This past Sunday, famed comic book artist Nick Cardy passed away at the age of 93. He was mainly known for his Silver Age work on Teen Titans and Aquaman.
Nick’s death really brought up a lot of feelings I have. I’m not going to write about Nick’s life as there are many other news outlets that are posting about it, and I’m not going to claim I’m an expert on him.
But Nick Cardy made a huge impact in my own personal life.
I’ve been collecting comics since 1971, and The Brave And The Bold #94 was the first in my collection. It featured a team up with Batman and the original Teen Titans. It was written by Bob Haney and drawn by Nick Cardy himself.
The copy I own is beaten up and a lot of retailers would consider it “poor” quality. But I refuse to get rid of it. The comic was given to me by my Grandma, and the sentimental value of the book is priceless.
I truly loved my Grandma, and it was her that really got me into comic books. It was the most amazing thing I ever saw at the time. I’ve read this book over a thousand times and I still marvel at Nick’s art in it. This also made me a huge fan of the original Teen Titan that I still am to this day.
About 10 years ago I got a chance to meet Nick at Baltimore Comic Con. I handed him the beaten up comic and he looked at me strangely. Then I explained the story behind the book and he told me he’d be honored to sign the book for me.
I’ll never forget that day, and the look of pride and happiness in Nick’s face.
So thank you Nick for getting me started in comic books. You will truly be missed.
Dan Kleiner
Heartfelt sincerity, and that makes anything worthwhile
Nice story. My grandfather took me to see Superman the movie during its initial run. Likewise, starting me in comics. Your story reminds me of that. Good stuff…