Who Was Steve Ditko, To Me?

First, thanks to cartoons, I grew up playing I was Peter Parker a lot of times when I wasn't playing Spider-Man. I remember talking to myself in imitation of the thought-voice-over effect. I remember going to the bathroom in the middle of a sermon, stripping off my Sunday best, hanging up my clip tie, and rushing out into the church parking lot in my Underoos Spider-Man shirt to save the congregation from the Green Goblin.

Somehow, Spider-Man was my choice for my third and fourth birthday cakes. The cake's my first clear memory- I have been a Spider-Man fan longer than I can literally remember! (Popeye got the nod on #5.) Ditko's art adorned my much-beloved Spider-Man punching bag, too.

I drew superheroes, but especially Spider-Man, it seems like, all the time. The familiar costume design, I tried duplicating in untold homemade costumes. The mystery of the padlock on the dog pen was solved (and caused) by, the note said, "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!"

The concept of a teen with spider-inspired powers seems to have arisen with scripter Stan Lee. The split-face Spider Sense visual, the Spider Signal in his belt, Spider Tracers (invaluable in tracking villains who think they're getting away), and most of all, the double-tap, "I love you" sign language finger contortion activating that signature Spider device, the web-shooter all go back to Steve Ditko. His studio mate at the time, a bondage artist named Eric Stanton , once claimed credit for the webbing, and I think, the shooters. Here's what's undeniably Ditko: look at Spider-Man move! If you want to figure out how to draw Spider-Man- not just a man in his costume, but his unique poses- realize every Spider-artist has looked back to that three years- plus initial run. Agility, fighting style, and the sometimes unnerving ways he paces on the ceiling and furtively sneaks about: Steve Ditko's drawings gave Spider-Man, life!

To say nothing of how much Peter is the image of his creator's high school year book pics.
HEre's the page where the famous suit and web-shooters debut, during his origin story, Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962).


Want to hear Steve Ditko? I know of no other recording of his voice. It's here:

Peter's clash with the dog-eat-dog freelance world, centered around the whims of the capricious, verbally-hectoring, sneaky, lying, upstanding citizen, Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson, was absolutely money. Readers have long loved to hate JJJ, whose hatred of our hero is practically a clinical condition! But from the first year, some humanizing glimpses suggested a sympathetic portrayal beneath the buffoonery inspired by his greedy crusade to smash Spider-Man. He's awful, but he has redeeming qualities. Funny as Spider-Man is, riling him up, JJJ sometimes brings the worst out in Peter. Nobody's perfect! I have to say 1) there's a touch of realism planted here, regarding autocratic work places, and 2) the older readers became, the more I suspect they began to better understand our favorite crew-cutted baboon. He was Ditko's statement not only on tabloid journalism, but corporate greed at large. JJJ is both an enduring supporting character and a satirical dig at power and propaganda.


This was my first pure introduction to Ditko, thanks to View Master. My busy Dad had taken me out of our crowded house for a rare afternoon out together. That View Master and its three slides gave me hours of entertainment. Every frame was drawn by Steve Ditko. Steve's work gave a lot of parents, I suspect, a way to show their love.



With the reprint of this issue- the beginning of the Master Planner Trilogy-I began collecting Marvel Tales every month. I had almost a year of Ditko stories, counting the annual, to discover and enjoy. I did, too! Dated clothing styles and abrasive personalities were all simply taken into account as the lay of the land. I was just as excited to get my Marvel Tales on as I was by any new comic- often, much more! It took quite a while to make my pilgrimmage through all of Ditko's issues, but I finally did.
Ditko's designs and unique way of telling and setting up confrontations (and there's always a lot of conflict, between most people in Ditko stories, really) established a set of villains known to generations. They each came about with unique back stories. Here, one dozen of the most famous villains:

The Vulture (#2). Doctor Octopus (#3). Sandman (#4). The Lizard (#6). Electro (#9). The Enforcers (#10). Mysterio (#13). The Green Goblin (#14). Kraven The Hunter (#15). The Scorpion (#20). The First 'Spider-Slayer' robot commissioned by JJJ (#25). Those are some memorable super-villains! I might go one further and say, Molten Man (#28). Meanwhile, disguise master The Chameleon (#1), The Tinkerer (#2, albeit in a story that seemed to be about aliens!), The Living Brain robot (#8), inventor Norton G. Fester, the Looter (#36), a Guy Named Joe (#38) and inventor Mendell Strom (#37) round out the antagonists, along with a character I think Ditko created to fight Hulk, The Ringmaster (and his Circus of Crime, in Hulk #3) and The Beetle (fresh from a Human Torch spot in STrange Tales #119 think it was).

