“Heroes, Villains, and Me” is a periodic article on Geeky KOOL by Larry Litle about the world of comic books and my reaction to it. “Heroes, Villains, and Me” is not a comic book review article. I will write about current events, speculation and rumors, or my own wacky thoughts about the world of comic books and related stuff.
Last week, we lost a legend in comics. Comic great Steve Ditko passed away in New York City at age 90. Ditko had a distinct style that is tied to Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.
Ditko was the co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. He started drawing comics in the 1950s with stories in Strange Tales and Tales of Suspense. Stan Lee picked Ditko to showcase his unique style of Ditko used subtleties of posture, expression and hand gesture to express emotions in Amazing Adult Fantasy (Amazing Fantasy for issue 15 -final issue and intro of Spider-Man). Because Lee introduced the very different hero of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy, Ditko was the co-creator and the first to draw Spider-Man.
Ditko created the look and feel of some of the most icon Marvel characters. He changed Iron Man’s look from the big bucket to the icon Red and Gold. He gave us the look of Aunt May, J.J. Jameson, and may Spidey villains like the Lizard, Vulture, Doc Ock, Mysterio, and Green Goblin. Ditko was considered “work for hire” so he never received compensation for creating all of these characters worth multi-millions.
The stories vary widely of the real reason but Ditko left Marvel in 1966 after conflicting with Stan Lee. He went on to work for Charlton Comics where he created Blue Beetle, the Question, and Captain Atom. He went on to work for DC and created Creeper and Hawk and Dove.
Ditko was a creative genius. He was not a glory hound but more of a recluse. Unlike the big names of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, most comic fans don’t know much about Steve Ditko.
As a huge Spider-Man fan, I am grateful for Ditko and his awesome quirky style. He made me love Peter Parker and Aunt May by his unique style.
Thank you Steve Ditko. Your work is important to me and made a difference to me. You will not be forgotten. Rest In Peace!
Stay Geeky My Friends!
