Remembering Artist Nick Cardy

Remembering artist Nick Cardy on his birthday (October 20, 1920 - November 3, 2013) with something a little unexpected....a couple of his covers to Unexpected (#120 from August-September, 1970 and #139 from September, 1972) which give you signs of warning...that these couples ignored!

Remembering Artist Nick Cardy

Remembering artist Nick Cardy on his birthday (October 20, 1920 - November 3, 2013) with some of his rarely seen art...

..covers featuring the Spectre!

Spectre #8 and #9 (January-February and March-April, 1969)

.

Spectre #10 and Secret Origins #5 (May-June, 1969 and November-December, 1973)

.

....and read about Spectre's Secret Origins here!

Celebrating Artist Nick Cardy With Ghosts

Celebrating artist Nick Cardy on his birthday (October 20, 1920 - November 3, 2013) with a special look at covers he contributed to the title, Ghosts.

Nick drew this incredible cover to Limited Collectors' Edition C-32 (December-January, 1974/1975), which featured reprints of issues of Ghosts (which Cardy also supplied the covers for, as seen below!).

Ghosts #1 and #3 (September-October, 1971 and January-February 1972)

Ghosts #4 and #5 (March-April and May-June, 1972)

Ghosts #6 (July-August, 1972)

Remembering Artist Nick Cardy

Remembering artist Nick Cardy (October 20, 1920 - November 3, 2013) with a look at a combination of two of the genres he is most known for....horror and beautiful women....all in a combination, with a collection of some of his best covers from the Witching Hour.

The Witching Hour ran 85 issues from February-March, 1969 to October, 1978 having witches Modred, Mildred and Cynthia as hosts, with Nick providing many early covers for the series, with some of the best below!

The Witching Hour #1 and #2 (February-March and April-May, 1969)

.

The Witching Hour #4 and #5 (August-September and October-November, 1969)

.

The Witching Hour #6 and #12 (December-January, 1969/1970 and 1970/1971)

.

The Witching Hour #17 and #19 (October-November, 1971 and February-March 1972)

.

The Witching Hour #24 and #26 (October and December, 1972)

.

The Witching Hour #32 and #52 (July, 1973 and March, 1975)

.

...and one more here for good measure! 

Happy Hockey Horror Season

With the official start of hockey season, as well as being hip deep in the Halloween season, it seemed the perfect time to highlight this nice Nick Cardy cover to House of Secrets #114 (December, 1973)....with a little horror at the ice rink!

Skeletal Santa Claus

A slightly scary Santa Claus, a little thinner than normal...

...is the highlight of this issue (and cover by Nick Cardy) of Witching Hour #28 (February, 1973).



Horror hostess Cynthia gives readers the tale of why you should "Never Kill Santa Claus" with art by Gerry Talaoc.

It appears that mall owner Mr. Cranston tries to make off with the holiday cash, and kills their poor old lovable Santa, Micah, right before the holiday, as he sees what the man was doing. Another Santa shows up, turning the tables on Mr. Cranston, sending him to a place that will give him much worse than coal in his stocking.

Strange Adventures In The Cold

As it gets colder, it is hard to image it getting worse, but it could.

In Strange Adventures #149 (February, 1963), scientist Bill Travis had to fend off an invasion from another dimension that was going to extinguish our sun in the story of "Raid Of The Rogue Star" by Gardner Fox and Sid Greene, under a Murphy Anderson cover. 

This tale was so warm, DC reprinted it in From Beyond The Unknown #21 (February-March, 1973), this time with Nick Cardy providing the cover of Earth's chilly doom.

Doesn't that make you feel warmer?

Justice League Lore: Early Days of Mera

Behind every good man is a good woman, and Aquaman is no exception, having as his support, the love of his life, Queen Mera.
 
But, how did these two first meet, and eventually find true love?

These are the tales.....

The Doom From Dimension Aqua

Mera first met Aquaman in Aquaman #11 (September-October, 1963) by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, when the queen was exiled from her home dimension.  Mera had "hard water" powers (the ability to make water solid, and manipulate it to do her bidding), but those powers faded soon after she arrived in the oceans of Earth after an encounter with an oil tanker.  Mera was pursued by Xebel, who was the leader of the rebels who were against the queen, and even with the help of his sidekick, Aqualad, and mystical imp, Quisp, Aquaman was unable to prevent being captured (along with Mera and Aqualad), and taken back to her home dimension under Xebel.  Aquaman uses his power to communicate with fish to get help to escape, and the three return to Earth, where Aquaman figures out that oil removes the powers of those from Mera's dimension, and uses against Xebel and his forces, which allows Mera to return to her throne on her world.

Invasion Of The Giant Reptiles

Aquaman #13 (January-Februrary, 1964) by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy has Mera's next appearance, but it isn't just for second date.

Mera (as well as some prehistoric creatures) are brought into the oceans of Earth due to a time warp opened by an undersea earthquake, where she has to help Aquaman fend off the giant reptiles...

