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Steve Ditko
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Steve Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. He was inducted into the comics industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990.
BiographyEarly life and careerDitko was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1927. Good with his hands, Ditko in junior high school crafted wooden models of German airplanes to aid civilian World War II aircraft-spotters. He was influenced by the work of newspaper cartoonists, particularly Will Eisner, writer-artist of The Spirit, and read Batman comic books. Ditko graduated from Johnstown High School in 1945, afterward doing military service in post-war Germany, where he produced hand-made comics as letters to his family.
After his discharge, Ditko studied at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (later the School of Visual Arts) in New York City, under Batman inker Jerry Robinson and others, and began professionally illustrating comic books in 1953. He broke in almost simultaneously at the Crestwood Publications' imprint Prize Comics (penciling and inking "A Hole in the Head" in Black Magic Vol. 4, #3, Dec. 1953) and at Harvey Comics (assisting inker Mort Meskin on the Jack Kirby pencil work of Captain 3-D #1, Dec. 1953). Much of Ditko's early work, starting with the cover of Space Adventures #10 (Spring 1954) and the five-page story "Homecoming" in that issue, was for Charlton Comics, for which he continued to work intermittently until the company's demise in 1986, producing science fiction, horror and mystery stories, as well as co-creating Captain Atom, with writer Joe Gill, in 1960.
Ditko also drew for Atlas Comics, the 1950s precursor of Marvel Comics, beginning with the four-page "There'll Be Some Changes Made" in Journey into Mystery #33 (April 1956); this debut tale would be reprinted in Marvel's Curse of the Weird #4 (March 1994). Ditko would go on to contribute a large number of stories, many considered classic, to Atlas/Marvel's Strange Tales and the newly launched Amazing Adventures, Strange Worlds, Tales of Suspense and Tales to Astonish, issues of which would typically open with a Kirby-drawn monster story, followed by one or two twist-ending thrillers or sci-fi tales drawn by Don Heck, Paul Reinman, or Joe Sinnott, all capped by an often-surreal, sometimes self-reflexive short by Ditko and writer-editor Stan Lee. These bagatelles proved so popular that Amazing Adventures was reformatted to feature such stories exclusively beginning with issue #7 (Dec. 1961), when the comic was rechristened Amazing Adult Fantasy — a name intended to reflect its more "sophisticated" nature, as likewise the new tagline "The magazine that respects your intelligence".
From 1958 to either 1966 or 1968 (accounts differ), Ditko shared a Manhattan studio at 43rd Street and Eighth Avenue with noted fetish artist Eric Stanton, an art-school classmate. When either artist was under deadline pressure, it was not uncommon for them to pitch in and help the other with his assignment.
Marvel ComicsCreation of Spider-ManAfter Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee obtained permission from publisher Martin Goodman to create a new "ordinary teen" superhero named "Spider-Man", Lee originally approached his leading artist, Jack Kirby. Kirby told Lee about his own 1950s character conception, variously called the Silver Spider and Spiderman, in which an orphaned boy finds a magic ring that gives him superpowers. Comics historian Greg Theakston says Lee and Kirby "immediately sat down for a story conference" and Lee afterward directed Kirby to flesh out the character and draw some pages. "A day or two later", Kirby showed Lee the first six pages, and, as Lee recalled, "I hated the way he was doing it. Not that he did it badly it just wasn't the character I wanted; it was too heroic".
Lee turned to Ditko, who developed a visual motif Lee found satisfactory, although Lee would later replace Ditko's original cover with one penciled by Kirby. Ditko said,
Ditko also recalled that,
Much earlier, in a rare contemporaneous account, Ditko described his and Lee's contributions in a mail interview with Gary Martin published in Comic Fan #2 (Summer 1965): "Stan Lee thought the name up. I did costume, web gimmick on wrist & spider signal". Additionally, Ditko shared a Manhattan studio with noted fetish artist Eric Stanton, an art-school classmate who, in a 1988 interview with Theakston, recalled that although his contribution to Spider-Man was "almost nil", he and Ditko had "worked on storyboards together and I added a few ideas. But the whole thing was created by Steve on his own... I think I added the business about the webs coming out of his hands".
