One of Archie artist Dan DeCarlo‘s original creations, Sherry the Showgirl made her comic book debut in July 1956. DeCarlo was the artist of the book, and shared creator credit with writer (and future Marvel superstar) Stan Lee.
During the 1940s-50s romance and humor comics featuring curvy pin-up women were at their most popular. Timely Comics was a publisher of the very successful comic Millie the Model featuring a slightly different version of Sherry. Dan DeCarlo had been the artist of Millie for 10 years, eventually also penning the book after Lee left it to work on other Atlas characters.
Atlas wanted to try and launch a spinoff in the Millie vein but featuring a slightly different young lady trying to find her big break in the big city. With a change of career ambition to make it big on the stage and screen, Sherry Storm arrived on the scene and on newsstands in that summer of 1956.
Unfortunately, Sherry was late to the party. The comic book crowd didn’t take to Sherry the way that they embraced Millie. Atlas published three issues of Sherry the Showgirl before changing the book’s title to Showgirls in early 1957 for one issue, then back to the book’s former title for another three issues. The final issue of Sherry the Showgirl came out in August 1957, a little over one year after the book’s debut.
Atlas Comics went through bad financial times in the late ’50s, eventually changing its publishing name into Marvel Comics. With a new focus on making superhero books, Marvel wasn’t really suited for Dan’s art style. By then, DeCarlo had been freelancing for Archie Comics for several years, and eventually transitioned into a full-time role drawing such Archie staples as Betty, Veronica and Josie.
Perhaps Marvel Comics may one day resurrect Sherry the Showgirl and give her a 21st century makeover. Sherry the Instagrammer?
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