Cole In The Rough

Friday Comic Book Day.

Paul Tumey has done a lot of good work finding stray Jack Cole stories from Quality series he did not create or regularely draw. You should go to his Jack Cole blog to have a look. Apparently, in the Quality bullpen assignments got thrown around if needed. The comic series Her Highness (about a little old lady running a gangster outfit) which ran in Hit Comics was not drawn by Jack Cole. She was created as a villian for the lead feature, Kid Eternity in Hit Comics #27/28 and immediately spun off in her own series from #28. The first few stories may have bee drawn by Alex Kotzky, who also inked jack Cole and proably drew some of the stories in Plastic Man. After that, the series was taken over by Janice Valleau. According to the Grand Comicbook Database the first story her could have been drawn by her as well, but there are a couple of Jack Cole touches that I have never seen in her (more realistic) work, like the open mouthed guy on the splash page and the ladies in the last two pages. Additionally, this is one of a few stories shedidn't sign (with the nome de plume Ginger). After ten issues Alex Kotzky returns, according to the GCD. They also have the second story here as possibly by Kotzky, but is seems like Cole's work to me, especially the staging. It could be that Kotzky was then so much influenced by his work on Plastic Man that a difference is hard to make. Anyway, the next issue the GCD agrees with my ambivalence about these stories, because they give it to Cole as well. With a questionmark, as would I do. The next story is not credited, but unfortunately I can't show it to you as I have not got that book. As to why Jack Cole would have help on Plastic Man and then be asked to assist others on their strips, I don't know.