'My Friend Irma'.
Dan De Carlo is an American comic book artist, best known for his work for Achie Comics and the modernization of the Archie characters. Born in New Rochelle, New York, he attended the New Rochelle High School and Manhattan's Art Students League in the late 1930s. During World War II, he was drafted in the US Army and stationed in the UK, where he worked in the motor pool, while also drawing the weekly military comic strip.
'Homer the Happy Ghost'.
After World War II, he started out in comic book art, drawing for the Timely/Atlas titles 'Jeannie', 'Millie the Model', 'Nelly the Nurse', 'Snappy the Ghost Dog', 'Homer the Happy Ghost' and 'My Girl Pearl'. He also created 'Willie Lumpkin the Mailman' as a newspaper strip with Stan Lee in 1960. He additionally did cartoons for magazines like The Saturday Evening Post, Argosy and Humorama. De Carlo and Lee also drew a comic version of the television and radio show 'My Friend Irma'.
'Willie Lumpkin' (Quebec edition, Le Petit Journal, 12 February 1961).
De Carlo began his long collaboration with Archie Comics in the early 1950s. He drew for a great many titles, including 'Archie' and 'Betty and Veronica', and created new ones like 'Sabrina, The Teenage Witch', 'Cheryl Blossom' and 'Josie and the Pussycats'.
'Betty and Veronica'.
De Carlo modernized the classic Archie characters and established the company's house style. After the death of Archie creator Bob Montana, he also worked on the syndicated 'Archie' comic in the 1970s and 1980s. De Carlo worked for Archie comics for more than 40 years, when he was fired by the company over a dispute about the credits of 'Josie and the Pussycats'.
'The Brain'.
Besides Archie Comics, De Carlo has also worked for companies like Ziff-Davis, Better Publications and Magazine Enterprises (a.o. 'The Brain') in the 1950s, often in cooperation with inker Rudy Lapick. He died of a heart attack at the age of 82. His twin sons, Dan and James De Carlo Jr., also worked on the 'Archie' comics.
Dan De Carlo, Sr. was a strong influence on Luc Morjaeu, Bill Morrison and Tiburcio. Bill Morrison wrote a highy recommended biography about Dan De Carlo: 'Innocence and Seduction. The Art of Dan DeCarlo' (Fantagraphics, 2001).
Cover for 'Showgirls'.