Geek Book Review: Nick Cardy: The Artist at War

Nick Cardy is a comic book artist who has worked on Aquaman, Teen Titans, and many other titles. He served in the military during WWII from 1943 through 1945. During his service, he earned two Purple Hearts. He also carried around notebooks and would sketch what he saw happening around him. Nick Cardy- before being draftedNick Cardy: The Artist at War (by Nick Cardy and Renee Witterstaetter) is a collection of his sketches and watercolor paintings. Some of the watercolor paintings he did in the field (like the one below), carrying his watercolors in a Sucrets tin. The other watercolors were done later, based on sketches. The sketch above was done just before he was drafted. He sketched it while sitting on the pier of the Hudson River. The artwork in this book is incredible. And the stories that go along with the artwork is often times even more incredible. Nick Cardy- watercolor study in the fieldHe depicted the horrors of war as well as the mundane tasks. There are sketches of bombings and sketches of people using the bathroom in ditches. Nick Cardy- bombing the film factory in Wulfen- spit drawingPictured above is a sketch of a factory being bombed in Wulfen.  He refers to this as a “spit drawing.” To find out what that means, read the book. And you should read the book. I cannot recommend this book enough. I found it to be completely captivating. If you have any interest in art, history, or war, you will love this book. Once I started the book, I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting, often reading parts of it aloud to my husband. I liked it so much that I wish I could post every picture and tell every story. But, instead, I encourage you to go here and buy the book!

 

 

 

Leave me a comment or find me on twitter @ScifiSapphire and let me know what you thought of the book.

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