History Creator / SteveDitko

* ReclusiveArtist: Only in the sense that he didn't attend comic book conventions or give interviews. Strangely, he was in the phonebook, at least the location of his studio was. He was also known to entertain guests who just happened to go to his studio for whatever reason, and was in the news for [[http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2015/06/eight-year-old-comic-fan-writes-steve-ditko-a-letter-and-heres-how-ditko-responded/ writing a very nice reply to a young Spider-Man fan's letter]]. Even then, however, fans still mostly associated the more accessible Stan Lee with Spider-Man, as Ditko did nothing to promote himself at a time that he could have (Marvel's 25th anniversary). There's also his infamous aversion to being photographed or filmed, with Creator/NeilGaiman and Creator/JonathanRoss having located and personally met him but otherwise were denied permission to film him. It was only after his death that more photos of him were unearthed and made public by his nephew Mark.

After leaving Marvel, Ditko worked for Warren Comics in 1966-1967 under the legendary Archie Goodwin, working on titles like ''Creepy'' and ''Eerie'', horror comics in black-and-white that, while never as famous as his Marvel work, is considered among his best work, and according to Alan Moore, his masterwork. Ditko then returned to Creator/CharltonComics, where he had worked briefly in before Marvel. He worked on some of his classic secondary creations, redesigning ComicBook/CaptainAtom, revamping the ComicBook/BlueBeetle and creating ComicBook/TheQuestion and Nightshade (''ComicBook/CaptainAtom''), which were all eventually purchased by Creator/DCComics in the 1980s. Ditko would later move to DC himself (shortly before Kirby) to create ComicBook/TheCreeper, [[ComicBook/HawkAndDove Hawk and Dove]], and ComicBook/ShadeTheChangingMan. He returned to Marvel during the era of [[UsefulNotes/MarvelComicsEditorsInChief EIC]] Creator/JimShooter, illustrating such titles as ''Machine Man'' and ComicBook/RomSpaceknight.

* GadgeteerGenius: Ditko gave this to a few characters: Peter Parker with his web-shooters, Ted Kord with his Beetle equipment, and the Odd Man whose zany outfit concealed a variety of OO7-style gadgets.

Ditko was born in Pennsylvania to a family of working-class Slovak immigrants. In his youth, he loved newspaper comic strips such as ''ComicStrip/PrinceValiant'', ''ComicBook/TheSpirit'' and ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' in the Golden Age Kane[=/=][[Creator/BillFinger Finger]] era. After graduating from high school he joined the army in 1945 and did a stint of military service in post-war Germany, where he drew comics for the army newspaper. Upon discharge, Ditko learned that Jerry Robinson (co-creator of ComicBook/TheJoker and Batman artist who actually ghosted a lot of the comics under Kane's name before getting credit) was teaching at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (now called the School of Visual Arts) and signed up on the GI Bill. Robinson considered Ditko a very bright and hardworking pupil, who showed a lot of promise and talent. Ditko began his professional career in 1953 and worked on a series of minor gigs, including a stint at Creator/JackKirby's studio with Joe Simon.

->''[[Franchise/SpiderMan I did it! I'm free!]]''

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan''

* The Hawk and the Dove #1–2 (1968)

After leaving Marvel, Ditko worked for Warren Comics in 1966-1967 under the legendary Archie Goodwin, working on titles like ''Creepy'' and ''Eerie'', horror comics in black-and-white that, while never as famous as his Marvel work, is considered among his best work, and according to Alan Moore, his masterwork. Ditko then returned to Creator/CharltonComics, where he had worked briefly in before Marvel. He worked on some of his classic secondary creations, redesigning ComicBook/CaptainAtom, revamping the ComicBook/BlueBeetle and creating ComicBook/TheQuestion and ComicBook/{{Nightshade}}, which were all eventually purchased by Creator/DCComics in the 1980s. Ditko would later move to DC himself (shortly before Kirby) to create ComicBook/TheCreeper, [[ComicBook/HawkAndDove Hawk and Dove]], and ComicBook/ShadeTheChangingMan. He returned to Marvel during the era of [[UsefulNotes/MarvelComicsEditorsInChief EIC]] Creator/JimShooter, illustrating such titles as ''Machine Man'' and ComicBook/RomSpaceknight.

* DoingItForTheArt: Albeit in a way that stuck it to the man. He infamously used his original art (including his original work on ''Spider-Man'', [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules which he could sell]] for ''thousands'' a piece to collectors) as ''cutting boards'' in his studio, as a jab towards Marvel for their mistreatment of him and other artists over the years (and as a statement that he's still working today and shouldn't be defined by the work he did a half-century ago). Of course, this didn't stop him from still receiving royalty checks in the mailbox, as discovered by reporter Abraham Reismann when speaking with Ditko's neighbor.