Childhoods have hosted some sampling of those guys- especially the ones above Molten Man, there- every since. That's a lot more designs to put out to the world. This was all done by 1965, the stellar villains I mentioned. Think about that.


I wonder if something about his mystical Dr. STrange journeys caused him to react even more strongly to, and embrace, Objectivism? A= A is a different philosophy than tales of black magic and battles of planes beyond those precious objective, quantifying senses.


"Unique"- I keep coming back to the word! HOw do you decide a man made of sand, fights? I've not even touched upon the intentionally-all-made up mysticism of Dr. Strange. Doc, I came to appreciate as an adult.
There's a lot of scholarship on the whole story- it would be great to actually know the entire process that brought each issue about, though by 1966, Lee described his contribution as more like "a crossword puzzle I'd fill in"- Steve conceived the plots and drew everything before his writer/ editor had even begun. That's where the collaboration ended up; that's documented. Those first two years- that's so much intellectual property. It's more than the sum of its parts, and that's undeniable, even as we puzzle over them. I am not trying out that rabbit hole- this is for someone who would like to know a bit more about this Spider-Man creator that died. If you never heard of him before July 7th, that's practically by his choice as much as by the press' affection for Stan Lee.
He gets more recognition in comics circles for his creative visual invention and serious, philosophy-inspired plotting than for the fact that, as an illustrator, the man's a terrific comedian.


With Jack Kirby on pencils, Steve inked the first true Marvel Team Up, a Human Torch story called "On The Trail Of Spider-Man" from Strange Tales Annual #2, 1963. That month saw the first two annuals with new material in the Marvel Age, the other being Fantastic Four Annual #1.

Steve Ditko's stint on Tales of Suspense gave us the red and gold template that became classic Iron Man.
He was bulky and golden, his first few appearances. The second tone and design, from Tales of Suspense #48, heralded the definitive Iron Man look.


Ditko gave us an transformed-by-emotion Hulk, at last. Bruce Banner went through many triggers (a self-made ray gun, night fall) for his change. It's during a Ditko issue the familiar manner of Banner's distress causing him to turn into the Hulk, debuts.


It's Ditko who gave us the second Blue Beetle, who became a beloved character over which I bonded with the best of friends. The same character inspired Nite Owl. It's fair to say Ditko's characters at Charlton, recreated anew out of proprietary necessity, became part of the single most influential storyline in comics after the architecture of fundamental Marvel, in The Watchmen by Alan Moore and David Gibbons.


Even Destructor at Atlas started out kind of cool and different, though the kind of legacy Image, Dark Horse or Valiant generated was not to be theirs. His friend Jack C. Harris displayed several pages of Batman concept drawings when he pitched for Detective in the late 1970s. "The powers that be said his concepts were too violent," Jack said. So, there were other ideas yet which never came to be!

The Question was his street-level Objectivist vigilante, the Charlton answer to his own Mr. A. A = A is the prime tenant of Obectivism, a philosophy the artist fully adopted in 1965.

ON the other end of Logic, there lurks the seeming madness of The Creeper, his DC creation.

I found him monthly in the last year's publication of Rom, which I bought while I was eleven. Terrific inker combos, stories that excited me. I was sorry to see Rom and Ditko go. But I'd finally see Rom again, ten years after Earth's final stand against the Dire Wraiths. I'd buy as many issues as I could find for a dime each, and my wife would make them her very first favorite series to read.

