Comments:
Created by his mom and dad!
DAN DeCARLO
Real Name: Dan DeCarlo
Identity/Class: Normal human
Occupation: Professional comic book artist
Group Membership: Atlas (Marvel) Comics
Affiliations: Stan Lee
Enemies: Ghost Gang (Alice, Dugan, Homer Ghost,
Melvin, Zelda)
(loose), Irma Peterson
Known Relatives: Josie Dumont (wife), Dan
DeCarlo, Jr. (son), James DeCarlo (son)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile, including New York
City, USA
Born: December 12, 1919
Deceased: December 18, 2002
First Appearance: My Friend Irma I#41/3
(March, 1954) (in Marvel Comics)
Powers/Abilities: Dan DeCarlo is an
accomplished and respected comic book artist and collaborator, also
developing new characters, including the Homer, the Happy Ghost comic. He enjoys golfing and smoking cigars.
History:
(real life/Hogan’s Alley#16) - In the late 1940s, Dan
DeCarlo answered an ad at Timely Comics (later known as Atlas and
Marvel) and began working as an artist there.
He soon began collaborating with writer Stan Lee on the My Friend Irma
syndicated comic title, which was a spin-off from the popular radio and
television comedy show. However, Irma was a real person whose
simple-minded and absolute literal interpretations led to comedic and
confusing situations and discussions. Stan and Dan crafted their
stories
to reflect this, but Irma disliked it and felt the comic made her
look daft.
(My Friend Irma I#41/3) - Irma stormed up to the
editorial office where Stan and Dan created the comic and demanded to
see them. Irma bypassed the secretary and confronted Stan and Dan, who
skirted around the issue, but Irma unwittingly provided more humorous
material for the Atlas duo. Stan usually stood and moved around while
Dan was seated in front of his art drafting table. Stan and Dan managed
to fob her off and ushered her out by promising to do a story that made
her appear smart.
(My Friend Irma I#48/6) - Upset that Stan and Dan
hadn't made changes to how she was depicted in the comic, Irma sternly
returned to the editorial office and confronted the pair again. After
comedic confusion and dim-witted responses, Irma left warning Stan and
Dan to make her appear smart. But it was also payday, and Stan and Dan
met
Irma at the cashier. Irma left happy with a huge bag of money from her
comic, while the two comic creators received very little salary. Stan
and Dan realized she wasn't so silly after all.
(Homer, the Happy Ghost I#18/1 (fb) - BTS) - Irma's
comic ceased publication. Dan and Stan also collaborated on another
comedy title, this
time an apparently original concept of a group of ghosts under the
banner Homer, the Happy Ghost,
unaware that the characters were real
(whether it was sheer coincidence or some sort of bizarre
reality-altering creation is unrevealed). Stan enjoyed watching
television and cartoons to help inspire his writing, while Dan
practiced golf waiting for scripts.
(Homer, the Happy Ghost I#18/1) - Stan and Dan were going through another day of slowly crafting the next issue of the Homer comic. However, unhappy with how they were being represented in their comic magazine, Homer, the Happy Ghost, the Ghost Gang (Homer, Alice, Dugan, Melvin, Zelda) traveled to Brooklyn to confront the Atlas duo. The gang pushed their way into the office, their supernatural nature shocking Stan and Dan, who didn't realize that the characters they wrote and drew were real. Having said their piece, the gang flew out the upper-story window. Later, the ghosts wondered if Stan and Dan knew how lucky they were to receive advice from their characters, but the pair had told people what had happened. People didn't believe them, so the creative duo were chased by mental health workers with big nets!
Comments:
Created by his mom and dad!
The real-life Dan
DeCarlo, along with Stan
Lee,
is the creator of Homer Ghost. These "meta" stories provide humorous
insights into would-be working days in the creation of these comics.
DeCarlo worked on many comedy titles for Marvel (nee Timely &
Atlas), including Jeanie, Millie the Model and Sherry
the Showgirl. He also co-created the character Willie
Lumpkin with writer Stan Lee. The appearances in this profile are
confined to those in Marvel Comics.
More information on the real Dan DeCarlo's life and
legacy can
be found on his Wikipedia
page.
Of note is that he developed the look of Archie Comics from the 1950s,
establishing the publisher's house style. Interestingly, Marvel tried
their hand at an Archie Andrews lookalike in Homer Hooper
(July, 1953) with art by Hy Rosen, but it lasted only 4 issues.
(DeCarlo first worked on Archie Comics in 1951).
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Dan DeCarlo has no known connections to:
The Homer, the
Happy Ghost comic was written by Stan Lee with art by Dan
DeCarlo and focused on the comedic adventures of a group of ghosts and a
friendly witch. The creators considered it to be an original concept,
but were completely unaware that the characters were actually real
(whether it was sheer coincidence or some sort of bizarre
reality-altering creation is unrevealed). Homer and his Ghost Gang read
the comic but were unhappy with the way they were depicted, and so went
to Brooklyn to confront the creative duo and offer advice.
Elsewhere, simple-minded Pearl's friend Sally visited a newsagent and stationery store and passed a rack selling Atlas comics, including Homer, the Happy Ghost, A Date with Millie and Sherry the Showgirl (all titles that included stories with art by Dan DeCarlo).
This comic is likely to have been the inspiration for
Darryl Forbush's cartoon Homer the
Happy Ghost, as seen in Millie
the Model I#76/1.
--Homer, the Happy Ghost I#18/1 (My Girl Pearl#6/9
images:
(without ads)
Homer, the Happy Ghost I#18/1, p2, pan6 (main image)
My Friend Irma I#48/6, p3, pan5 (headshot)
My Friend Irma I#48/6, p2, pan1 (seated)
Homer, the Happy Ghost I#18/1, p1, pan1 (Homer comic x2)
Homer, the Happy Ghost I#18/1, p1, pan2 (Homer comic up close, inverted)
Appearances:
My Friend Irma I#41/3 (March, 1954) - Stan Lee (writer & editor),
Dan DeCarlo (pencils & inks)
My Friend Irma I#48/6 (February, 1955) - Stan Lee (writer &
editor), Dan DeCarlo (pencils & inks)
Homer, the Happy Ghost I#18/1 (March, 1958) - Stan Lee (writer &
editor), Dan DeCarlo (pencils & inks)
First posted: 12/28/2025
Last updated:
12/28/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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