* MoneyDearBoy: He long considered Spider-Man as nothing more than a for-hire gig, and he maintained a lot of this attitude during his later years before falling out of the limelight. This resulted in him showing up to work on a bunch of [=IPs=] that you ''really'' wouldn't expect the co-creator of Spider-Man to be involved with, such as ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', ''Franchise/StarWars'', and even the comic for ''WesternAnimation/ChuckNorrisKarateKommandos''.

* SpiritualSuccessor: For Charlton Comics, Ditko created ''The Question'' as a more accessible version of ''Mr. A''.

* Showcase #73 (debut, the Creeper) #75 (debut, The Hawk and the Dove) (1968)

* Captain Atom #78–89 (1965–67)
* Blue Beetle #1–5 (1967–68)
* Mysterious Suspense #1 (The Question) (1968)

** ''[[ComicBook/AmazingFantasyNumberFifteen Amazing Fantasy #15]]'' (1962)

Ditko died in June 2018 in his Midtown Manhattan apartment. The police reported that he had died two days before at the age of 90 but was declared dead later. Creator/StanLee passed away later the same year, on November 12. Ditko never married and had no children but he's survived by his brother, his sister, and their children. Included among his nephews and nieces are Steve Ditko (NamesTheSame), and Mark Ditko. Mark Ditko in July 2019 oversaw an anthology of Ditko's ''Mr. A'' and also announced a family initiative to publish more material on Ditko's life and reveal a more personal and human side of the creator.

It is in this period (late 60s and early 70s) that Ditko revealed his interest in Creator/AynRand and UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}}. Nowhere is that more obvious than in his ''ComicBook/MrA'' stories about a BlackAndWhiteMorality vigilante (a less commercial version of the Question). This Objectivist turn would make Ditko perennially controversial from then on, with it retroactively casting a shadow on his work on Spider-Man and his break with Marvel. Flo Steinberg, who worked at Marvel at the time, stated that Ditko never spoke about politics to anyone and was quite friendly in his interactions with co-workers. Likewise Ditko was popular among hippies for Dr. Strange and Spider-Man (seen as a progressive teenage role model that students ranked alongside Music/BobDylan as an icon of their generation[[note]]Of course Ditko in Issue 38 had Peter making fun of college protestors for being BourgeoisBohemian but then again, Bob Dylan also started doing the same thing at around the same time[[/note]]). Ditko's reclusive nature and reputation for weirdness, as well as his refusal to give interviews, made it hard to counter false perceptions about him and his personality, especially against the charisma of Creator/StanLee. In fact many of Ditko's co-workers over the years described him in personal life as a nice man, affable and friendly to new artists. Creator/RogerStern, who later worked on ''Spider-Man'' from 1979-1984 and created the Hobgoblin as a {{Homage}} to Ditko's work, described meeting with Ditko in TheSeventies and finding him quite encouraging to the young up-and-coming writer. Frank [=McLaughlin=], art director at Charlton Comics, described Ditko as "happy-go-lucky" with a "great sense of humor" and quite gentle in person. After returning to Marvel in TheEighties he met with Lee briefly and the two had a positive reunion with Lee later commenting on how affable Ditko was (privately in letters afterward, Ditko maintained his opinions on Spider-Man and his feelings about Stan). In either case, most of Ditko's later work was self-published and he remained independent. He would remain uncommunicative and deny interviews while insisting in fan letters that he would always look forward and consider the next project and never think of the past.

Stephen John Ditko (November 2, 1927 - June 27, 2018) was the third creator of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse along with Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby, and was most famous for co-creating ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'', the FlagshipFranchise of Creator/MarvelComics and company mascot.

Unlike Kirby, whose work is like a grand symphony of grandiose spectacle and mythic archetypes, Ditko's work at its prime was more like a bluesy soloist, determined to follow his own vision to create his own path. As such, he took to Stan Lee's ideas for deeper and more neurotic characterization much more easily than Kirby did and carved out his own special niche into Marvel. That meant while Ditko was not as dominant in the company, his work stood out as something special, such as his original take on Spider-Man and his surreal imagery of his ComicBook/DoctorStrange stories have set the tone for the supernatural in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse for decades. In addition, it was his ComicBook/IncredibleHulk stories where the eponymous character first began to change when he is under extreme stress, turning the character from a JekyllAndHyde copy into the pop culture embodiment of runaway emotion. He was also the artist who gave ComicBook/IronMan his iconic red and gold color scheme.