Doctor Strange and other charactersAfter drawing the final issue of The Incredible Hulk (#6, March 1963), Ditko co-created with Lee the supernatural hero Doctor Strange, in Strange Tales #110 (July 1963). Ditko and Lee shortly thereafter relaunched a Hulk series as a short feature in the anthology Tales to Astonish, beginning with issue #60 (Oct. 1964). Ditko, inked by George Roussos, penciled the feature through #67 (May 1965). Ditko designed the Hulk's primary antagonist, the Leader, in #62 (Dec. 1964).
Ditko also penciled the Iron Man feature in Tales of Suspense #47-49 (Nov. 1963 - Jan. 1964), with various inkers. The first of these debuted the initial version of Iron Man's modern red-and-golden armor, though whether Ditko or cover-penciler and principal character designer Jack Kirby designed the costume is uncertain.
Though often overshadowed by his Amazing Spider-Man work, Ditko's "Doctor Strange" stories have been equally acclaimed, showcasing surrealistic mystical landscapes and increasingly head-trippy visuals that helped make the feature a favorite of college students, according to contemporaneous accounts. Eventually, as co-plotter and later sole plotter, in the "Marvel Method", Ditko would take Strange into ever-more-abstract realms, which yet remained well-grounded thanks to Lee's reliably humanistic, adventure/soap opera dialog. Ditko's tenure on "Dr. Strange" culminated in the introduction, in Strange Tales #146 (July 1966), of Ditko's grand and enduring conception of Eternity, the personification of the universe, depicted as a majestic silhouette whose outlines are filled with the cosmos.
Whichever feature he drew, Ditko's idiosyncratic, cleanly detailed, instantly recognizable art style, emphasizing mood and anxiety, found great favor with readers. The character of Spider-Man and his troubled personal life meshed well with Ditko's own interests, which Lee eventually acknowledged by giving the artist plotting credits on the latter part of their 38-issue run. But after four years on the title, Ditko left Marvel; he and Lee had not been on speaking terms for some time, though the details remain uncertain. Lee recalled that, "Little by little, he became more unfriendly. Instead of bringing his artwork in, he sent it by messenger". Ditko later claimed it was Lee who broke off contact and disputed the long-held belief the disagreement was over the true identity of the Green Goblin: "Stan never knew what he was getting in my Spider-Man stories and covers until after [production manager] Sol Brodsky took the material from me ... so there couldn't have been any disagreement or agreement, no exchanges ... no problems between us concerning the Green Goblin or anything else from before issue #25 to my final issues".
Comics historian Greg Theakston, who visited Ditko on occasion, theorized Ditko saw The Amazing Spider-Man as semi-autobiographical: "Spider-Man was the culmination of everything Ditko was up until that moment. Ditko had personal ties to the character. When people started to 'manipulate him' into bringing in more romance into the strip and changing the direction, Ditko felt slighted, crushed ... they were telling him how to do it. He wouldn't be told".
Writer and future Marvel editor Roy Thomas said in a 1998 interview that, "I'll never forget the day I walked into one Marvel office not long after Ditko quit, and here's John Romita, Sr. drawing Amazing Spider-Man and Larry [Lieber] drawing the Spider-Man Annual and Marie Severin drawing 'Dr. Strange', and I joked, 'This is the Steve Ditko Room; it takes three of you to do what Steve Ditko used to do'".
Charlton and DC ComicsBack at Charlton where the page rate was low but creators were allowed greater freedom Ditko worked on such characters as Blue Beetle (1967-68), The Question (1967-68), Captain Atom (1965-1967, returning to the character he'd co-created in 1960), and in 1974 backup stories E-Man, writer Joe Gill's Liberty Belle and Ditko's own Killjoy. With The Question and Killjoy, Ditko freely expressed his personal ideology, based on Ayn Rand's Objectivism and the writings of Greek philosopher Aristotle. Ditko also produced much work for Charlton's science-fiction and horror titles. In addition, in 1966-1967, he drew 16 stories by writer Archie Goodwin for Warren Publishing's horror-comic magazines, most of which were done using ink-wash.
