Sell me a Plastic Man Archives volume

[Polar Bear]

I'm sold that Jack Cole is an amazing cartoonist. However, there are so many Archive volumes that I don't know where to start.

I mean, I could start with #1, but I'd rather start with the BEST one (like Dark Horse's Magnus: Robot Fighter v. 3, where Manning really hit his stride).

What volume is the best investment of my hard-earned $50?

[scratchie]

I'm not an expert, but I've read the first five volumes. They're all good, but it does seem to take Cole until Volume 2 or 3 to hit his stride (e.g. Volume 1 has a lot of stories that feature Woozy Winks' magical ability to avoid harm, which Cole apparently decided was superfluous in the later stories).

I would say that if you you pick up any of Volumes 2-5, you'll be happy, although I'm curious to hear if there are any serious Cole fans out there, ready to analyze his creative arc throughout the book's lifetime.

[benday-dot]

If you want the issues where Cole predominately inked his own stuff go for the post-War material. These would be the later volumes, maybe 6-8. Seven and eight are my faves, but they are all damn good.

[Polar Bear]

OK, I'm putting vol. 7 on my December list. Thanks for the advice!

--Eric