Mr. Ditko gave us Serling-flavored tales with surprising subtlety, from his first Timely assignment in 1955. He continued through the MOnster Age. Of note is the science fiction-twist anthology that settled on the name Amazing Fantasy, whose last issue gave us a throwaway character called Spider-Man. How novel, they thought, to do one of these Twilight Zone object lessons as the origin of a super powered guy who doesn't become a hero until, in his eyes, it's too late.
That was the only Spider-Man story Lee and Ditko had planned, you know.

The rest came along by demand.

Over a lifetime, I've spent more time drawing his Spider-Man design than any other single subject this side of my spouse. He created the other face, for our boundless energy, selflessness, and bravery. Then, a year later, his new idea, Dr. Strange, in eleven page monthly segments, depicted a mature man, dealing with criminals, but more readily engrossed in another face for our entire reality!

I don't wish to steal Ditko's words by way of quoting, but I want to make it clear he's Dr. Strange's intial creator:

Lee's comment (from The Comics Reader, 1963) that it was "Steve's idea" is confirmed by Ditko in The Avenging Mind (2008) where he writes: "On my own, I brought in to Lee a five-page, penciled story with a page/panel script of my idea of a new, different kind of character for variety in Marvel Comics. My character wound up being named Dr. Strange because he would appear in Strange Tales." The phrase "wound up" suggests that when Ditko brought in his five penciled pages to Lee, unsolicited, the hero's name was not "Dr. Strange" -- though what he was called at that early stage is not known (unless it was "Mr. Strange")

The name "Dr. Strange" was originally used by Stan Lee in Tales of Suspense #41, for an early, lost Iron Man villain- so it's likely he coined the "Doctor STrange" moniker so it'd fit with the anthology's title, STrange Tales. We may never exactly know.

Steve Ditko and STan Lee populated those dimensions with the dark side of our own passions, brought to rout only after great courage, curiosity, scholarship, meditation, and always, intitiative.

What I'm thinking about is, the heroes Ditko made creatively stood apart from humanity. They felt a loneliness. Often, little thanks or recognition came their way. Ditko wanted to illustrate and write mystery men. Authentically, he chose to become one.

Spider-Man: Homecoming- Not always cool, but Amazing to the end Review (no spoilers)

Spider-Man: Homecoming

2017. As the opening title suggests so very cinematically, the Marvel Universe marches on: so many successful, entertaining movies, and with the arrangement struck with Sony, last spring’s Civil War reunited them with the company’s flagship character: the best selling merchandise character in the entire world by a wide margin. Now, Spider-Man’s on, more or less, his new solo debut. We’re getting a lot of things I’ve longed for: no Origin Story repeat, for one, the most formulaic aspect of these wildly-popular movies. Humor. A full Marvel Universe. But as I read a few interviews to prepare a preview, some questions roll into my mind.

Is Heroism still hip? Is altruism relatable to modern audiences? What sort of attitude will Pete have?
How much actual teenager culture will we see in Peter’s life?
Any room for friends? After all: who’s a complete loner anymore?
How different will this villain be- from previous Marvel villains and from his comics incarnation?
Speaking of friends: how different will Spider-Man be with mentor Tony Stark as a supporting character? Not always, but most of the time, Peter was alone against trouble, alone in the angst of his secret identity- especially emphasized in his earliest years under Ditko.


The day’s finally come. Before we get to any spoilers, I have to tell you Spider-Man: Homecoming’s A-grade entertaining! The three ladies who went with me all enjoyed the movie very much- but Spidey always did seem like the type of personality appreciated as much by fans regardless of gender. The ten year-old boy joining us says “It was amazing!” Kids almost always enjoy a Spider-Man movie, and hey, most of all, this is definitely for them! The diverse cast offers a friendly attitude towards a future, in America and around the world. Classic fans get Liz, Betty Brant, an MJ, and best of all, a Flash Thompson, the popular kid who picks relentlessly on our nerdy hero.

