1971 kicks off with one of my favorite non-superhero covers Nick did—DC Special #10 (Jan.-Feb. 1970), a.k.a. “Stop... You Can’t Beat the Law!” I love how the cop is parallel with the rain so that he almost blends in with the background, how his patrol car is defined by its lights, and how the dead body stands out because it is the only part of the image that is in opposition to the rain. Just a great design, and a nice coloring job too.
Love McCarthy’s work. I still need to dig into the oversized Best of Milligan & McCarthy collection that came out recently. I haven't read most of that stuff in years.
1971’s Teen Titans covers are an interesting bunch. There seemed to be an emphasis on more horror-oriented covers, even when the stories inside weren’t particularly dark or spooky. The best of the bunch has to be Teen Titans #34 (July-Aug. 1971) with its iconic image of Wonder Girl turned witch. It’s another design based on the power of the triangle, but the Wonder Girl figure, with her swirling hair and cloak, is what really makes this one work.
Speaking of Cardy's Teen Titans horror covers...this issue scared the you-know-what out of me when I was a kid. IIRC, the demons steal a baby and replace it with a demon baby. I was hiding under my covers at night for weeks...
I was going back through this thread from the beginning and I saw this cover. I bought this issue about 30 years ago at a local show in the basement of a YMCA in Detroit. I couldn't have paid that much for it. Maybe $1? Comics were 35 cents so I didn't have much of a budget. Got a couple of Lee and Kirby FF's and some early Daredevils. That was a fun day. I was 14 or 15.
1971 saw the end of the Aquaman series and Nick’s run as cover artist with issue #56 (Mar.-Apr. 1971). It was a great run.
Not the government, not the globalization, not the democrats, not the income inequality, not the liberalism, not the unions, destroyed Detroit - The Creature that devoured Detroit.
1971 saw the end of the Aquaman series and Nick’s run as cover artist with issue #56 (Mar.-Apr. 1971). It was a great run.
Not the government, not the globalization, not the democrats, not the income inequality, not the liberalism, not the unions, destroyed Detroit - The Creature that devoured Detroit.
%-(:-S
Well, technically Detroit is nearly destroyed by the creature that is created from the ecological damage caused by a neglectful and somewhat selfish, if well-intentioned, Corporation (it’s written by Steve Skeates after all). But your answer is funnier.
Romance comics weren’t doing all that well in 1971 either, and Nick only did two romance covers that year. But his cover for Girls’s Romances #154 (Jan. 1971) is one of his best in the genre. The girl’s pose is just great.
Romance comics weren’t doing all that well in 1971 either, and Nick only did two romance covers that year. But his cover for Girls’s Romances #154 (Jan. 1971) is one of his best in the genre. The girl’s pose is just great.
While romance and sea kings were on the decline, horror was on the rise in 1971. DC even launched a new bimonthly anthology series titled Ghosts. Appropriately enough, the first issue debuted with a cover date of Sept.-Oct. 1971, and Nick did a bang-up job on the cover.
It looks like Nick probably based the groom on Clark Gable.
While romance and sea kings were on the decline, horror was on the rise in 1971. DC even launched a new bimonthly anthology series titled Ghosts. Appropriately enough, the first issue debuted with a cover date of Sept.-Oct. 1971, and Nick did a bang-up job on the cover.
There were several interesting Teen Titans cover in 1972, but I’m going with issue #42 (Nov.-Dec. 1942), not only because it was the penultimate issue of the series which allows me to say “penultimate,” buy because this story was the second half of that DC Super Stars issue I mentioned a few pages back.
Nick was really happy with the giant skull, but he wished it hadn't been cropped down so small. He wanted it big!
Nick did the last of his romance work for DC in 1972. But I’m not going with any of the traditional romance titles. Instead we go to the supernatural romance mash-up The Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #4 (Mar.-Apr. 1972). The series only lasted four issues, but it featured outstanding covers (especially the two by Jeff Jones). Nick’s is no exception.
EDIT: @nweathington a lot of the Cardy covers you've involve action in the foreground being hidden from the view of the action in the background. Was that a recurring motif or are those just the ones that spoke to you, since there is always such a great use if space and perspective?
@nweathington a lot of the Cardy covers you've chosen involve someone hiding behind something. Was that a recurring motif or are those just the ones that spoke to you, since there is always such a great use if space and perspective?
I’d say it was a recurring motif—not just with Nick, but throughout comics, particularly romance, war, and mystery/horror comics. Besides, as you say, being a great way to balance the composition of a piece and force its perspective, contextually it’s a great way to add suspense and/or drama.
Several pages back I and some others posted a bunch of Joe Kubert war covers which all had someone (usually Nazis) hiding in the background or the foreground. Kubert was the master of that motif.
Nick drew an astounding 31 horror cover with 1972 cover-dates. Obviously, some of these must have been done well in advance, but that’s not counting all the other covers he drew that year, so he still must have been going at a pretty good clip. And there are some really outstanding images amidst those 31 covers. But if I had to pick one, I think my favorite is Witching Hour #19 (Feb.-Mar. 1972).
This is another “explosion” cover, with the shutters and their shadows acting as the radiating lines, drawing the eye to rest squarely on the woman’s face. And then to top it off, the tree, the witch, and the logo are a circle, enclosing the woman and sealing her in tight. Also notice how the folds of the woman's gown run perpendicular to the folds of the curtain, helping to separate the figure from the background. Just splendid work.
As Nick was losing titles in 1972, he was picking up others, such as Action Comics. My favorite of his Action covers is #413 where he goes up against... Frau Totenkinder?!? Okay, not really.
I think I've posted it before...but here's another Nick Cardy Christmas cover. I guess this cover explains why I stopped getting presents from Santa in 1974.
Comments
%-( :-S
btw. after all that Nick Cardy goodness I'm about to get me some Cardy books ;)
It looks like Nick probably based the groom on Clark Gable.
I just noticed that the old lady in line looks a bit like Nick’s mother. I wonder if that was intentional, or if I’m just imagining it?
Nick was really happy with the giant skull, but he wished it hadn't been cropped down so small. He wanted it big!
Several pages back I and some others posted a bunch of Joe Kubert war covers which all had someone (usually Nazis) hiding in the background or the foreground. Kubert was the master of that motif.
This is another “explosion” cover, with the shutters and their shadows acting as the radiating lines, drawing the eye to rest squarely on the woman’s face. And then to top it off, the tree, the witch, and the logo are a circle, enclosing the woman and sealing her in tight. Also notice how the folds of the woman's gown run perpendicular to the folds of the curtain, helping to separate the figure from the background. Just splendid work.
http://thecomicforums.com/discussion/94/the-silver-and-bronze-age-thread/p2
Happy Holidays everyone!