Jetta: cute space girl from the 1960s by famous Archie artist Dan DeCarlo

Comic book historian Craig Yoe has a knack for finding long-forgotten comic book gems. His latest full-color hardback book contains all three issues of Jetta, a Judy Jetson-esque space girl that predates The Jetsons by at least a decade. Jetta was created by Dan DeCarlo, the cartoonist responsible for the famous look of Betty and Veronica (Bob Montana created Archie, but DeCarlo's bold, fresh rendering of the characters are the ones we remember).

Yoe's homage to Jetta also includes sample of DeCarlo's work as a prolific pin-up artist, and 37 pages of Jetta drawings by contemporary cartoonists. Craig kindly invited me to contribute a drawing of Jetta for the anthology, and I eagerly obliged. Examples of the pin-up art can be see after the jump.

Buy Dan De Carlo's Jetta on Amazon.com

201004120836
Pin up art by Dan DeCarlo.

Bill-Pressing-Jetta
Bill Pressing

Mccracken-Jetta
Craig McCracken

Robert-Ullman
Robert Ullman

Katie-Rice
Katie Rice

Mark-Jetta-1
Mark Frauenfelder

Here is a list of all the artists who contributed:, Alan Gutierrez, Andrew Pepoy , Becky Dreistadt, Ben Tan, Bill Morrison, Bill Presing, Brandon Ragnar, Colleen Coover, Clizia Gussoni, Craig McCracken, Danny Hellman, David Reddick, Dominic Marco, Fabrizio Pasini, Jay Stephens, Jenny Lerew, Joakim Gunnarsson, Hedvig Häggman-Sund, Justin Ridge, Kali Fontecchio, Katie Rice, Leslie & Anna Cabarga, Luke McDonnell, Mark Frauenfelder, Mike Maihack, Molly Crabapple, Paul Guinan, Robert Ullman, Ryan Hungerford, Scott Tolleson, Stephanie Gladden, Stephen Silver, The Savanella Sisters, Tracy Mark Lee

Buy Dan De Carlo's Jetta on Amazon.com

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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MattInBrooklyn

I used to work at Archie as an intern in the bullpen, doing clean-ups and cut-and-paste (literally.)

A big part of my job was putting the finishing touches on Dan Decarlo’s work, since he would often draw Betty and Veronica with hardly any clothes on. I think he did it for fun, knowing that we would all see it in the bullpen, but it would get “cleaned up” before printing.

Fun times!
Felton

The American Barbarella? ;-D
Nash Rambler

Considering the huge influence De Carlo’s art obviously had on them, I’m somewhat surprised to not see a contribution from either Gilbert Hernandez or Jaime Hernandez.
- Boba Fett Diop
  
  I completely agree. Given the retro-futuristic setting, I’d almost expect Maggie to go riding by in the background of one of those panels, off to fix something with Rand Race.
  - Phlip
    
    +1 girls+tools, FTW!
Gutierrez

Jetta Pinups, guaranteed wholesome reading!
Quiche de Resistance

BE
- Quiche de Resistance
  
  B = sunglasses
  E = teeth biting bottom lip
  - Phlip
    
    Dat ass
    - quatrofromageo
      
      lol. It’s a cartoon!
  - Mark Frauenfelder
    
    What does BE mean?
    - Phlip
      
      Sunglasses+biting lip. “Dat Ass” in image-forum speak.
Gloria

Love Bill Presing. Good stuff at Nucleus Gallery.
jfrancis

I love that stuff

http://www.digitalartform.com/archives/images/Scar_DSC4228_600.jpg
Anonymous

I like how her would-be bf’s name is Arky. Not Archie, mind you. That’s so 20th century!
Rich Keller

Yup, Yogi Berra was right, the future ain’t what it used to be. It’s all bad-ass and dystopic now.
Anonymous

Picking a nit: The Jetsons debuted in 1962, so if Jetta “predates The Jetsons by at least a decade” she’s a cute space girl from the 50s or possibly the 40s, not the 1960s.
- Phlip
  
  Now now. Women driver jokes are timeless!
  - Phlip
    
    Here’s a Jetta page where she’s just cracked up daddy’s flying car: http://penbird.tumblr.com/post/521465897/futurists-once-thought-that-women-in-the-future
Anonymous

My Daughter loves Archie and the whole crew. She loves the reprints with Dan DeCarlo’s art the best. Some of the other Archie comics don’t have DeCarlo’s finesse

While digging around for Decarlo Art for her a few months ago I found you can read some of Jetta online on this site… http://www.cartoonjam.com/listmedia.php?i=Jetta

Did not know about this book. Thanks!

-JC
Halloween Jack

I’m also a little disappointed that Darwyn Cooke didn’t throw them a sketch. Oh, well.
Anonymous

I do not think cooking with Uranium is the best of ideas.
arboretum.ind

I’m glad that in the future Everyone drops nerdy references, constantly.
Anonymous

Hmmm….in the top picture, they’re walking one way below the waist and another way above the waist. Start with his yellow boots and work your way up.
semiotix

I like how, on page two, the boys are so repulsed by Jetta’s oafishly leaden suggestion of a mÃ©nage Ã trois that they are moved to put aside their differences and explore the obvious homoeroticism at the root of their conflict.
semiotix

I like how, on page two, the boys are so repulsed by Jetta’s oafishly leaden suggestion of a mÃ©nage Ã trois that they are moved to put aside their differences and explore the obvious homoeroticism at the root of their conflict.
Phlip

This is as terrifyingly retro as the long sideburns in Star Wars IV
Anonymous

She’s horny….no really I see horns on her head.
Anonymous

Christ, what an asshole!
JDMcDonnell

Dammit!
Now I know I went to the wrong high school.
And I’m from the future!
Relatively….
Phlip

Now now. Women driver jokes are timeless!
Anonymous

The comic’s from the 50′s not 60′s so the “decade” comment is correct, just not the “60′s” part of the headline.