Steve Ditko
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Steve Ditko | |
 Steve Ditko, circa 1965. |
|
| Birth name | Stephen Ditko |
| Born | November 2, 1927 (age 79) Johnstown, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality |
 |
| Area(s) | Penciller, Inker, Writer |
| Notable works | Spider-Man The Question Mister A |
Stephen Ditko (born 2 November 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is a renowned 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.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life and career
The son of Rusyn immigrants who settled in Western Pennsylvania, Steve Ditko grew up the son of a Depression-era mill-worker, with a sister, Rita, and a younger brother, Pat. 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.[1][2]
[edit] Marvel Comics
[edit] Creation of Spider-Man
After Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee obtained permission from publisher Martin Goodman to create a new "ordinary teen" superhero named "Spider-Man",[3] 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".[4]
Lee turned to Ditko, who had originally been scheduled to ink the new character. Ditko developed a visual motif Lee found satisfactory, although Lee ironically later replaced Ditko's cover with one penciled by Kirby. As Ditko recalled:
| “ | "The Spider-Man pages Stan showed me were nothing like the (eventually) published character. In fact, the only drawings of Spider-Man were on the splash [page, e.g., page 1] and at the end. At the end, Kirby had the guy leaping at you with a web gun... Anyway, the first five pages took place in the home, and the kid finds a ring and turns into Spider-Man.[5] | ” |
Ditko in 1965 said, "Stan Lee thought the name up. I did costume, web gimmick on wrist & spider signal".[6] Studio-mate Stanton recalled in 1988 that although his contribution 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".[7]
[edit] Doctor Strange and other characters
After creating Spider-Man with writer-editor Stan Lee in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962), and shortly thereafter Doctor Strange, in Strange Tales #110 (July 1963). Ditko also drew many stories of the Hulk, first in the final issue of The Incredible Hulk (#6, March 1963), and then in Tales to Astonish, launching the character's feature in issue #60 (Oct. 1964) of that split book, and continuing through #67 (May 1965). Ditko designed the Hulk's primary antagonist, the Leader, in #62 (Dec. 1964). He also briefly worked on Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #47-49, which gave Iron Man his first version of his sleek red-and-golden armor.
Often overshadowed by his Amazing Spider-Man work, Ditko's "Doctor Strange" stories were equally remarkable, 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. The last straw is often alleged to have been a disagreement as to the secret identity of the Green Goblin, but Ditko himself has stated in print that this was not the case.
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' "[8]
[edit] Charlton and DC Comics
At Charlton — where the page rate was low but which allowed its creators great freedom — Ditko in the 1960s worked on such characters as Captain Atom (1960-61;65-67), Blue Beetle (1967-68) and The Question (1967-68), and in the 1973/74 writer Joe Gill's Liberty Belle (a backup feature in the comic E-Man), and Ditko's own Killjoy (also in E-Man). 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 1966-67, he drew 16 stories for Warren Publishing's horror-comic magazines, most of which were done using ink-wash. These were written by the late Archie Goodwin.
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.
In 1968, Charlton editor Dick Giordano moved to DC Comics and Steve Ditko, like several other artists and writers in Giordano's stable, moved with him. He created the Creeper (in Showcase #73, March-April 1968, with scripter Don Segall); and with writer Steve Skeates, co-created the The Hawk and the Dove in Showcase #75, working on the first two issues of their ongoing series (Sept.-Nov. 1968) before it was turned over to artist Gil Kane. Unusually for the time, plotter and penciller Ditko used these fondly remembered superhero features to explore complicated ethical issues.
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.
[edit] Latter-day Ditko
Ditko returned to DC in 1975, creating one short-lived title, Shade, the Changing Man (1977-78). Shade was later successfully revived, without Ditko's involvement, and was one of the longer-running titles in the DC Vertigo line. He also revived the Creeper and did various other jobs such as a short Demon backup series in 1979, work on Legion of Superheroes in 1980-81, and various stories in DC's horror and science-fiction anthologies. He also did the artwork for the Prince Gavin Starman in Adventure Comics #467-478 (1980). The next time he did work for DC was briefly in 1986, which consisted only of 4 pinups of his characters for the Who's Who in the DC Universe, after he turned down a chance to do the new version of Captain Atom.
Ditko returned to Marvel in 1979, taking over Jack Kirby's Machine Man. He freelanced regularly for both companies until his retirement from mainstream comics in 1998, having produced in his latter years a wealth of work showcasing his unique take on everything from such established characters as the Sub-Mariner (in Marvel Comics Presents) to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The last major character he created was Marvel's Speedball.
In 1993, he did a one-shot comic, The Safest Place in the World at Dark Horse Comics, and did issue #0, released as a set of trading cards, for the Defiant Comics series Dark Dominion.
An aborted series at Fantagraphics Books, Steve Ditko's Strange Avenging Tales ran one issue, in 1997.
Since then, his strictly solo work has been published intermittently by independent publisher and long-time friend Robin Snyder, his former editor at Charlton, Archie Comics (where Snyder scripted Ditko's plots on a revival of Simon & Kirby's The Fly), 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.
His final original works for mainstream comics have been, for Marvel, the self-inked, 12-page Iron Man story "A Man's Reach....", by writer Len Wein, in the black-and-white comic book Shadows & Light #1 (Feb. 1998); and, for DC, the 10-page Spectre story "The Depths Of Despair", by writers Bill Mumy and Peter David, inked by Kevin Nowlan in Legends of the DC Universe #1 (Sept. 1998).
