This is it. We've reached the last leg of our Tour du "Josie", via Frank Doyle and Dan DeCarlo.
Still with us are Josie (of course), Pepper (not for long), Melody, the Cabots and a few others I can't remember right now.
Let's get started, shall we?
>>78430240
forgot my name
Previous storytimes:
http://desustorage.org/co/thread/78338587/
http://desustorage.org/co/thread/78374833/
http://desustorage.org/co/thread/78390014/
http://desustorage.org/co/thread/78409436/
>>78430263
>>78430273
>>78430286
>>78430291
>pussycat
more foreshadowing
>>78430302
>>78430314
>>78430329
>>78430345
>>78430358
You can't beat the classics.
>>78430372
>>78430381
>>78430397
>>78430409
>>78430426
>>78430440
>>78430450
>>78430459
>>78430345
I have literally no idea what this vampire magician is supposed to be referencing, unless it's another LAUGH-IN reference.
Wait, I remember now that Doyle was a DARK SHADOWS fan so he's probably just mashing up his daytime and nighttime TV viewing.
>>78430476
>>78430499
>>78430524
>>78430536
>>78430546
>>78430536
The Comics Code is now sufficiently relaxes that it allows artists to draw navels.
And no one enjoys it more than our boy Dan DeCarlo.
>>78430556
Hey look, it's Dan's self-insert.
Looks pretty good for a middle-aged man.
>>78430581
>>78430615
#39
Just the other day I was watching "Ski Party" w/ Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman. Good way to kill an hour and a half.
>>78430615
So Dan is drawing himself dumping his own wife Josie for a hotter woman.
>>78430642
>>78430667
>>78430689
Doyle sure loved using campy Shakespearean dialogue
>>78430729
>>78430742
>>78430756
>>78430742
"We've got to stop meeting like this, Mervin, Throckmorton is getting suspicious!"
I think that's possibly supposed to be campy Noel Coward dialogue.
>>78430769
Sorry about that
>>78430947
>>78430957
I first thought Mr. Cabot beared a striking resemblance to Josie's father (remember him?)
Except for being 100 pounds heavier, of course
>>78430988
I think it's the black-grey hair they share. Probably set them apart from Mr. Lodge (grey) and Archie's dad (bald).
>>78430988
Shiiit. Skipped a few pages
I hate this captcha
>>78431029
>>78431029
>>78431041
>>78430988
Alright. Now we're back on track
>>78431058
DeCarlo sure could draw some grungy-looking slums
>>78431078
>>78431087
>>78431100
>>78431117
>>78431127
>>78431146
>>78431154
>that third letter
Josie isn't in the mood for your shit.
>>78431171
>>78431207
>>78431252
>>78431263
>>78431275
>>78431287
#40
>>78431324
>>78431333
trips o' three
also... l-lewd
>>78431345
>>78431357
>>78431370
>>78431383
>>78431394
Wait a sec... was that Veronica? Nah...
>>78431417
>>78431432
Now that's a splash page. Or should I say boom page?
>>78431452
>>78431475
>>78431486
>>78431503
Yes, Alex.
So you'd be out of his hair for six hours a day.
>>78431539
>>78431545
>>78431370
>STRIKE! Walk out! REVOLT! Picket! Sit in! No! Protest! Bill of Rights! Constitution!
I like how they make a joke about tear gas. Super '60s.
>>78431578
>>78431584
I love how Alex just so HAPPENS to have a gas mask in his locker 'cause, y'know, just in case.
>>78431624
>>78431655
>>78431682
>>78431694
>>78431655
>>78431708
>>78431717
>>78431730
>>78431740
Steam room orgy?
Nah. Comics Code, remember?
>>78431752
>>78431765
#41
This will be the ish that changes everything (sorta).
>>78431821
>>78431845
>>78431862
>>78431878
>>78431887
Pepper, who had been part of "Josie" since the beginning and was one of the three characters that Dan DeCarlo originally submitted to Archie Comics (alongside Josie and Melody), was axed by higher-ups for being too similar to too similar to student protesters and activists at the time.
>>78431908
Ergo, this ish is her very last appearance
>>78431930
I still miss Pepper.
Archie really has a totally opposite attitude to the Big Two when it comes to retired characters. At Marvel and DC every old character, no matter how obscure, will be revived by somebody. Archie had absolutely no sentimentality/nostalgia because they were always focused on young readers, so once a character was gone, she was GONE.
>>78431923
>>78431908
Ah, and I thought they were just trying to unify it with the then new cartoon.
Neat. Sorry to see you go, Pepps.
>>78431973
>>78432011
This was also the last appearance of Clyde Didit
But he got lucky... he just got a whole new character design and went back to "Madhouse", then called "Madhouse Glads"
>>78432041
>>78432050
>>78432062
>>78432082
>>78432093
>>78432105
>>78432113
If I see another mountain, I'm gonna puke
>>78432134
>>78432142
>>78432154
>>78432163
Adios, Pepper.
