Black Light: The World of L. B. Cole #[nn]

A stunning showcase of L. B. Cole's singular vision, this Fantagraphics volume assembles a collage cover that pulls you in from every corner — a massive alien face with a flame-crested skull looms at the top, a sleek rocket blazes through a star-filled void, two red-suited space adventurers armed with ray guns navigate an alien landscape of writhing tendrils, a helmeted robot figure stands guard at right, and a bottom panel swirls with wide-eyed faces caught in some terrible, colorful peril. Cole's bold, electric palette — primaries blazing against deep black — demonstrates exactly why his work has endured as a high-water mark of mid-century pulp imagination. Paired with a biography by Bill Schelly, this is a richly rewarding deep dive into one of comics' most distinctive artistic minds.