Comics guru Craig Yoe picks 13 great covers by his late friend, the legendary Archie artist…
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Dan DeCarlo was born Dec. 12, 1919 and died in 2001. When it came to putting together a 13 COVERS tribute, there was only one person to turn to: historian Craig Yoe. I’m so pleased Craig readily agreed. Thanks, Craig! — Dan
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By CRAIG YOE
Dan DeCarlo produced 46 trillion pages of comics. Nearly all of them masterpieces in drawing and storytelling. But they were merely good for laughs and love. They weren’t super heroes face-punching super villains, so they are just now beginning to get the level of respect they always should have had by the comics cognoscenti.
We all get here to this life by sex and the critics now coming to appreciate DeCarlo’s work are getting there via the same route. Dan is hailed not for the teenage laughs so much as for the teenage lust — those shapely strumpets he deftly lined like his Riverdale High co-eds Ms. Lodge and Ms. Cooper.
The Demure Duo by his pen made young men like I was many decades ago sit up and take notice. And old men like I am now… the artist’s Riverdamsels make us cry. (I must note: plenty of girls/women loved and now cry — with delight — over Dan’s ArchieBettyVeronica threesome adventures, too. I’m not sure why. You’ll have to ask them.)
To me, Dan was not only one of the splendiferous Good Girl Artists, but a good friend as well.
I miss sharing sodas with him.
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Cover images and credits from the fantastic Grand Comics Database.
December 13, 2015
Great selections! That Josie cover is one of my all time favorites! And there is a LOT going on in that B & V #181. Awesome!
December 20, 2015
If DC can “Make Right” with Bill Finger’s estate, isn’t it about time ACP does the same for Dan DeCarlo.
( Not to mention the darn simple fact SHE’S JOSIE was not “work for hire” from inception but he brought a developed concept to ACP – Thanks to his attempts to sell it as a newspaper strip!)