In 1967, Ditko gave his ideas ultimate expression in the form of Mr. A, published in Wally Wood's independent title witzend #3. Ditko's hard line against criminals was controversial and alienated many fans, but he continued to produce Mr. A stories and one-pagers until the end of the 1970s. Ditko returned to Mr. A once more in 2000.
Ditko moved to DC Comics in 1968, where he created the Creeper in Showcase #73 (April 1968) with scripter Don Segall), under editor Murray Boltinoff. Ditko shortly afterward recommended Charlton editor Dick Giordano to DC, where Giordano would become managing editor in 1981.
Ditko co-created the The Hawk and the Dove in Showcase #75 (June 1968), working with writer Steve Skeates, but left after drawing the first two issues of the duo's ongoing series (Sept.-Nov. 1968).
Ditko's stay at DC was short he would work on all six issues of the Creeper's own title, Beware the Creeper (June 1968 - April 1969), though leaving midway through the final one and again, the reasons for his departure are uncertain. From this time up through the mid-1970s, he worked exclusively for Charlton and various small press/independent publishers, including former Marvel publisher Martin Goodman's start-up Atlas/Seaboard Comics, where he co-created the superhero the Destructor with writer Archie Goodwin, and penciled all four issues of the namesake series (Feb.-Aug. 1975), the first two of which were inked by fellow comics legend Wally Wood.
Latter-day DitkoDitko returned to DC Comics in 1975, creating one short-lived title, Shade, the Changing Man (1977-78). Shade was later revived, without Ditko's involvement, in the DC's mature-audience imprint Vertigo Comics. With Paul Levitz (writer) and Wally Wood (inker), he co-created Stalker (1975-76) which ran for four issues. He also revived the Creeper and did such various other jobs as a short Demon backup series in 1979, work on Legion of Superheroes in 1980-81, and stories in DC's horror and science-fiction anthologies. He also drew the Prince Gavin version of Starman in Adventure Comics #467-478 (1980). He then decamped to do work for a variety of publishers, briefly contributing to DC again in 1986, with four pinups of his characters for Who's Who in the DC Universe and a pinup for Superman #400 and its companion portfolio.
Ditko returned to Marvel in 1979, taking over Jack Kirby's Machine Man and continuing to freelance for the company into the late 1990s. In 1982, he also began freelancing for Pacific Comics, beginning with Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers #6 (Sept. 1982), in which he introduced the superhero Missing Man, with Mark Evanier scripting for Ditko's plot and art. Subsequent Missing Man stories appeared in Pacific Presents #1-3 (Oct. 1982 - Marcy 1984), with Ditko scripting the former and collaborating with Robin Snyder on the script for the latter two. Ditko also created the Mocker for Pacific, in Silver Star #2 (April 1983).
For Eclipse Comics, he contributed a story featuring his character Static (no relation to the later Milestone Comics character) in Eclipse Monthly #1-3 (Aug.-Oct. 1983), introducing supervillain the Exploder in #2. With writer Jack C. Harris, Ditko drew the backup feature "The Faceless Ones" in First Comics' Warp #2-4 (April-June 1983). Working with that same writer and others, Ditko drew a handful of The Fly, Fly-Girl and Jaguar stories for The Fly #2-8 (July 1983 - Aug. 1984), for Archie Comics' short-lived 1980s superhero line; in a rare, possibly unique latter-day instance of Ditko inking another artist, he inked penciler Dick Ayers on the Jaguar story in The Fly #9 (Oct. 1984)
In 1993, he did the Dark Horse Comics one-shot The Safest Place in the World. For the Defiant Comics series Dark Dominion, he drew issue #0, which was released as a set of trading cards,
In 1995, he pencilled a four-issue series for Marvel based on the Phantom 2040 animated TV-series. This included a poster that was inked by John Romita Sr.
An aborted series at Fantagraphics Books, Steve Ditko's Strange Avenging Tales ran one issue, in 1997.
