Steve Ditko passed away recently.
I typically don’t do this type of thing. I always worry about saying the wrong thing, about pointing out some fact and not the right fact but this is one of the times that can’t be ignored. There are creators we idolize, inspirations that we carry with us in our every endeavor.
For me, Steve Ditko is the man who created Spider-Man, and more importantly, the man who created Peter Parker.
Steve Who?
This is why I felt it was important to write this. For all his great contributions, and they are truly innumerable, Steve Ditko has never enjoyed the prominence or the spotlight of other creators. That was his choice and I respect him for that decision. He was simply a comic creator and wanted to remain that – did remain that – until the day he died.
I look at those contributions and feel awed to have discovered his work at a young age. My all-time favorite issue of Amazing Spider-Man is a Steve Ditko drawn epic. Amazing Spider-Man #5 with Doctor Doom as the villain. It was also my first issue of the webslinger. There was something eerie about the way Ditko drew the book.
Spider-Man wasn’t Superman. He wasn’t this powerhouse. He was a geeky little teenager and Ditko is one of the few people to make that clear. If you’re looking for contemporary comparisons look no further than Marcos Martin and Ron Frenz, though without Ditko’s influence their styles in drawing the webhead wouldn’t even exist.
Peter Parker was an ordinary guy with ordinary problems. The soap opera of the book wasn’t as prominent but the problems were persistent. They were normal challenges about an aunt with a heart condition and a kid with no money. Ditko accentuated the normal in the book, while also creating this bizarre, creepy world surrounding Pete, as well as a rogues gallery that has never been beaten.
Every Spider-Man film has starred a Steve Ditko creation. The Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, the Lizard, Electro and the Vulture. In 38 issues, 2 annuals and one origin story, Ditko built up a legacy that will transcend time.
And Spider-Man was a drop in the bucket of his creativity.
Spider-Man would be enough for one man to hang his hat on. Ditko went further. He created Doctor Strange, Speedball and Squirrel Girl for Marvel (among others) and dozens of characters for DC and Charlton, including the Blue Beetle, The Question, Hawk and Dove and more.
He never rested, never stopped creating. Never stopped building new worlds for readers to get lost in. There is no better testament to a creator than that. He may never have wanted the glory that others sought for their great work, but he always had the admiration of his peers and served as inspiration for generations to come.
If not for Steve Ditko and his work I might not be the same person I am today. I might not know about power or responsibility to the extent that I have learned by following this great man’s work and those that came after him.
He will be missed.
Check out these great Steve Ditko works:
These barely scratch the surface of the man’s talent. From horror to science-fiction, everything the man touched was a testament to a brilliant and creative mind.
