Whacked Inventions, A Crazy Crimefighter, and a Talking Monkey Sidekick — Jack Cole’s Midnight may have started a lampoonish Spirit copy but it quickly evolved into a strange, singular superhero series with a shot of screwballism — second only to Plastic Man!
101-page full-color PDF presenting the first 12 Midnight stories by Jack Cole, creator of Plastic Man.
Jack Cole made 39 stories featuring the earnest, neon-blue suited crime-fighter, MIDNIGHT. Here, we present the amazing first 12 stories, which chart a course from talented novice to inspired genius.
Jack Cole started the series in January, 1941 and worked on it for about almost two years, until December, 1942. Four years later, he returned for a second spin around the dial, even wackier than the first, from December, 1946 to October, 1949.
His combined five years of work on these stories, which appeared in Quality Comics Publications' Smash Comics, represents for Cole a focus on a continuing series second only in his career to his PLASTIC MAN stories.
Unlike the increasingly rediscovered and appreciated stories of the stretchy sleuth, the MIDNIGHT stories are virtually unknown. Reading these stories in chronological order is not only great fun, but provides many insights into the development of Jack Cole as an artist. Many of his most striking ideas in PLASTIC MAN were first conceived in his MIDNIGHT stories. In fact, if you compare the two series, it’s clear that in 1941-2, Cole put a great deal more effort into his MIDNIGHT stories than he did in his PLASTIC MAN series.
This volume includes the Midnight stories from Smash Comics #18-29. Also included are rare comics by Cole from the same period, and an introduction and notes on each story by Eisner-nominated comics historian Paul C. Tumey.
The art has been restored, however, due to the availability of sources, in some cases, the restorations are limited — see samples and judge for yourself.
Whacked Inventions, A Crazy Crimefighter, and a Talking Monkey Sidekick — Jack Cole’s Midnight may have started a lampoonish Spirit copy but it quickly evolved into a strange, singular superhero series with a shot of screwballism — second only to Plastic Man!
101-page full-color PDF presenting the first 12 Midnight stories by Jack Cole, creator of Plastic Man.
Jack Cole made 39 stories featuring the earnest, neon-blue suited crime-fighter, MIDNIGHT. Here, we present the amazing first 12 stories, which chart a course from talented novice to inspired genius.
Jack Cole started the series in January, 1941 and worked on it for about almost two years, until December, 1942. Four years later, he returned for a second spin around the dial, even wackier than the first, from December, 1946 to October, 1949.
His combined five years of work on these stories, which appeared in Quality Comics Publications' Smash Comics, represents for Cole a focus on a continuing series second only in his career to his PLASTIC MAN stories.
Unlike the increasingly rediscovered and appreciated stories of the stretchy sleuth, the MIDNIGHT stories are virtually unknown. Reading these stories in chronological order is not only great fun, but provides many insights into the development of Jack Cole as an artist. Many of his most striking ideas in PLASTIC MAN were first conceived in his MIDNIGHT stories. In fact, if you compare the two series, it’s clear that in 1941-2, Cole put a great deal more effort into his MIDNIGHT stories than he did in his PLASTIC MAN series.
This volume includes the Midnight stories from Smash Comics #18-29. Also included are rare comics by Cole from the same period, and an introduction and notes on each story by Eisner-nominated comics historian Paul C. Tumey.
The art has been restored, however, due to the availability of sources, in some cases, the restorations are limited — see samples and judge for yourself.