Ditko retired from mainstream comics in 1998, having worked in his latter years both on such established superheroes as the Sub-Mariner (in Marvel Comics Presents) to newer, licensed characters such as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The last mainstream character he created was Marvel's Longarm in Shadows & Light #1 (Feb. 1998).
Since then, Ditko's solo work has been published intermittently by independent publisher and long-time friend Robin Snyder, his former editor at Charlton, Archie Comics, and Renegade Press in the 1980s. The Snyder-published books have included Static, The Missing Man, The Mocker and, in 2002, Avenging World, a collection of stories and essays spanning 30 years.
Ditko's final original works for mainstream comics have been: for Marvel, the self-inked, 12-page Iron Man story "A Man's Reach....", scripted by writer Len Wein, in the black-and-white comic book Shadows & Light #1 (Feb. 1998); and, for DC, the 5-page New Gods story "Infinitely Gentle Infinitely Suffering", inked by Mick Gray and believed to be intended for the 2000-2002 Orion series but not published until the 2008 collection Tales of the New Gods.
Personal lifeDitko resides in New York City as of 2008. He has refused to give interviews or make public appearances since the 1960s, explaining in 1969 that, "When I do a job, its not my personality that Im offering the readers but my artwork. Its not what I'm like that counts; its what I did and how well it was done.... I produce a product, a comic art story. Steve Ditko is the brand name". He has, however, contributed numerous essays to Snyder's fanzine The Comics.
Ditko is an ardent supporter and advocate of Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism.
AwardsDitko was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990.
Selected bibliography
As penciler (generally but not exclusively self-inked), unless otherwise noted
Marvel
- Amazing Adult Fantasy #7-14; becomes
Amazing Fantasy #15
DC
Charlton
Warren
Legacy- Ditko received a screen credit reading "Based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko" in the 2002 film Spider-Man. In the subsequent Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker's landlord or building superintendent, played by Elya Baskin, is named Mr. Ditkovich.
- Ditko's DC Comics characters appear in the animated television series Justice League Unlimited. The final episode features Captain Atom, the Creeper, the Question, and Hawk & Dove in a fight scene working together, and in that episode's final scene, in which the Justice Leaguers race down a flight of stairs in the style of actors taking curtain calls, Ditko's characters appear together.
- In September 2007, Jonathan Ross hosted a one-hour documentary, In Search of Steve Ditko for the arts channel BBC Four. Ross in his documentary noted that only "four or five" public photographs of Ditko are known to exist, and one voice recording, and that Ditko, whom he met in the course of production, declined to be interviewed on camera or photographed.
QuotesDitkoOn artist Mort Meskin: "Meskin was fabulous, I couldn't believe the ease with which he drew: strong compositions, loose pencils, yet complete; detail without clutter. I loved his stuff".
Excerpt from Comic Fan #2, Summer 1965, Ditko interview conducted by mail with Gary Martin; punctuation verbatim:
GARY - Who originated Spider-Man?
STEVE - Stan Lee thought the name up. I did costume, web gimmick on wrist & spider signal.
GARY - Would you enjoy continuing on him?
STEVE - If nothing better comes along.
Voice of Comicdom #4 (April 1965): Comment on this fanzine's reader-poll to determine which "Best Liked" fan strips would continue to be published; punctuation verbatim:
Other creators on DitkoDick Giordano, editor at Charlton and later DC Comics: "He was suffering from a lung ailment all his life from, I think, tuberculosis when he was younger. He was younger then and needed to exercise, so Steve and I used to spend a lot of time playing ping-pong. They had a table in the cafeteria, and we'd work up a sweat that's how I learned to play, with Steve and I had to defend myself when we started. By the time we finished playing, we were fairly equal, I think, but he'd still beat me more often than not".
Frank McLaughlin, Charlton art director: "Ditko lived in a local hotel in Derby for a while. He was a very happy-go-lucky guy with a great sense of humor at that time, and always supplied the [female] color separators with candy and other little gifts".
Characters created
External links
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