....who are being controlled by criminals from the future with a mind control ray, who then turn the ray on Mera, who battles Aquaman for a time, but Aquaman turns the tables and gets both the prehistoric reptiles and futuristic criminals to their home times.

The Tyrant Ruler Of Atlantis

Aquaman was always a bit hard headed, but in Aquaman #14 (March-April, 1964) by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, it was proven that Aquaman was not hard headed enough. 

A head injury to Aquaman made him think that he was the king of Atlantis, so Mera and Aqualad took him to Atlantis for treatment, and in honor of his usually good deeds, the Atlanteans played along, until Aquaman became increasingly cruel. 

They place him in a watery prison, which Aquaman tries to escape from, hitting his head again, which seems to restore Aquaman's usually benevolent behavior, and clears him of the delusion that he was currently king of Atlantis.

Menace Of The Man-Fish

Aquaman #15 (May-June, 1964) with art by Nick Cardy, finds Aquaman and Aqualad helping scientist Dr. Deering with a formula of his that will allow surface men to breathe underwater, but the doctor is caught in an explosion which unhinges the man, as well as allowing him the ability to breathe underwater.


Deering uses a machine against Aquaman and Aqualad, capturing Aquaman as he tries to prevent the doctor from hijacking a ship.

Mera arrives to save Aquaman, and the pair stop Deering and his machine, whose powers and insanity wear off, and he can be taken in for treatment.

The Duel Of The Sea Queens

Mera has some competition for Aquaman in Aquaman #16 (July-August, 1964) by Nick Cardy, as Aquaman chooses to spend time with Sirene instead of Mera (and Aqualad). 

But, it is proven that that wasn't Aquaman who was getting rid of his old friends, but Rovere, Sirene's brother, who had shape-changed into Aquaman, and Mera has to rescue the original Aquaman while Aqualad finds out that the two aliens hadn't meant any harm.  Stellor (yet another of the alien race), arrives to capture Aquaman, Mera and Aqualad, and releases them in capsules into space.  Luckily, Aquaman is able to get back to the ship, overpower Stellor, find his friends and return to Earth, giving the ship to Sirene and Rovere.

The Man Who Vanquished Aquaman

Turnabout is fair play, and in Aquaman #17 (September-October, 1964) by Nick Cardy, Aquaman has to fend off a suitor for Mera, this time, the Olympian god, Poseidon, who has time-traveled to the present to claim Mera as his bride, threatening Mera's home dimension if she does not comply.

Aquaman follows the pair back in time, and gets Zeus' help in defeating Poseidon in a contest.  Being a sore loser, Poseidon takes Mera back to the present, with Aquaman following, and Aquaman rescuing Poseidon when he breaks his magic trident. 

Poseidon realizes the error of his ways, and returns to his own time, without Mera.

The Wife Of Aquaman

With Aquaman #18 (November-December, 1964) by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, Aquaman and Mera both find their lives changed forever.  With the death of Juvor, the king of Atlantis, the Atlanteans elect Aquaman to be their king, with the provision that Aquaman take an Atlantean woman as his bride (and their queen).  Aquaman rescues Mera from Oceanus, a renegade from Mera's dimension, learning that she left her home dimension to be with Aquaman (and Oceanus had removed her powers).  Aquaman tells Mera he cannot marry her, but the brokenhearted Mera flees before she can be told why.  Mera finds Oceanus instead, who convinces her to be his queen, then conquers Atlantis, throwing Aquaman into prison.  Aquaman escapes, confronting Oceanus at his wedding to Mera, where Oceanus nearly wins, but Mera saves Aquaman, proclaiming her love for him  Aquaman then wins, exiling Oceanus, and becoming king of Atlantis.  In honor of her help, the people of Atlantis make Mera an honorary Atlantean, which allows Aquaman to marry her, with his friends from the Justice League of America (as well as Aqualad, and his friend Robin, who had recently formed the Teen Titans), in attendance.

Aquaman and Mera have many ups and downs over the years, but eventually are able to put their problems behind them and work together, with only Aquaman #18 of the above reprinted in full-sized and in color, in Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years.  Let us hope the upcoming Aquaman movie inspired DC to swim through their vault, and unleash the treasures of Nick Cardy art, including the introduction of Mera (and later, the quest for Mera as well....with art by Jim Aparo).

Remembering Nick Cardy

Remembering the legendary artist Nick Cardy with a couple of his odd covers over the years with a slight connection.


First up is the story of "Experiment 1000" from House of Secrets #6 (September-October, 1957), with Nick providing both the cover and art for the story of how scientists plan to kill a gorilla stealing a formula...

....at least until the ape speaks in his own defense!

This story was reprinted along with others in The Unexpected #132 (February, 1972), where Nick Cardy also provided a spooky cover, for the story of "The Edge Of Madness" (by Murray Boltinoff and Jim Aparo), about a babysitter who goes to work for a new family living on the edge of town.


At least she didn't have to babysit a gorilla!

Superman Goes To The Dentist

Taking a little break from the horror with a trip to the dentist for Superman...

....then again, that's a horror of a different variety, as shown by this Nick Cardy cover to Action Comics #434 for April, 1974.


