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Title: Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits by Art Spiegelman, Chip Kidd ISBN: 0-8118-3179-5 Publisher: Chronicle Books Pub. Date: September, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.86 (14 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Draft Portrait of the Artist
Comment: This biography/retrospective of cartoonist Jack Cole is certainly eye-catching with its chaotic design, popping full-bleed artwork, rounded corners, and varying paper stock, but as a portrait of the artist it never really amounts to more than a draft sketch. Spiegelman's text is slightly expanded from an article he wrote in 1999 for The New Yorker, and while it's a fairly decent biographical sketch of Cole's life and career as creator of Plastic Man, Playboy illustrator, and syndicated cartoonist, it never does more than skim the surface. Most indicative of this is the skimpy treatment Cole's unexpected and unexplained suicide is accorded. It's clear that Spiegelman (creator of the acclaimed Maus) loves Cole's work, but other than some generic plaudits that could apply to a number of cartoonists, it's never really clear why he considers Cole a genius (or for that matter, why the reader should).
A graphic tribute it's more successful, combining reproductions of complete strips and stories (including the True Crime Comics classic "Murder, Morphine, and Me"), pieces from Playboy, family photos, unpublished sketches, covers, and collages. Some people are bound to hate renowned book designer Kidd's treatment of the material (and indeed, some of the text is a strain to read), but it seems wholly suitable to Cole's own frantic graphic style from the Plastic Man series. In the end, the book is unlikely to appeal to those outside the world of comics.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Highly Under-rated Creator finally gets his due...
Comment: What a surprise.
From it's unique design to the interior graphic layout (the panels, dialogue ballons, and covers shown directly relate to - or comment on - what's being discussed on the page, with sometimes eerie results), it's a real treat. It has rounded edges and full-bleed artwork throughout, giving an alien feel to the semi-paperback (more on that later). Inside are several Plastic Man Stories (One you may have read recently, in PM Archives Vol II, but the other two have never been reprinted as far as I know) as well as 'Murder, Morphine, and Me' from True Crime Comics. The text is an expanded version of the article Spiegelman wrote for the New Yorker. There are other gems here, as well, including selected Gag Strips from Playboy, unpublished Jack Cole artwork, several cover pieces and strip cartoons, photos, PM merchandising, etc. Just a fantastic book for fans of Cole or Plas. HIGHLY recommended.
Thanks, Art and Chip. As a fan, I've been waiting for this book for years.
Oh, and the best part about the book? The cover.
It's plastic.
Rating: 5
Summary: Jack Cole the real Plastic Man
Comment: Biographies of comic creators are few and far apart. This by a short reach is the best of the lot. It contains all the stories we have heard about Cole (his bike trip across America, his Playboy years, his mysterous suicide).
Interlaced through are reprints of some of his best works. What I liked was that the comics within seem to be reproduced from the originals, yellowing and all. If anything it added to my pleasure instead of took away from it.
For fans of comic history or tragic artists this is the one book that must be on your shelf. See Jack Cole stretch his mind as far as Plastic Man stretched his body.
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Title: Plastic Man Archives, Vol. 4 by Jack Cole ISBN: 1563898357 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: Strange Stories for Strange Kids (Little Lit, Book 2) by Art Spiegelman ISBN: 0060286261 Publisher: Joanna Cotler Pub. Date: 18 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Little Lit: Folklore & Fairy Tale Funnies by Art Spiegelman ISBN: 0060286245 Publisher: Harpercollins Juvenile Books Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Little Lit: It Was a Dark and Silly Night... by Art Spiegelman, Francoise Mouly ISBN: 0060286288 Publisher: Joanna Cotler Pub. Date: 05 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters by Chip Kidd ISBN: 0743214927 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 25 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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