Dan DeCarlo

Dan DeCarlo (1919-2001) was an American cartoonist born in New Rochelle, New York. He studied at the Art Students League of Manhattan from 1938 to 1941 before being drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served in Europe during World War II. It was in Belgium in 1945 that he met his wife Josie, who would later inspire one of his most famous creations.

After the war, DeCarlo worked for Timely Comics (later Marvel) on titles like Millie the Model. He joined Archie Comics as a staff artist in 1957 and over nearly fifty years became the main artist on Betty and Veronica, modernizing the look of the entire Archie cast by updating their hairstyles and clothing to reflect contemporary fashion. He is the generally recognized co-creator of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats (named for his wife), and Cheryl Blossom.

DeCarlo won the National Cartoonists Society Award for Best Comic Book in 2000. His style became the house style that defined Archie Comics' visual identity for decades.