L.B. Cole Covers 1945’s Captain Flight Comics, up for Auction

The Grand Comics Database credits L.B. Cole with 341 comic book covers 1943-1954, and the covers he did for Captain Flight Comics in 1945 are from the earlier part of that period.  Cole worked on a number of aviation-themed titles during this era, including Contact Comics, Captain Aero Comics, Bingo Comics, Eagle Comics, Tailspin Comics, and Captain Flight Comics, and these have always been prized by collectors.  Captain Flight Comics #9 also contains early work by underappreciated artist Maurice Whitman, and there’s a Captain Flight Comics #8 (Four Star, 1945) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white pages and Captain Flight Comics #9 (Four Star, 1945) CGC VG/FN 5.0 Cream to off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 May 18 The War Comics Showcase Auction #40223 at Heritage Auctions.

L.B. Cole entered the comic book field working for Louis Goodman Ferstadt, whose studio provided art for a variety of publishers including DC Comics, Quality, and Ace.  The Ferstadt studio also employed Harvey Kurtzman.  Ferstadt was also a noted painter and muralist, and his comic book style is a clear influence on Cole’s style.  Cole quickly came into his own as a comic book artist and his previous experience designing cigar band and box labels would influence his approach on comic book covers.  About this period, he would say: “I was always oriented toward newsstand sales, and these stylized covers drew readers. There was a riot of color out there on the stands and I figured something had to be done to catch the buyer’s eye. Take a look at most of the other books: they’re all done in a linear technique. All of the super-heroes… were a mass of figures kicking and punching and they all looked the same.”

Coles covers did not look the same.   The bold color and design contrast of his cover style has made L.B. Cole a favorite of collectors ever since. The early work by Maurice Whitman, best known for his later Fiction House era, on the Yankee Girl story in Captain Flight Comics #9 is noteworthy as well.  There’s a Captain Flight Comics #8 (Four Star, 1945) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white pages and Captain Flight Comics #9 (Four Star, 1945) CGC VG/FN 5.0 Cream to off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 May 18 The War Comics Showcase Auction #40223 at Heritage Auctions. If you’ve never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.

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