Another fine Silver Age artist is featured in today's column! He's one of the greatest cover artists DC's ever had-- and all the lads love the way he draws the lasses. His work is so good, in fact, that I may have gone overboard with the images. Don't worry, though; they're all beautiful.
5/19/07
139. Nick Cardy
Nick Cardy (real name: Nick Viscardi) is a fantastic artist. His figurework astonishes me every time I see it, and his dynamic sense of layout makes him one of the greatest cover artists in the industry. Having taken his blows in World War II (receiving two Purple Hearts) and honed his skills in the Will Eisner workshop, Cardy emerged in the Silver Age as one of the premiere artists in his field.
Along with Ramona Fradon, our friend from yesterday, Mr. Cardy is one of the definitive Aquaman artists. You may think that isn't anything special, but Cardy's skills speak otherwise. After he finished his run on the interiors, he continued to draw the covers-- in fact, he drew covers for quite a bit of DC's line. Look at his gorgeous Aquaman covers (as with all images here, click to enlargen):
After Aquaman, he lent his artistic talents to the pages of Teen Titans, where he made these hep cats and kittens come alive! And, once again, he drew some amazing covers. You can find his work in the Showcase volume of Teen Titans, available now from your local graphic literature purveyor.
And I can't let a column go by without mentioning his fine work on Bat Lash, with our other good friend from this week, Sergio Aragones!
He's primarily known, however, for his portrayal of lady characters. Now, I'm not one for "good girl" art and the like, and I know we're all stinging from the Mary Jane statue hubbub, but I have to say, Nick Cardy draws attractive females very well. See for yourself:
(Wild, wet, and whacky? Fans must've loved that one.)
In the 70's, Nick Cardy left comics to work in advertising, drawing materials for such films as Street Fighter (the awesome one, with Sonny Chiba), Apocalypse Now, and Star Wars. He still visits the fans, however, at comic conventions, and has a seat in the Eisner Awards' Hall of Fame. He's one of the greats, and it's fantastic to see him still enjoying himself at cons.
The official Nick Cardy website may be found here and if you act now, you can purchase a copy of The Art of Nick Cardy from Amazon.