A long time ago, my world would have been rocked by the news that Disney is buying Marvel. Today the news interests me greatly, but I can’t think of any way that the purchase will have an effect on me personally.
The picture above of Stan Lee is noteworthy, because he’s standing next to Steve Ditko’s unpublished cover for “Amazing Fantasy” #15, the 1962 comic book that introduced Spider-Man. A similar drawing by Jack Kirby was used instead. In my opinion, Jack’s style didn’t suit the character, and I assume Stan felt the same way, because after that first cover he rarely had Jack draw Spidey. Jack included Spider-Man in his 1969 Marvelmania self-portrait, and even at the time that seemed wrong to me.
One of the most reliable hit-getters for this site is the BBC documentary, “In Search of Steve Ditko.” At this link you will find Stan talking about Ditko’s insistence that he is the co-creator of Spider-Man.
Stan is always lavish in his praise of the artists who worked for him in the Marvel Bullpen, and that’s great. Stan absolutely deserves everything he has received in money and recognition, and he has received a lot of both:
Lee sued Marvel, claiming he was owed profits from the Marvel films that had started to take Hollywood by storm. The suit was eventually settled with Lee reportedly getting a settlement of more than $10 million.
But if Stan deserves the money and credit he has received, Steve Ditko deserves some of the same. With the BILLIONS of dollars now on the table, Ditko should get a million bucks and co-creator status for Spider-Man. Without the latter, it seems he won’t accept the former.