You'll live on in reprints. I promise.
>>78432180
>>78432195
>>78432202
>>78432210
>>78432210
I love that page, and it's not the first time Frank did that gag
>>78432223
>>78432014
The cartoon hadn't started yet but they were probably trying to get the comic to a point where it could be adapted for TV. It's hard to know how much they coordinated with the cartoon studio though.
>>78432250
Never change, Alex. Never change.
See ya later, Clyde. I'm sure someone will remember you.
>>78432275
#41
OK, first ish sans Pepper, first ish w/ Alan M.,
let's see how this goes down.
>>78432347
>>78432357
>>78432366
>>78432347
I wonder how many letters they got about Pepper's disappearance.
It would kind of be funny if Pepper came back in the new Archie comics as a student protester.
>>78432378
Josie still has a mom?
>>78432392
It's like Veronica, technically her dad is not supposed to be a widower, but 99% of the time we never see her mom.
>>78432392
And thus began a new romance.
btw, those shades on Alex became a permanent part of his character from this ish onward
>>78432617
>>78432636
These next few pages are my favorite part of this ish...
>>78432652
>>78432728
>>78432734
That's one funny gag. Rich kids, amirite?
Love that third panel, too.
>>78432747
>>78432728
You aren't a woman drawn by Decarlo unless your hips are perpetually cocked to the side.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
>>78430642
>likes Josie and Frankie Avalon movies
Are you me?
>>78432753
This was the first ish to introduce the "band" concept that the "Archies" cartoon made so popular.
>>78432762
Possibly.
You live in Maryland?
>>78432783
Oops, skipped some pages...I am losin' it...
>>78432790
>>78432801
>>78432807
>>78432826
>>78432835
That's just cold, Mr. Cabot.
>>78432845
>>78432853
>>78432865
>>78432872
>>78432880
OH, and since Sock was pretty much dead weight without Pepper, this is the last time you'll be seeing him. Ever.
>>78432897
Gloomer and Instant Replay were set up to be possible recurring characters, but this is their only appearance. Meh. Not much of a loss.
>>78432921
"Alan and the Jesters"? Nice ring to it, I'll admit it.
Of course, a few months later, Josie got put into a band herself, and the rest was history.
>>78432921
I'm guessing Gloomer killed himself and took Replay with him. Who killed Sock and Pepper, I don't know.
>>78432950
#43
The ish introducing Alexandra's magical powers and the streak o' white in her hair that came 'long with it.
>>78432994
>Who killed Sock and Pepper
The system, man! Big Brother, dig?
>>78433014
>>78433033
>>78433053
Since shows like "Dark Shadows", "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie" were BIG at the time (alongside Archie's own Sabrina the Teenage Witch), it's easy to see why they gave Alexandra magic powers and a cat to go with 'em.
>>78433085
>>78433094
>>78433106
Spooky third panel
>>78433115
>>78433124
>>78433135
>>78433142
>>78433150
Introducing Fat Sheldon, the neighborhood fatso.
>>78433165
He sure is fat.
>>78433171
Have I neglected to mention how fat Fat Sheldon is?
>>78433033
DeCarlo's wholesome cheesecake art is something that comics really don't have any more.
Today when people think of cheesecake art they think of poses that look pornographic, for better or worse. The backlash against that kind of art has been to make art as unsexy as possible.
DeCarlo-style art of Melody is totally wholesome and appeals to girls as much as boys.
>>78433188
Because, Lord A-BOVE, is he FAT or what?
>>78433188
"Hey, shouldn't we have a big eater like Jughead in this comic?"
"Sure, let's have a fat guy eating a candy bar, kids love that."
>>78433215
>playing footsie
l-lewd
>>78433240
>>78433254
>>78433265
>>78433272
Was there a pitbull behind that fence?
>>78433285
>>78433294
>>78433326
Guess we can add attempted animal murder to the list of terrible things Alex has done.
>>78433333
>Those quints
unholy fucker of mothers
>>78433202
The one-page gags DeCarlo produced for Humoraama in the '50s are actually some of the most harmless men's mag cartoons I've ever seen.
Even stranger seeing how those same cartoons were frequently reprinted alongside explicit split-beaver shoots well into the early '80s.
>>78433449
Whoops. forgot my pic
>>78433463
>>78433470
*sigh*...
>>78433476
...it was bound to come sooner or later.
The end of an era.
#44
Also,
>best answers win prizes
Bullshit. Nobody won nothing.
>>78433498
Fat Sheldon...
Fat, Fat, Fat, Fat Sheldon...He's fat.
>>78433517
>>78433528
Fat.
>>78433539
>>78433543
>>78433551
>>78433569
>>78433581
>Dat ascot
Alan M. is basically a buffer Fred. There's no two ways about it.