In "The Krypton Connection" by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Vince Coletta, Clark Kent ends up in a dentist chair, where Kryptonian criminals Dr. Xadu and Erndine Ze-Da use their torturous devices to put Superman under their mental control....

..leading into Action Comics #435 (May, 1974), under another wonderful Nick Cardy cover.

With "I Want To Wreck The World" by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Vince Coletta, Superman is ordered to destroy Earth by Dr. Xadu and Erndine Ze-Da...but, of course, Superman recovers and doesn't (though to be honest, a bad toothache would make you want to destroy the world....).

This also wasn't the first time these Kryptonians tried mind tricks with Kal-El....that started back when he was Superboy!

Happy Earth Day 2017!

Well, at least someone wants Earth!


Con man Silky Sloane tried to sell Earth to aliens in this story by writer Otto Binder and artist Sy Barry in Strange Adventures #47 (August, 1954) with "The Man Who Sold The Earth!"...


...all under this beautiful cover by Murphy Anderson!

Better still, this tale was reprinted in From Beyond The Unknown #25 (November-December, 1973), with cover art by Nick Cardy!


Let's try to keep the planet for ourselves!

Happy National School Librarian Day 2017

Some days, it's just harder to work in the library...


...especially when a gorilla wants a book! 


We learn the "Secret Of The Man-Ape!" in Strange Adventures #75 (December, 1956) by writer Otto Binder, penciller Carmine Infantino and inker Joe Giella, all under this stunner of a cover by Gil Kane and Bernard Sachs.

Hint...aliens are involved.

Not to be outdone, the story found its way into From Beyond the Unknown #23 (July-August, 1973) with a cover by Nick Cardy.


Now, how could Robinson Crusoe, Moby Dick and Treasure Island allow you to take over the world?

Have A Super DC Giant Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day with this cover from Super DC Giant #S-17 from September-October, 1970 by artist Nick Cardy.



This issue has reprinted stories from Secret Hearts #38 (February-March, 1957), Girls' Romances #107 (March, 1965), Girls' Love Stories #106 (October, 1964), Secret Hearts #40 (June-July, 1957), Secret Hearts #39 (April-May, 1957), Secret Hearts #45 (February, 1958),  and Secret Hearts #41 (August, 1957)....

...all great little romance reads for lonely hearts!

The Teen Titans Christmas Carol

More accurately, the title of the story was "The TT's Swingin' Christmas Carol" for all of you hepcats around when Teen Titans #13 came out back on cover date January-February, 1968 by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy.

This delightful tale, beautifully rendered by artist Nick Cardy, detailing the Titans role in a modern day reenactment of Dickens' classic tale....as Robin was reading in the issue before going to a Batman comic.  The team ends up fighting Jacob Farley and Mr. Scrounge, with the Titans giving junkyard owner Scrounge the Dickens' treatment, with Kid Flash as the Ghost, Aqualad as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Wonder Girl as a swingin' Ghost of Christmas Future, at least until Mr. Big shows up.  They still defeat the villain, get a new wheelchair for Tom, and even better job conditions for Mr. Ratchet!

This story was also reprinted many times, including in Limited Collector's Edition C-34 (February-March, 1975, cover by Nick Cardy) and the Best of DC #22 (March, 1982, cover by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano), but both of these reprintings are missing the second page...

..how's that for coal in your stocking?

But you can get the complete tale in the Teen Titans: The Silver Age Omnibus with a groovy cover by Darwyn Cooke, and all the original Teen Titans tales from Teen Titans #1 to #24, and their premiere tales from Brave and the Bold and Showcase, featuring Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy!

Playboy Crazy

With Playboy giving up nudes, people thought they were crazy...

...they'd be just like any other magazine.


So, here's a cover by Nick Cardy from Marvel's old humor magazine, Crazy to symbolize that!


Cover from Crazy #10, April, 1975...

....and the bunny ears will never be the same.

Forbidden Dark Mansions of DC

A little something to get you in the mood…whether it be horror or romance as Halloween approaches...


Starting with issue #1 of the Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love in September-October 1971, through #4 in March-April 1972, and then continuing as the Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion for issues #5-15 (from May-June 1972 to February-March 1974), fans of horror and romance had tales they could look forward to. 

With covers by Joe Orlando (#2), Jeff Jones (#3), Nick Cardy (#4, 5, 10, 12, 14, 15), Alan Weiss (#6), Mike Kaluta (#7, 8, 13), Neal Adams (#9), Jack Sparling (#11), and a photo cover for issue #1, this series is a treat for those able to find them, and you’ll find it no trick to appreciate the covers, presented below!

They say love hurts....

...love scars, love wounds...

...but, even so...

...these tales prove...

...that love can kill!

 

Some tales from Sinister House of Secret Love and Doorway to Nightmare (companion titles to this one) were even reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #20 (April, 1982), with a cover by Joe Orlando, using the Dark Mansions title, and issue #7 of Forbidden Tales of the Dark Mansion introduced Charity as a host, who ended up in James Robinson's Starman book.