COMIC INFLUENCES. SHOUT OUT TO ARCHIE!

I was having a conversation with another artist friend of mine the other evening , and we were discussing different artists and comics that inspired both of us to become artists, ourselves. The usual names of Jack Kirby, Hanna Barbarea , Tex Avery, R Crumb, Charles Schultz, and other well known artists made their way into our conversation, then without even realizing it, i blurted out,
"AND ARCHIE!"
It's funny how most male artists wont "own up" to being influenced by "Archie Comics" well maybe not so funny, when you consider that Archie Comics, were those soft and squishy girlie books you threw to your kid sister, while you surged ahead reading the Fantastic Four and Superman. And yet, those Archie comics, at least for me, had a certain magic to them. Unlike the superhero comics that were "too hard" to draw, the Archie books somehow seemed more accessible, and easier. I remember feeling so good when I drew a successful looking Archie picture, and the stories, although"corny" were entertaining. When I got older, I found out that although simply drawn, the compostion, was masterful, and that was due to the work of Don Decarlo, an unsung hero, I think, in the comics world.
I drew this picture of one of my favorite Archie Characters, Mr. Weatherbee, because he had these nice rounded forms that were easy to get as a kid. So this is my salute to a comic that has spanned generations, and taught a LOT of us how to draw even though we wont admit it. The comics have a section where fans can send in their art, i think I'll send this one in!