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Building the new site wouldn’t be nearly as time consuming if I wasn’t insistent upon getting 139 SIBAM columns transferred over to the new place. Gah.

INNOCENCE AND SEDUCTION: THE ART OF DAN DECARLO
Written and Edited by Bill Morrison
Published by Fantagraphics

Anyone who’s read me for any length of time knows how I feel about the legendary Dan DeCarlo. To wit: he was one of the first artists whose work I fell in love with, he was an icon, and the opportunity to meet him at San Diego was one of the highlights of any con for me. So I’ve been highly pleased to see such items as the previous compilation of DeCarlo’s single-panel cartoons, to put it mildly. But that collection pales in comparison to this magnificent over-sized hardcover.

Not content merely to display DeCarlo’s art, Morrison provides an excellent and informative biography of the man as well. From his humble beginnings to his wartime service to his lengthy career in comics, it’s all here. Told in simple passages, and illustrated by the work he was doing during the parts of his life Morrison is discussing in each chapter, INNOCENCE AND SEDUCTION paints a portrait of a fascinating man who lived a full, yet somewhat tragic, life. From the highs of his days working with Stan Lee to the lows of losing his court battle against the Archie folks who wouldn’t acknowledge his creation of JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS or their house art style, Morrison puts it all on the page.

However, for my money, nothing tops Morrison’s coverage of how Dan met the love of his life, Josie. They met under simple circumstances; DeCarlo was stationed in Europe during World War Two, and Josie was a gorgeous Frenchwoman brought along as part of a double date scenario. But DeCarlo told a much more fantastic and ludicrous tale of how the two came together. I won’t spoil it, but needless to say, the man was a born raconteur.

But if that doesn’t sell you the book, you need look no further than the amazing amount of classic DeCarlo art in these pages. From early childhood sketches to forgotten comics to his classic work on MILLIE, you can watch his development into one of the giants of the medium. There’s also plenty of work from later in his career here as well, not skimping on how he developed Betty & Veronica into the true icons they are today.

INNOCENCE AND SEDUCTION reminds you more than just a bit of Fantagraphics’ previous hardcover works covering B. Kriegstein. And like those books, I expect this effort to be in strong contention when awards season rolls around next year. Truly a treasure, worthy of a place of honor on any true fan’s shelf.

/Mason