tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024420441109756132.post5516830681837588595..comments2024-03-23T11:45:42.089-07:00Comments on Cole's Comics: Jack Cole Playboy Cartoon Rejects Appear in Hefner's College Humor MagPaul C.Tumeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398929835829679477noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024420441109756132.post-57450817135412458922012-03-27T11:04:49.818-07:002012-03-27T11:04:49.818-07:00Thanks, Jim, for your support -- much appreciated!...Thanks, Jim, for your support -- much appreciated! It is the mutual support of bloggers that keeps us all going. Jeff -- there were three suicide letters that Jack Cole left behind, actually. One was a note to whoever found him, instructing them to make sure his wife was not alone when she got the news of what he'd done. The second was a note to Hugh Hefner, which he allowed to be published in Art Spiegelman and Chip Kidd's book, Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits. It doesn't reveal much -- just thanks Hefner for his support. The third note was to his wife. It was shown to legal authorities at the inquest and was apparently key in establishing that Cole's death was a suicide. His widow, Dorothy, never made the note public and has never come forward. She remarried and didn't stay in touch with Cole's family. Cole's long time friend and former editor, Gill Fox, speculated in an interview that Cole's despair likely had something to do with problems in his marriage. If you follow this blog and look at some of Cole's last sequential stories, you can see that he had developed some mental pain several years prior to his suicide. His last sequential comics, Betsy and Me are extremely painful to read, for example. Ron Goulart wrote a book on Jack Cole that is short but informative. R.C. Harvey's long introduction in the Betsy and Me collection is also an excellent bio of Cole. I am working on pulling together every scrap of info I've found on Cole into a solid biography. Stay tuned!Paul C.Tumeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05398929835829679477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024420441109756132.post-41009085927229718802012-02-01T04:56:39.541-08:002012-02-01T04:56:39.541-08:00Damn, Cole's work was so good. It is a real sh...Damn, Cole's work was so good. It is a real shame that he didn't keep detailed records of the work he did. It seems to me that we will never know the full extent of his output (although I personally favor his Playboy work above all else).<br /><br />By the way, Paul, has anyone ever done a detailed biography of Cole? It also seems to me that if not, then someone should consider interviewing the people who knew him, like Hefner and his survivors, because we are quickly getting to the point where they will be gone as well.<br /><br />Additionally, Wikipedia says Cole's suicide letter was never made public. Is this still true Paul?<br /><br />Thanks!Jeff Flowershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05700298228574787097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024420441109756132.post-87490395370286727902012-01-28T19:09:13.441-08:002012-01-28T19:09:13.441-08:00By the way, I noticed last night that The Big Blog...By the way, I noticed last night that The Big Blog of Kid's Comics links to you (and to Stanley Stories). Last week the BBKC was recommended on BoingBoing's Gweek podcast, so maybe the visitors there will click on your link. Also, I do occasionally see references to Cole's Comics on other blogs by well known writers and cartoonists. I'll make a point of forwarding those on to you from now on. :)Jim Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10360318812626909513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024420441109756132.post-32965654943375702672012-01-28T19:05:02.303-08:002012-01-28T19:05:02.303-08:00Please keep up the great work! Believe me, your ef...Please keep up the great work! Believe me, your efforts are appreciated!Jim Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10360318812626909513noreply@blogger.com