Thursday, December 16, 2010

Random Comic Book Splash Page: Night Nurse #2


Once upon a time, kids, there were actually comic books that didn't have superheroes in them. You could find cowboys, spies, soldiers, barbarians, funny animals, teenagers, and sometimes just ordinary human beings with interesting stories to tell. It takes talent to write and draw those stories, however, and those people don't work in comic books anymore.

Not to make NIGHT NURSE out to be more than it was, which was a soap opera aimed at a young female audience. It's true--girls used to read comics too!

NIGHT NURSE was part of a plan by Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Roy Thomas and publisher Stan Lee to create books for girls to read. None of the three, which also included SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL (covers by Jim Steranko) and CLAWS OF THE CAT, lasted more than a few months.

The Night Nurse was Linda Carter, who, in this issue, works with her roommate to prove that a doctor was the hit-and-run driver who killed a young woman. Written by Thomas' then-wife Jean and drawn old-timer Win Mortimer, NIGHT NURSE #2 from January 1973 was a rather typical issue--not terribly exciting next to the city-exploding storylines in other Marvel books, but certainly capable storytelling.

NIGHT NURSE was canceled after four issues, but Linda Carter was resurrected in Marvel storylines a few years ago and continues to exist in the company's universe.

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