>>78433606
Also, wicked burn
>>78433625
>>78433646
Alexandra's basically the same, really.
>>78433658
>>78433671
>>78433679
Alex made a full recovery from his axe wounds the next day.
>>78433690
Alright.
Last story of the original series.
Let's do this.
>>78433733
>>78433741
>>78433755
>>78433773
>>78433785
>>78433794
>>78433810
>>78433733
>the final story of the original series is about a lovesick bikini beach girl
Dan and Dick were heroes.
>>78433824
Josie still has a dad?
>>78433837
Don't forget Frank. Nobody should forget Frank.
>>78433841
And so we end here, not with a bang, but with a whimper.
Oh well. Better than nothing.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who bothered to stick by me and read all 44 ishs of "Josie"..
But remember to thank the two men who made it all possible - Frank Doyle (1917-1996) and Dan DeCarlo (1919-2001). These men are the heroes we needed. The heroes we deserved.
I sincerely hope you had as much fun reading it as I did dumping it.
Happy Holidays, /co/. And keep this thread bumped. Please. Thank you.
>>78433922
Thanks for the dump and happy holidays.
>>78434064
Very welcome, anon. And thanks!
Next year I'm thinking of tackling "That Wilkin Boy"... I'll have to plan it out first, but it'll work.
This was a good week.
>>78434103
Thanks OP.
That Wilkin Boy, eh? That's... uneven, but I loved how it experimented for a while with being a Relevant Issue comic (because All in the Family was the most popular TV show) and even a romance comic.
So when "Josie and the Pussycats" starts up, does it take up "Josie"'s numbering, or does it begin from #1?
>>78433922
Who was mostly involved with these comics when it changed over to "Josie and the Pussycats"? More of the art in the 70s Josie comics seemed to be Stan Goldberg's work. For writing, it seems that Frank was still pretty involved with it, if I recall correctly. I'm not sure how much other Archie writers like George Gladir contributed, though.
Probably my single favorite Josie page right here.
>>78434291
Stays with the Josie numbering
>>78434293
Not sure but possibly some Doug Crane and Dick Malmgren got in there
>>78434212
Yeah.
When I first read it, there was something about it that rubbed me the wrong way. I wouldn't use the term "mean-spirited" exactly, but it seemed like one of those comics where every character is pissed off with one another for some reason or other.
Basically, to me it felt "darker" than the average Archie comic.
Looking back, it is certainly an interesting comic and it'll be even more interesting to re-read and storytime it...but it can wait 'til next month (and year).
>>78434352
>>78434367
The fella in the potato sack shirt is DeCarlo's self-insert.
>>78434392
>>78434409
I figured he was the guy on this cover too >>78433498
>>78434293
Dick Malmgren was almost certainly the writer of the first Josie and the Pussycats issue, #45. He was an odd bird who wrote a lot of the Relevant Issue stories (anything about war or racism is probably him) and then became writer/artist of a lot of mediocre Archie/Josie/Sabrina stories.
After that it seems like Doyle came back at some point (you can tell his work because he made Valerie into a deadpan snarker like Pepper, other writers just made her generic), George Gladir probably did a lot of cover gags and one-pagers, and Malmgren did some scripts as well. Maybe there were others whose styles are harder to identify.
On art, it's mostly DeCarlo with Stan Goldberg taking on more of the work around the early '70s. And Malmgren and Dan DeCarlo Jr. drew a few.
(Ever since Archie started adding credits to old stories they've constantly gotten credits wrong, so their writing credits especially are very unreliable.)
>>78434368
Thanks so much for this, josie and that wilkin boy are my faborite archie titles, and these storytimes are so few and far between. Thanks for the bits of background info too.
I heard samm schwartz was also
Len brown at tower comics. True?
>>78434755
Len Brown was a real guy. Samm Schwartz was at Tower Comics as an editor and artist, he was editing T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and drawing Tippy Teen.
>>78434885
>Axex
Wha... ?
Dat outfit...
I've got a few more of these Pep stories but that's all I have time for tonight.
>>78435267
Melody's figure, a weapon to surpass Metal Gear
>>78435267
Thanks anon.
It's a treat seeing these standalone stories.
>>78435324
OH
and one more thing for anyone who wants the series
You can easily find it on Kaskus (that's where I got it)
Alright - goombye!
>>78435104
That's a reference to "sighted sub, sank same" which was a meme during World War II.
I really do love how dated the references already were. It made them feel more timeless to me, as a kid, than comics that tried to portray how teenagers "really" talk.
Also I think it's clear that the best Josie stories are the early ones in the Kennedy/LBJ era. When the comic tried to change to fit the swingin' sixties it lost some of its charm.
>>78436429
It's what would sort of harm a comic like Fast Willy Jackson, though, since it had the out of touch adult writers thinking this was how young, hip, urban teens talked.
midnight bump
