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AND — news of amimportant retrospective by Blake Bell
On his 80th birthday, Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the June 2008 release of the first critical retrospective of Steve Ditko, the co-creator and original artist of the Amazing Spider-Man.
[Covers taken from the Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index.]
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Heidi MacDonald, editor-in-chief
Assistant Editor: Kate Fitzsimons
Contributing Editors
Torsten Adair
Jen Vaughn
Technology Editor: Bruce Lidl
Entertainment Editor: Shannon O'Leary
Columnists:
Todd Alcott
Michel Fiffe
Marc-Oliver Frisch
Rich Johnson
Paul O'Brien
MK Reed
Illustrations:
Maggie Siegel-Berele
That Strange Tales cover is technically a Ditko cover, but is really the work of a Marvel production assistant using Ditko’s work from that issue. This was his last issue and I guess they were going to have a full Dr. Strange cover for the first time. I’m assuming he left Marvel after doing the insides. Same story with Amazing Spider-Man #38. That cover is made up of inside art blown up and arranged to look like a decent comic cover. Charlton did this all the time, but was never really done by Marvel at the time.
Again, I’m assuming he split right after the stories themselves were finished since his covers of his last two Marvel books are collages from the inner story.
Happy Birthday Mr. Ditko!
Athough I’m pretty sure that Steve Ditko doesn’t follow blogs like these (or probably has much to do with anything computer related), I hope he knows how much his art and creations has entertained, awed, and infuenced people.
It’s about time something like this book came out. It’s been a long time coming.
I woulda always loved a regular “Jack Kirby Collector”-styled magazine which only focused on Steve Ditko and his work. Maybe someone over at TwoMorrows will read this…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. DITKO!!
…and many more.
Thanx,
Tommy
BATMAN FAN?
http://www.bat-blog.com
The JIM cover predates THOR’s debut there by several years, and it therefore also far predates Ditko’s post-ASM departure from Marvel. (I do not knwo when Ditko did the Charlton wortk, so maybe he “left” Marvel twice?).
Mark- There was the cover of his last Strange Tales issue with the collaged cover, but has been taken down since my post, making it totally irrelevant. Aw well.
Yeah, that JIM cover is all Ditko, ink to paper.
Ditko you are a true artistic genius!! Your work will live forever!