Sep 25, 2009

Inkie Meets Don Quixote: Jack Cole's 1944 Self-Portrait (Part 2)

Story presented in this post:
Inkie Meets Don Quixote (story and art by Jack Cole)
Crack Comics #33 (Spring 1944 - Quality Comics)


Some time ago, I posted for you one of the two delightful INKIE stories that Jack Cole wrote and drew in 1944, courtesy of Darryl Aylward, who shared his scans. That story was from Crack Comics #34, and can be read here.

Thanks to the Great Tallahassee Golden Age Score of 1982 (you can read my account of this incredible and bizarre comics find here), and my pal Frank Young, who scanned the pages without a trace of miffling, I am pleased to present to you the other INKIE story, from Crack Comics #33.


The comic book artist Jack Cole is shown in this vintage classic page from  Crack Comics 33.
Cartoon car crash and back robbery is shown in this rare comic book page from Crack Comics 33

A cartoon library and drawings of books are shown in this page from the Quality Comics publication Crack Comics.
A cartoon boy enters into the book Don Quixote in this vintage comic book page from 1944.
A cartoon comic book version of Don Quixote is beautifually drawn by artist Jack Cole
A cartoon fantasyland with Don QUixote is shown in this classic vintage rare comic book.
The artist Jack Cole who has his own course in how to draw cartoon characters is shown in this golden age comic book.
A cartoon spinster librarian is shown in this comic book page from 1944.
What a fun, light-hearted story Cole turns in, here.

A highlight is page two, in which Cole depicts himself as so preoccupied with creating comics that he barely notices the tempations and chaos of the outside world (which could provide material for him, if he'd notice it). This is a wonderful bit of self-parody.

Perhaps this is what life was like for Cole, who spent most of his waking hours safely ensconced in his home, sweating deadlines and working hard... but also clearly immersed in his work.

Later, INKIE slips into a copy of The Loves of Cassanova and emerges, blushing, to say " You wouldn't understand this one." Again, there's an authentic biographical note, as Cole was gearing up to begin submitting sexy gag cartoons to men's magazines, such as Humorama. In fact, I've read somewhere that his original art pages were observed to have sexy women and gag ideas sketched out on the backs.

I hope you enjoyed this story. As far as I know this is the first time it has been made available digitally, or reprinted in any form since its publication 65 years ago!

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