R.I.P. Steve Ditko

[Michael_ Gee]

Dead at age 90. Creator along with Stan Lee of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange. Neither hero, especially the latter, would've lasted three comics without Ditko's amazing art. A genius of American popular art.

 

[Slacker]

Steve Ditko, Spider-Man Co-Creator and Legendary Comics Artist, Dies at 90

In 1961, Ditko and Lee created Spider-Man. Lee, the editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, gave Ditko the assignment after he wasn't satisfied with Jack Kirby's take on the idea of a teen superhero with spider powers. The look of Spider-Man — the costume, the web-shooters, the red and blue design — all came from Ditko. Spider-Man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy No. 15. The comic was an unexpected hit, and the character was spun off into The Amazing Spider-Man. Ditko helped create such classic Spider-Man characters as Doctor Octopus, Sandman, the Lizard and Green Goblin. Starting with issue No. 25, Ditko received a plot credit in addition to his artist credit. Ditko's run ended with issue No. 38.

In 1963, Ditko created the surreal and psychedelic hero, Doctor Strange. The character debuted in Strange Tales No. 110, and Ditko continued on the comic through issue No. 146, cover dated July 1966.

After that, Ditko left Marvel Comics over a fight with Lee, the causes of which have always remained murky. The pair had not been on speaking terms for several years. Ditko never explained his side, and Lee claimed not to really know what motivated Ditko's exit. The best explanation suggests Ditko was frustrated at Lee's oversight and his failure to properly share credit for Ditko's contributions to Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. The charismatic Lee was always the face of Marvel Comics, but Ditko (and Jack Kirby) thought Lee was more interested in self-promotion than selling the company, and, in the process, implied that he deserved the lion's share of the credit for creating the characters in the Marvel Universe.

 

[britwrit]

Others have said that Ditko talked to them about why he left Marvel. It wasn't that mysterious. The big flood of merchandising had begun - TV, toys, lunchboxes - and he was seeing no money from it.

 

[outofplace]

I have no doubt Lee was an incredibly creative guy and he was certainly an excellent promoter for Marvel Comics and for himself, I think it's also fair to say that he really screwed over some of the guys he worked with, especially Kirby and Ditko. Supposedly, he had reconciled with Kirby not long before Kirby's death, but I don't know that it ever happened with Ditko.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Of course every obit led with Spider-Man and rightly so. But to this elderly fan, who has boxes of mid-60s Marvel, Dr. Strange was Ditko's masterpiece. The drawings of him with the Dread Dormammu were psychedelic art for a dime (well, 12 cents). Check the concert posters from San Francisco of the same era.