“ComicConnect is honored and delighted to offer a collection of original art from the estate of the legendary Nick Cardy,” said Vincent Zurzolo, the company’s Chief Operating Officer. “Cardy was one of the most influential and beloved artists of the Silver Age as he was a cover artist par excellence. Nick Cardy helped to craft the unmistakable look that dominated newsstands during the heyday of Silver and Bronze Age hero comics.”

In Cardy’s remarkably long career at DC Comics, his deft, feathery pen and pop-art sensibilities were lent to various DC characters while his most indelible impact was in creating the iconic 1960s look of Aquaman and the Teen Titans during their popular solo runs. 

After serving in World War Two, Cardy got his start at the legendary Eisner-Iger studios. He mastered his craft with tutelage from some of the most respected and in-demand talents in the comics business. Once he began at DC, he quickly made a name for himself on crime and western titles, especially a classic run on the beloved Tomahawk. Cardy went on to resuscitate the hero line alongside Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Gil Kane in the 1960s. By the early 1970s, Cardy was DC’s top cover talent as he turned out scores of classic images that helped put comics into readers’ hands during one of the toughest periods the business had ever seen. Throughout the decade, his artistic reputation spread beyond the comics industry and Cardy found himself in demand as a top illustrator for movie posters and promotional materials.

“This wonderful collection, direct from Cardy’s personal files, displays his remarkable gift for character drawing and rendering the depths of emotion and drama,” Zurzolo continued. “While the preliminaries and finished pieces for movie and TV promotion are certainly the most charming and immediately appealing of the lot, it’s his personal works that reveal Cardy’s mastery of line and motion.”

Cardy’s series of sketches and paintings of classical music icons Stravinsky, Stokowski, and Bernstein, imbued fluid motion and a sense of musicality with simple brushstrokes and perfectly chosen blacks. Cardy was among the most gifted of the 20th Century’s commercial illustrators. Note, Cardy’s wry humor in his satirical political gag pages, and a recreation of his infamous Plop! Thanksgiving story. 

Finally, the remarkable paintings of places and events seen through the eyes of Cardy as a young soldier during the dark days of WWII are a revelation. “They are poignant, expertly rendered, and deeply moving; imposing in their economy and tenderness,” Zurzolo concluded. “This is one of the most impressive and exciting collections of art we’ve ever been privileged to offer and proceeds from this sale will benefit the Nick Cardy Estate.”

Inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 2005, Cardy’s art continues to inspire his peers and dazzle collectors to this day.