GomerPyleUSMC

Example cover by Virgil Finlay, Famous Fantastic Mysteries--June, 1942

I'm sure Cole was not the first to use the menacing face as a focal point surrounded by floating faces and figures. Like other comic artists of the day, he was influenced by the cover art that sold pulp fiction, especially in their use of symbolism (e.g., Uncanny Tales and All Detective to name two titles before Mask 1). The interesting thing is post-war, the pulps moved away from this overt abstraction of good and evil, while Cole doubled down on this style. Why not? Designing a cover with faces can be quicker to design than a cover with a staged scene. It's understandable considering the huge number of covers he had to turn in throughout his career. This is not to take anything away from Mask 1, one of the highlights in his career.

I should point out the Target cover came after the Mask 1. In fairness one can't lay claim to illustrating over 1500 covers and not rely on goto design concepts. And L.B. Cole did come up with some of the most innovative covers in comics history.

From a composition point of view, Mask 1 is a variation on a face close up.

I thought he is still selling on eBay as kellyssuperheroes. Practically every book he sells, appear to be trimmed.

+1 Don't get me wrong, Cole can design a great cover but he uses floating faces a lot...a lazy device. I can think of other Cole books I like better than Mask 1.

In terms of color design (lots of sea mist green) BBWT 114 and FF 215 are my favorites.

Here's my furshlugginer first issue of Mad. Nothing special until you open the insides...

Interesting. It was around the time of Overstreet Price Guide #11 that I met Redbeard and he turned me on to Cole. I bought my first Cole books from Ron. Unfortunately sold most of them but I did keep Blue Bolt #118, my favorite cover to this day.

What's Lynn Varley up to these days? I looked up the captions on the last three pictures, the ones where she looks bored and does not care to be there. Apparently it's from a signing at Forbidden Planet in 1986, according to https://twitter.com/Fotosdecomics. Check out the photos of cartoonists!

I saw Neal Adams walking out of the convention hall one time.

Looks like he started to write "Excelsior", discovered he didn't have enough space and started writing his birth name, "Stanley." A real senior moment. This stuff can't be faked in a million years, lol.

2.5/3.0, may probably get knocked down for the glue; this is actually a top staple detached.

4.0 for the pieces out and color breaking crease on the front cover; on the back, chips, tears, sun shadow, water stain.

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

That Superman story was a fan favorite at the time (testimony to the popularity of Mad in this period). It was reprinted in Superman Annual #3 with an AEN cover appearance