[edit] Personal life
Ditko resides in New York City as of 2006. He has refused to give interviews or make public appearances since the 1960s, explaining, "When I do a job, it’s not my personality that I’m offering the readers but my artwork. It’s not what I'm like that counts; it’s what I did and how well it was done.... I produce a product, a comic art story. Steve Ditko is the brand name".[9] He has, however, contributed numerous essays to Synder's fanzine The Comics.
Ditko is an outspoken supporter and follower of Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism.[10]
[edit] Awards
Ditko was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990.
[edit] Selected bibliography
As penciler (generally but not exclusively self-inked), unless otherwise noted
Marvel
- Amazing Adventures #1-6; becomes
- Amazing Adult Fantasy #7-14; becomes
- Amazing Fantasy #15
- The Amazing Spider-Man #1-38
- The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1-2
- Strange Tales #110-111, 114-146 (Doctor Strange)
- Strange Tales Annual #2
- The Fantastic Four #13 (inking Jack Kirby)
- The Incredible Hulk #2 (inking Jack Kirby), #6
- Phantom 2040 #1-4 (The Phantom)
- Tales of Suspense #47-49 (Iron Man)
- Tales to Astonish #60-67 (The Hulk)
- Speedball #1-10
DC
- Beware the Creeper #1-6
- The Hawk and the Dove #1-2
- Shade, the Changing Man #1-8
- World's Finest Comics #249-55 (script & art, Creeper series)
Charlton
- Blue Beetle #1-5
- Mysterious Suspense #1
- Strange Suspense Stories #75-89 (Captain Atom)
- Captain Atom #78-89
- Ghostly Haunts, Ghostly Tales, The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves (most issues)
Warren
[edit] Legacy
- Ditko received screen credit as co-creator of Spider-Man, in the Spider-Man feature-film series.
- Ditko's DC Comics characters appear prominently in the animated television series, Justice League Unlimited. The final episode features the 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.
[edit] Quotes
[edit] Ditko
On 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".[11]
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.[12]
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:
| “ | It seems a shame, since comics themselves have so little variety of stories and styles that you would deliberately restrict your own creative efforts to professional comics shallow range. What is 'Best Liked' by most readers is what they are most familiar in seeing and any policy based on readers likes has to end up with a lot of look-a-like strips. You have a great opportunity to show everyone a whole new range of ideas, unlimited types of stories and styles---why FLUB it!"[13] | ” |
[edit] Other creators on Ditko
Dick 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".[14]
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".[14]
[edit] Characters created
- The Creeper
- Hawk and Dove (co-creator)
- Shade, the Changing Man
- The Odd Man
- Spider-Man (co-creator)
- Doctor Octopus (co-creator)
- Doctor Strange (co-creator)
- Electro (co-creator)
- Kraven the Hunter (co-creator)
- The Lizard (co-creator)
- Static
- The Mocker
- The Missing Man
- The Void
- Shag
- Mysterio (co-creator)
- The Question
- Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
- Mr. A.
- Captain Atom (co-creator)
- Killjoy — See at: E-Man
- The Sandman (Marvel supervillain) (co-creator)
- Speedball
- Squirrel Girl (co-creator)
- The Scorpion (co-creator)
- The Stalker (co-creator)
- The Vulture (co-creator)
- Dormammu (co-creator)
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Ditko Looked Up: "Ditko & Stanton"
- ^ Theakston, Greg. The Steve Ditko Reader (Pure Imagination, Brooklyn, NY, 2002; ISBN 1-56685-011-8), pp. 13-15 (unnumbered, pp. 14-15 misordered as pp. 16 & 14)
- ^ Lee, Stan, and Mair, George. Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee (Fireside, 2002), p.130. ISBN 0-684-87305-2
- ^ Theakston, Greg. The Steve Ditko Reader (Pure Imagination, Brooklyn, NY, 2002; ISBN 1-56685-011-8), p. 12 (unnumbered)
- ^ Ibid., page 13 (unnumbered)
- ^ "Steve Ditko - A Portrait of the Master." Comic Fan #2 (Summer 1965). Published by Larry Herndon
- ^ Theakston, Ibid., p. 14 (unnumbered, misordered as page 16)
- ^ "Stan the Man & Roy the Boy: A Conversation Between Stan Lee and Roy Thomas", Comic Book Artist #2 (Summer 1998)
- ^ Ditko interview in Masters of Imagination: The Comic Book Artists Hall of Fame by Mike Benton (Taylor Publishing, 1994) ISBN-10 0878338594, ISBN-13 978-0878338597)
- ^ "The Amazing Steve Ditko" by Douglas Wolk, Salon.com, June 3, 2005, p. 2
- ^ Theakston, Ibid., p. 3 (unnumbered)
- ^ Comic Fan #2 (Summer 1965), published by Larry Herndon: "Steve Ditko: A Portrait of the Master"
- ^ Voice of Comicdom #4 (April 1965): Letter-to-the-editor
- ^ a b Comic Book Artist #9 (Aug. 2000): "The Charlton Empire: A Brief History of the Derby, Connecticut Publisher", by Jon B. Cooke & Christopher Irving
[edit] References
- Ditko Looked Up
- Theakston, Greg. The Steve Ditko Reader (Pure Imagination, NY, 2002) ISBN 1-56685-011-8)
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- The Grand Comic-Book Database
[edit] External links
- Steve Ditko discussion group
- Toonerville Theme Comics: More Ditko Covers — Short Lived Series
- OddBall Comics article on Blue Beetle #5
| Preceded by None |
Amazing Spider-Man artist 1962–1966 |
Succeeded by John Romita, Sr. |
| Preceded by None |
Doctor Strange artist 1963–1968 |
Succeeded by Bill Everett |