After leaving Marvel, Ditko worked for Warren Comics in 1966-1967 under the legendary Archie Goodwin, working on titles like ''Creepy'' and ''Eerie'', horror comics in black-and-white that, while never as famous as his Marvel work, is considered among his best work, and according to Alan Moore, his masterwork. Ditko then returned to Creator/CharltonComics, where he had worked briefly in before Marvel. He worked on some of his classic secondary creations, redesigning ComicBook/CaptainAtom, revamping the ComicBook/BlueBeetle and creating ComicBook/TheQuestion and ComicBook/{{Nightshade}}, which were all eventually purchased by Creator/DCComics in the 1980s. Ditko would later move to DC himself (shortly before Kirby) to create ComicBook/TheCreeper, [[ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey Hawk and Dove]], and ComicBook/ShadeTheChangingMan. He returned to Marvel during the era of [[UsefulNotes/MarvelComicsEditorsInChief EIC]] Creator/JimShooter, illustrating such titles as ''Machine Man'' and ComicBook/RomSpaceknight.

During his run on ''Spider-Man'', Ditko had a falling-out with Lee. The two of them stopped speaking to each other or even meeting one another near the end. Ditko would send his work by mail, and collaboration was done through intermediaries. The dispute apparently began when Lee would demand Ditko to redraw pages for some Spider-Man stories which Ditko did without pay or compensation. Lee's greater public profile led many fans to believe he had written and created Spider-Man, when the mechanics of Marvel Method means that the artists were active storytellers, doing most of the heavy lifting on a issue-by-issue basis. Unlike Kirby, Ditko actually demanded and got credit, and from Issue #25 of ''Amazing Spider-Man'' he got a plotting credit (which Ditko was still not satisfied with). A chance remark made by Lee to the press in a famous article, where Lee apparently made fun of Ditko's plotting, also irritated him. Ditko signaled his intention to quit, from issue #38, leaving Marvel abruptly. This was the first major defection and first signal that all was not well at the House of Ideas (followed later when Creator/JackKirby left DC[[note]]Kirby made it clear that he would have left earlier had it not been for the fact that he needed to provide for his family and do it gradually[[/note]]). The reasons why Ditko left Marvel are a RiddleForTheAges and subject to multiple rumors among fans over the ages, some of them debunked by Ditko himself. Stan Lee, according to Tom [=Defalco=] was known to ask writers as a non-sequitur "Say, can you tell me why Steve left?" on many occasions. In the course of his long retirement, Steve Ditko remained silent about his departure from Marvel and refused to mention Spider-Man in any way, shape, or form except when discussing the issue of the origin and development and dispelling some rumors pertaining to the identity of the Green Goblin.

** [[http://www.writeups.org/img/fiche/5622f.jpg Peter Parker]] in the comics bears a startling resemblance to [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Steve_Ditko_HS_Yearbook.jpeg Steve Ditko]]'s high school yearbook photo. Likewise, early Peter being friendless, aloof, and a little distant is more reflective of Ditko (who was unmarried, single, and a loner) than Lee (who was outgoing, gregarious, married at the time he worked on Spider-Man).

** ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManLeeDitko'' (1962-1966)

[[caption-width-right:350:It was either this or something from his high school yearbook. [[ReclusiveArtist Because these are all the only options we have]].]]

** ''ComicBook/LeeDitkoSpiderMan'' (1962-1966)

Ditko died in June 2018 in his Midtown Manhattan apartment, [[DyingAlone where he lived alone]]. The police reported that he had died two days before at the age of 90 but was declared dead later. Creator/StanLee passed away later the same year, on November 12. Ditko never married and had no children but he's survived by his brother, his sister, and their children. Included among his nephews and nieces are Steve Ditko (NamesTheSame), and Mark Ditko. Mark Ditko in July 2019 oversaw an anthology of Ditko's ''Mr. A'' and also announced a family initiative to publish more material on Ditko's life and reveal a more personal and human side of the creator.

