5 eBay auction for $2,389.
Cole had a fondness for including large birds of prey on his covers. The finest example is Power Comics #4. The blue and yellow birds over the red background is Cole at his finest. There are 47 graded copies, so not exactly an overlooked Cole book. However, it isn’t quite as highly valued as some of his other works of this period. A 9.2 Promise Collection copy sold in a 2021 Heritage auction for $14,400. Recent sales include a 3.0 going for $609 in an April 15 fixed price eBay sale and a 3.5 selling for $840 in a May 6 Heritage auction. Another excellent bird of prey cover is Eagle Comics #1.
Star Publications
In 1949, Novelty Press sold their characters and artwork to Cole, who started Star Publications as his own publishing outfit featuring superhero, horror, jungle, crime, funny animal, and romance comics. The premiere character in the Novelty stable was Blue Bolt. Cole continued the number of the series, with the first issue he published under the Star imprint being Blue Bolt #102. Initially, the need to continually publish so many comics affected the quality of Cole’s covers, but by Blue Bolt #105, published in 1950, he was back to form. There are 51 graded copies of this science fiction cover, including a 9.8 that has never sold. The most recent sale was a CBCS 1.0 that went for $360 in a February 18 Heritage auction. The record holder is a 7.5 that sold in a 2021 Heritage auction for $15,600.
As EC Comics propelled the industry more toward horror and shock value, Star Publications – like most publishers of the time – followed suit. Cole saw what EC was doing and attempted to imitate it – but in his own style. By 1952, the horror titles were the big sellers for Star, and they’re also the focus of today’s collectors. One of the earliest issues was Startling Terror Tales #11. Once again, we see a spider with the head of a human skull on the cover. Yet, it’s more dramatic than the one we saw on the cover of Suspense Comics #8 and the bright red background really makes it pop.
There are 119 graded copies in the CGC census, including two 9.2 graded copies and a 9.0 that have never sold. The highest price paid for a copy was a slashed $75,000 for an 8.0 in a 2023 eBay sale. A 6.5 sold in a January 12 Heritage auction for $19,200, the exact same price paid for an 8.5 in a 2021 Heritage auction. This one also sells at a pretty high volume, with seven copies sold in 2024 and nine in 2023. Additionally, there’s a variant:
The are only five graded copies of Startling Terror Tales #11 (Black Variant) in the CGC census. The latest sale – and the highest sale – was $38,400 for a top-of-census 6.5 graded copy.
So all-encompassing was the push toward horror, that Cole transitioned Star’s lone remaining superhero into a horror title beginning with Blue Bolt Weird Tales of Terror #111. One of the most sought-after covers of this series is Blue Bolt Weird Tales of Terror #115. This cover has everything that has made Cole such a popular artist – the black background, the skull complete with blond locks, the skeletal fingers dripping with blood while holding one clearly dead victim and a horrified one who soon will be. There are 83 graded copies, including a 9.8 that has never sold. While no copies have sold so far this year, five copies sold in each of 2024 and 2023, with prices ranging from $9,600 for a 9.2 to $1,140 for a 2.0. The record setter was a 9.6 that sold in a 2017 Heritage auction for $16,730.
One often overlooked genre that Cole excelled at is romance comics. Other than perhaps Matt Baker, few could craft the cover of a romance cover better than Cole. No cover is more emblematic of Cole’s skills in this area – and utilizing a very different style from that seen on the covers of many of his other comics – than Popular Teen-Agers #15. The falling snow contrasts beautifully with the many shades of blue on the cover from the man’s jacket to the woman’s hair, from the car’s body to the nighttime sky. If you’re a Cole collector and you’re looking for something a bit different, this could be the book for you. It’s a little hard to come by with a scant 21 graded copies, and, while prices are lower, you’ll still pay a pretty penny. Sales this year include a 6.5 going for $4,500 in a February 21 fixed price eBay sale and a 2.0 selling for $900 in a best offer eBay sale. The highest price paid was $12,000 for an 8.0 in a June 2024 Heritage auction. There is a lone 8.5 at the top of the census that has never sold. A couple other Cole romance covers worth seeking out are Confessions of Love #11 and Popular Teen-Agers #11.
Classics Illustrated
With the institution of the Comics Code Authority in 1954 and the rapid changes in what were deemed acceptable comic books, Cole, who had bet so much on horror, saw the writing on the wall and shuttered Star Publications. He would, however, continue to produce covers, but for the much tamer Classics Illustrated and Classics Illustrated Junior. His final of 13 covers for the Gilberton publications was Classics Illustrated #159. If you’re looking to add a Cole cover to your collection but you’re on the cheap side, this is a nice option. The top-of-census 9.2 sold in a 2020 Heritage auction for just $192.
One Final Horror Cover?
Cole ended up finishing his comic book career at Dell where he served as the art director from the mid-1960s into the 1970s. In 1962, Dell began their own nascent horror line with Dracula #1. While not confirmed, it is presumed by many that Cole drew the cover for this issue. There are 43 graded copies of which two are graded at 9.8. One of these sold in a fixed price eBay sale for $875. If it is ever confirmed for certain that he painted the cover, it would definitely be worth adding to your Cole collection.
Legacy
L.B. Cole is considered one of the great comic book cover artists of the Golden Age. While not as lauded in his time as Alex Schomburg or Matt Baker, his works contain a unique quality that has increasingly attracted the interest and money of collectors as the hobby has grown. He is now considered by most Golden Age comic fans to be one of the top cover artists of the era. Cole passed away on December 15, 1995, and was posthumously inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 1999. He leaves behind hundreds of comic book covers for all of us to treasure.