As for the origin, with a pretty decent one featured in a film just five years back, maybe the “super-abilities” part is as simple as Presley put it: “I think someone getting bitten by a spider and gaining powers is cool!” Uncle Ben’s loss gets a meaningful glimpse in a line about keeping his I.D. secret from May, and the implicit “power/responsibility” part’s something we see Peter still learning all through Homecoming. Space that went towards the Twilight Zone-twist origin and the Daily Bugle and ever-curmugeonly J. Jonah Jameson, this time out, goes instead to Peter’s high school life. For once, he’s definitely a teenager- just as he began under Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Some of that space also goes to Tony Stark and his trusted valet, Happy Hogan, reprised by Robert Downey, Jr. and Jon Favreau. This gives Avengers fans- of which there’s so very, very many brought together by the organically-grown super storyline dating back to Iron Man (2008). This brings, to many, the deepest structural changes to the Spider-Man mythology this time out: he’s the junior superhero in every since. Captain America PSA’s are shown in the high school. (Hannibal Burress plays the gym teacher with the line: “...although I’m pretty sure Cap’s a war criminal or something by now, but I’m required by the state to show these!”

The move from Avengers Tower to the new upstate New York compound creates a huge part of the plot, and its climax. The fallout on the streets of New York from the battles of aliens and gods directly effect the life of that villain to whom I alluded earlier: a pleasantly-fleshed-out Vulture, complete with much more realistic and dangerous-looking equipment with which to take to the air, played by Michael (Birdman, Batman!) Keaton. I’ll publish another post with the spoilers, but let’s just say his alter ego springs a fascinating surprise- and gets one himself- based on his private life.

Super heroes always call forth a bit of inherently-optimistic futurism; it’s part of their wonder. From his original appearance on, Peter Parker always devised technology for his personal uses, inventions like his web shooters, webbing, and even back in 1963, his tracer tracker. I think the quantum-leap in his equipment-for which he’s clearly not prepared, but whatevs- makes him more appealing to the imagination of future audiences for some time to come. His use of special personal devices fits neatly with the lifestyles of millennials everywhere.

Like in Civil War Iron Man’s again a support character instead of the lead. But his part doesn’t overshadow screen time for Spider-Man; in fact, there’s a long Marvel tradition of loose cannon Spidey getting down-country from the officially licensed Avengers. The close personal tie provides a rich surrogate older-brother figure, or some might say, a father-figure. Paternal instincts make an interesting mix with the aging but still vivacious playboy.

I loved the casting. The other big change, on a more subtle level, gives Peter- and Spider-Man- someone with whom he can talk. Ned’s an engaging best friend (played with fanboy awe and geeky charm by Jacob Batalon). And Karen’s maybe an even bigger change- but from director Jon Watts’ point of view, this A.I. gives Spider-Man another screwball companion to allow for extended suspense sequences that aren’t played in awkward, boring silence. AS my pal Dave Kraft, a dyed-in-the-wool pulp aficionado who grew up thinking of Spidey as a “second-stringer”- but eventually got to write him in many popular media-put it, Spider-Man’s a very talkative, witty, wise-ass guy. The movie plays up that part beautifully. His youthful naivete is touching, realistic, and grounded. Tom Holland above all really shines.

Stunts, special effects – a part they’ve been getting very right in Marvel Cinemaverse. The final battle’s unique nonetheless in its mid-air and Coney Island isolation.

Spider-Man, in the comics’ fifty-five year search for novel approaches, has basically evolved into a type of Tony Stark-like boss of his own technological corporation. I’m glad we didn’t have to experience that level of shock. Back to high school, and more ground-level simplicity than ever, while presenting novel gimmicks that enhance action and the ongoing comedy of Peter’s adjustment to his role: these six screen writers pulled together.

And oh yeah: is heroism hip? Oh, probably not. Without overwhelming the story in melancholy, Peter’s dual life, true to form (Parker Luck!), ruins everything he looks forward to as Peter Parker and complicates his every accomplishment. If one thing rings home, it’s as I told ten year-old Presley: “No matter how cool you become, stupid stuff still happens.” You just can’t be a spectacular figure in any realistic light without mixing it up with the occasional garbage can.

Jon Watts starts the myth anew with an appealing young star, an Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) with whom everyone’s flirting, a promising alliance with the Avengers- and a good old fashioned friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

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