It is in this period (late 60s and early 70s) that Ditko revealed his interest in Creator/AynRand and interest in UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}}. Nowhere is that more obvious than in his ''ComicBook/MrA'' stories about a BlackAndWhiteMorality vigilante (a less commercial version of the Question). This Objectivist turn would make Ditko perennially controversial from then on, with it retroactively casting a shadow on his work on Spider-Man and his break with Marvel. Flo Steinberg, who worked at Marvel at the time, stated that Ditko never spoke about politics to anyone and was quite friendly in his interactions with co-workers. Likewise Ditko was popular among hippies for Dr. Strange and Spider-Man (seen as a progressive teenage role model that students ranked alongside Music/BobDylan as an icon of their generation[[note]]Of course Ditko in Issue 38 had Peter making fun of college protestors for being BourgeoisBohemian but then again, Bob Dylan also started doing the same thing at around the same time[[/note]]). Ditko's reclusive nature and reputation for weirdness, as well as his refusal to give interviews, made it hard to counter false perceptions about him and his personality, especially against the charisma of Creator/StanLee. In fact many of Ditko's co-workers over the years described him in personal life as a nice man, affable and friendly to new artists. Creator/RogerStern, who later worked on ''Spider-Man'' from 1979-1984 and created the Hobgoblin as a {{Homage}} to Ditko's work, described meeting with Ditko in TheSeventies and finding him quite encouraging to the young up-and-coming writer. Frank [=McLaughlin=], art director at Charlton Comics, described Ditko as "happy-go-lucky" with a "great sense of humor" and quite gentle in person. After returning to Marvel in TheEighties he met with Lee briefly and the two had a positive reunion with Lee later commenting on how affable Ditko was (privately in letters afterward, Ditko maintained his opinions on Spider-Man and his feelings about Stan). In either case, most of Ditko's later work was self-published and he remained independent. He would remain uncommunicative and deny interviews while insisting in fan letters that he would always look forward and consider the next project and never think of the past.

* ReclusiveArtist: Only in the sense that he didn't attend comic book conventions or give interviews. Strangely, he was in the phonebook, at least the location of his studio was. He was also known to entertain guests who just happened to go to his studio for whatever reason, and was in the news for [[http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2015/06/eight-year-old-comic-fan-writes-steve-ditko-a-letter-and-heres-how-ditko-responded/ writing a very nice reply to a young Spider-Man fan's letter]]. Even then, however, fans still mostly associated the more accessible Stan Lee with Spider-Man, as Ditko did nothing to promote himself at a time that he could have (Marvel's 25th anniversary).
** Recently, a [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D81Fm7jUwAAdPtI.jpg 2015 photo snapped of an elderly Ditko]] was unearthed and confirmed by his nephew Mark.

Ditko began his professional association at Atlas Comics in 1955. Atlas was the company formerly known as Timely Comics and would go on to be rebranded a third and final time as Creator/MarvelComics. In this period he worked on several anthology comics, where he first collaborated with Creator/StanLee. Many of these comics were adaptations and short stories in the style of Creator/OHenry. Lee already had begun using a shorthand plotting style which would go on to be called the "Marvel Method", in which he gave a one page or even one line synopsis which Ditko would expand and plot into an entire comic, complete with characters, setting, action, after which Lee provided dialogue. After the runaway success of ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' literally saved the company BackFromTheBrink, EIC Stan Lee decided to develop other heroes. One concept was for a teenage hero which he originally went to Creator/JackKirby, but unsatisfied with the results, Lee went to Ditko instead. The result was Spider-Man, whose iconic costume design, science-based powers, and general look was designed entirely by Ditko. Ditko's other major contribution was ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange'', a character that Lee admits was largely Ditko's idea and creation. Strange never quite headed his own title but Ditko's run on the character and his artwork was a major CultClassic and made Ditko a hero among the hippies (ironically enough as later events would prove). On account of Creator/StanLee's famous PR blitz in the pages of Marvel, by which he would sell and promote himself and his crew as a squad of lovable bickering co-workers at the Marvel Bullpen[[note]]The reality was that hardly any one of them were in office at the same time, most worked at home, and they would drop by once-a-month or week to discuss with Lee and then send work in by mail[[/note]], Ditko became quite well known among Marvel fans as "Sturdy" Steve Ditko. In other words, Stan Lee made Steve Ditko famous among comics fans as the artist of Spider-Man, which is another one of the tragic ironies of Ditko's life.

* DoingItForTheArt: He infamously used his original art (including his original work on ''Spider-Man'', [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules which he could sell]] for ''thousands'' a piece to collectors) as ''cutting boards'' in his studio, as a jab towards Marvel for their mistreatment of him and other artists over the years (and as a statement that he's still working today and shouldn't be defined by the work he did a half-century ago). Of course, this didn't stop him from still receiving royalty checks in the mailbox, as discovered by reporter Abraham Reismann when speaking with Ditko's neighbor.

* OldShame: Infamously used his original art (including his original work on ''Spider-Man'', [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules which he could sell]] for ''thousands'' a piece to collectors) as ''cutting boards'' in his studio, as a jab towards Marvel for their mistreatment of him and other artists over the years (and as a statement that he's still working today and shouldn't be defined by the work he did a half-century ago).[[invoked]] Of course this didn't stop him, according to his neighbor from still receiving royalty checks in the mailbox, as discovered by reporter Abraham Reismann.