Millie the Model

Millie the Model
Millie the Model #40 (Spring 1953). Cover art by Dan DeCarlo
Publication information
Publisher	Timely Comics; Atlas Comics; Marvel Comics
Format	Ongoing series
Number of issues	Issue #1–207 (Winter 1945 – Dec. 1973)
Main character(s)	Millie Collins, Chili Storm, Toni Turner
Creative team
Writer(s)	Stan Lee, others
Artist(s)	Ruth Atkinson, Mike Sekowsky, Dan DeCarlo, Stan Goldberg

Millie the Model was Marvel Comics' longest-running humor title, first published by the company's 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and continuing through its 1950s forerunner, Atlas Comics, to 1970s Marvel.

The series ran 207 issues (cover-dated Winter 1945 to Dec. 1973), a 28-year span that included one of the first Marvel Comics annuals (in 1962), and spin-offs including A Date with Millie,Life with Millie,Mad About Millie and Modeling with Millie. Initially a humorous career-gal book about New York City model Millie Collins, it very quickly evolved into a broader, more slapstick comedy – though for a time becoming a romantic adventure series with all the same characters (#113–153, March 1963 – Aug. 1967) before returning to humor. Both the trademarked cover title and the copyrighted title as per its postal indicia are Millie the Model Comics through issue #94; the cover title then becomes simply Millie the Model, although the copyrighted title did not change to match until issue #144.

The character was created by writer-artist Ruth Atkinson, one of the pioneering women cartoonists in comic books. Following this first issue, subsequent early stories were drawn mostly by Timely staffer Mike Sekowsky.

The character's essential look, however, was the work of future Archie Comics great Dan DeCarlo, who would later create Josie and the Pussycats and other Archie icons. DeCarlo's 10-year run on the series, from #18–93 (June 1949 – Nov. 1959), was succeeded by the team of writer Lee and artist Stan Goldberg, a.k.a. "Stan G.", the main Atlas/Marvel colorist at the time. Goldberg mimicked the house style DeCarlo set, and later went on to work with him at Archie, as did occasional Millie artist Henry Scarpelli. Al Hartley and Ogden Whitney provided an occasional cover.