"Then is when I decided to take it to Archie to see if they could do it as a comic book. I showed it to Richard Goldwater, and he showed it to his father, and a day or two later I got the OK to do it as a comic book"
About this Quote
The intent is practical and retrospective. DeCarlo isn’t selling a grand vision; he’s documenting process: take an idea, find the right gatekeeper, get a yes. That procedural tone quietly asserts authorship in an industry that often blurs credit. By naming Richard Goldwater and “his father,” DeCarlo sketches the real power map behind the cheerful art: Archie wasn’t just a character, it was a family-run decision pipeline, a brand with human chokepoints.
The subtext is about legitimacy and conversion. “Take it to Archie” treats Archie Comics like a standards body - the place where a concept becomes a product. “See if they could do it” isn’t about artistic capability; it’s about whether the company can absorb the idea into its machine: house style, print schedules, distribution, the unglamorous infrastructure that turns drawings into a national habit.
Context matters: mid-century comics were fast, commercial, and intensely editorial. DeCarlo’s anecdote captures how cultural artifacts get manufactured - not as solitary inspiration, but as negotiated permission. The “OK” is the hinge. A day or two later, the future of a fandom is approved like a layout.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
DeCarlo, Dan. (2026, January 17). Then is when I decided to take it to Archie to see if they could do it as a comic book. I showed it to Richard Goldwater, and he showed it to his father, and a day or two later I got the OK to do it as a comic book. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/then-is-when-i-decided-to-take-it-to-archie-to-40176/
Chicago Style
DeCarlo, Dan. "Then is when I decided to take it to Archie to see if they could do it as a comic book. I showed it to Richard Goldwater, and he showed it to his father, and a day or two later I got the OK to do it as a comic book." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/then-is-when-i-decided-to-take-it-to-archie-to-40176/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Then is when I decided to take it to Archie to see if they could do it as a comic book. I showed it to Richard Goldwater, and he showed it to his father, and a day or two later I got the OK to do it as a comic book." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/then-is-when-i-decided-to-take-it-to-archie-to-40176/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
