Jonathan Ross’ superb documentary
Credit for getting the word out about Steve Ditko’s passing apparently goes to Graig Weich.
The Washington Post has comments about Ditko from Neil Gaiman.
My buddy Denro says that Craig Yoe has a unique story and personal remembrance of Ditko meeting Jim Henson.
Steve Ditko, one of the true giants of comic book creators, has died. Ditko was Ditko, and he was a one-of-a-kind original who was born to draw comic books.
It’s reported that Ditko was found dead in his New York apartment on June 29, and that he had probably been dead for a couple of days.
I have been pledging to Ditko’s Kickstarter campaigns from the beginning, and the last one ended on the 4th of July. I have to wonder when his publisher, Robin Snyder, learned of Ditko’s death. He lived alone, and perhaps it was Robin who called the NYPD to request that a well-being check be made.
Other than the available sketchy facts, and my speculation, there are my feelings about the loss of Steve Ditko. Something I have said before is that if you aren’t a Silver Age comic book fan, there is no way I can convey to you how deeply I feel about Ditko’s compelling artwork. To use a bit of Stan Lee hyperbole, it got under my skin and went all the way to the marrow of my bones.
From what I know, saying that Ditko was co-creator of Dr. Strange is incorrect. In a Marvel Comics blurb from Stan Lee upon the character’s first appearance in 1963, Lee said the character was Steve’s idea. And now he’s being played by Benedict Cumberbatch! Something else I’ve said before is that it’s utterly amazing to me that the comic book characters I loved as a kid, starting over 50 years ago, are now generating billions of dollars in movie ticket sales. It’s un-f-in’ believable. And yet, here we are.
I’m rambling a bit here, but I’m stunned by this inevitable, sad news. Ditko’s greatest character is probably Mr. A, who was an inspiration for the Watchmen character Rorschach, along with Ditko’s The Question. Mr. A is anything but mainstream, but he is the embodiment of Ayn Rand’s “A is A” philosophy of Objectivism. Although I do not agree with Ditko’s closely held personal views, I sincerely respected his right to believe in them, and I am truly grateful for having had the opportunity to provide direct support to him through Kickstarter.
https://youtu.be/ACkiKVtF3nU
I have watched this installment of “Frontline” three, or maybe even four, times since it first aired in 2009. If anything I think it goes easy on Bill Clinton, by not pointing out that at the end of his administration he agreed to ending the Glass-Steagall Act.
Steve Ditko’s take on Ayn Rand’s philosophy deals with good vs. evil in terms of violent criminal activity, as you would expect from a comic book creator. As covered in the Frontline documentary, former SEC chairman Alan Greenspan adopted the extreme free market aspect of Rand’s Objectivism, as you would expect from an economist.
I like to think the fictional Mr. A would agree with me that what the Wall Street banks did by taking advantage of deregulation to commit legal fraud, in both its intent and the outcome of ten years ago, was corrupt and evil. Therein is what I see as the inherent irony of Ayn Rand’s philosophy.
An exhibit of original Spider-Man comic book art is currently on display in New York. It’s only a mile from Steve Ditko’s office at 200 West 51st St., so is there any chance that the co-creator of Spidey will drop in and check out the display? It’s safe to say, absolutely not!
http://13thdimension.com/inside-the-greatest-spider-man-art-exhibit-youll-ever-see/
The pages were provided by art dealer Mike “Romitaman” Burkey. I’ve done business with Mike in the past, and he is an honest and reputable dealer.
Robin Snyder’s Kickstarter project, reprinting the Ditko Public Service Package #2, is out and it’s here. Besides myself, financial contributors to the project include Mark Evanier, Neil Gaiman, and Jonathan Ross, whose name comes after Dennis F. Rogers.
This is my first Kickstarter project, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the other two I’ve joined come out.
Legendary comic book artist Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man and the creator of Dr. Strange, has long been an adherent of Ayn Rand’s so-called Objectivism. I read both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead in college, while studying for my B.A. in Economics, and I think Rand’s ideas are ludicrous, but I enthusiastically support Ditko’s work.
The Ditko Public Service Package on Kickstarter, run by Robin Snyder, Ditko’s publisher, is reprinting an unusual book that came out over twenty years ago. The campaign has two more weeks to go, and I am very pleased that the fund has more than the $4900 that’s needed for the project. I contributed $106, with the extra six bucks for shipping.
