But I was certainly a fan of some of the writers and artists who worked on them, and I'd count artist Nick Cardy as one of the best.
Whenever I attended a comic con, I was always looking for issues of the short-lived Bat Lash series, and at one Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC, about 10 years ago I found this issue - and happily, Nick Cardy was in attendance.
The con I was attending was going to be closing soon for the day, so I stopped by Artist's Alley in hopes of finding him - and like any pro, there he was, working on a sketch or commission.
I was always amazed to find a giant of the industry not surrounded by adoring fans, but I saw my chance and took it, and walked up to him.
I said, "Excuse me, Mr. Cardy - I was wondering..." He cut me off, obviously thinking I was about to ask about a sketch. "Sorry," he said a bit gruffly, "they're getting ready to shut down, so I can't take anymore jobs today."
I was worried that I had stepped on his toes here, but I pressed on. "Oh no, I just wanted to see if you had time to autograph this comic."
I set the comic in front of him and his eyes immediately lit up, and a big smile broke out on his face. "Oh! I love this issue of Bat Lash!"
He immediately launched into the funny story of how they had called him, needing an issue to keep on schedule - but they didn't have a script ready yet. He laughed - "I told them, no problem - I'll just write it myself! So I put it together in record time and took it into the office - I was really proud of that job and it was so much fun!"
With that he signed the cover and handed it over. He said, "Thanks!"
I walked away with a smile on my face - I'm always amazed at how nice so many comics creators are. They sit above us like deities, handing down dazzling displays of their talent for mere mortals to enjoy - how great is it, to meet someone with so much talent and humor and heart?
It made my day - so yeah, I'll be hanging on to that memory - and this issue - for a long, long time.
Grade: A
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3 comments:
It's interesting to learn which issues a comic book artist are their favorite, and to learn some of the stories behind some of their work.
One of my favorite covers. I also met Mr. Cardy at Heroes Con, maybe that same year. He was an amazing guy and I picked up his art book, which is absolutely gorgeous.
Bobby
I met him at MegaCon a few years before he died when a book of his WWII sketches was published and he was promoting it at a panel.
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