My first book was published October 9th, 2002 and is called ''I Have To Live With This Guy!''. It's about book about being involved/married to a comic book creator over the past sixty years. I have in-depth chapters on Ann & Will Eisner, Joan & Stan Lee, Muriel & Joe Kubert, Adele & Harvey Kurtzman, Josie & Dan DeCarlo, Adrienne & Gene Colan, Virginia & John Romita Sr., Lindy & Dick Ayers, Loretta & Ric Estrada, Anne T. Murphy & Archie Goodwin, Deni Loubert & Dave Sim, Melinda Gebbie & Alan Moore, Eddie Sedarbaum & Howard Cruse, Jackie Estrada & Batton Lash, Julie & Dave Cooper! It's packed full of stories about their inspirations, work habits, and artistic tempraments, along with plenty of rare and unpublished pictures and artwork. The book is 208 pages long and retails at $19.95 and can be ordered here at the TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING web site (and yes, there's a few Ditko stories to boot, as well).
MONDAY DECEMBER 2, 2002
1) The BLAKE'S STEVE DITKO BOOK train takes us to the FANTAGRAPHICS W.W. Norton catalog, which is provided for all the "regular" bookstores to do their ordering. Our Ditko project receives two full pages in the catalog and you can view the first page (the second is simply images) HERE. Pretty exciting, no? This is also probably the final shout-out I'll be able to do for original art copies, so please, if you have any Ditko original art (especially from THIS LIST), now is a good time to share (copies of B&W British reprints of '50s Charlton material would also be VERY appreciated).
2) My lecture/slideshow event in Toronto on Monday November 11th, 2002 made Canada's national newspaper! The room was packed for the hour-and-a-half PowerPoint presentation of over 100 examples of Ditko artwork. Cartoonists Joe Matt and Chester Brown were on hand, and I did some signings for my "I HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS GUY!" from TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING (which is being resolicited in December's PREVIEWS so go bug your retailer to order it for you!). Check out the listing in one of the two Canadian national newspapers, The National Post. If you missed the lecture, no worries as I'll probably be doing it in New York in April, culminating in the final showing at next year's San Diego Comic Con!
3) Let's also bring something new to the site this time out! Yes, I have teamed up with the Internet's premiere indexer of comic-book covers, NICK SIMON, who brought you the The Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index web site, to bring you the STEVE DITKO COVER GALLERY right here on this site! Nick's in charge of updating this portion of the site, and there are e-mail links all over to send him scans if you have what we're missing. Kudos to Nick for bringing this fantastic resource on board DITKO LOOKED UP!
4) The New York Post published an article on Stan Lee, calling him everything from creator on the Marvel heroes to an artist, and my good friend, Dr. Michael J. Vassallo had his letter printed correcting the errors (and Ditko says fans can't be bothered to correct such errors?)
5) Another good buddy of mine, Russ Maheras has just released issue eight of his excellent fanzine MAELSTROM. It contains an amazing index of the first 400 issues of The Comic's Buyers Guide, but also a two-page article called "Just A Guy Named Ditko." It's a great fanzine and you can contact Russ HERE for all the details.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 8, 2002
1) The STEVE DITKO BOOK train continues to roll! News of the FANTAGRAPHICS project is swarming the world! I recently did an interview with Matt Brady from www.newsarama.com and they did a major story on the project, which you can read HERE. Cliff Biggers of THE COMIC SHOP NEWS also interviewed me and the story appears to be set for Issue #801 in stores on Wednesday October 30, 2002!
2) On top of it all, my "I HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS GUY!" book is out twomorrow (from TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING with a number of great Ditko stories and artwork) and I'll be conducting the multi-media event of the season in Toronto on Monday November 11th, 2002! What is it you ask? Well, it's a combo book signing and a free lecture/slide presentation entitled "STEVE DITKO: TALENT UNBOUND OR TALENT WASTED?". Hosted by Toronto's #1 comic store, THE BEGUILING, I'll be holding court on the career and art of Steve Ditko. For all pertinent information, you can view the flyer for the event HERE.
3) Ladies and gentlemen, I still need help with Ditko original art for the book. Thanks so much to those who have helped out, but if anyone else out there can assist with art, or stats, or B&W British or Canadian reprints please get in touch with me so that we can use them in the book. You can e-mail me at ditko37@rogers.com and if need be, confidentiality can be granted. If you have rare/unseen artwork, please let me know. To help in this regard, I'm posting a list of images I've run through that MAY make the book. If you have access to any of THESE IMAGES, please get in touch with me. If you are a professional and have had contact with Ditko, or would love a chance to comment on his work/career, let me know. This is a time for the whole Ditko community to come together to help produce the best Ditko volume possible!
4) Another big fan of Steve Ditko and someone who has published his work in fanzines over 30 years ago is BILL SCHELLY. The man has put out more books on the Golden Age of Fanzines that just about anyone and he has a new, official site out at billschelly.com where you can order his excellent book, Sense of Wonder: A Life In Comic Fandom which has plenty of tales of Ditko from yesteryear.
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2002
1) Ever since Eclipse Comics dropped the ball on THE ART OF STEVE DITKO almost 20 years ago, you've been waiting for a definitive book on Ditko's work and career, yes? Well, I'm finally bringing the gold home for Ditko fans the world over! Yes, I can confirm I'm signing on with FANTAGRAPHICS to produce a Ditko tome! Remember the recently-released Bernie Krigstein book? Ditko is getting the same treatment! You can read all about it in the FANTAGRAPHICS/BLAKE BELL press release right HERE! The year 2003 - celebrating 50 years of being published in comics - will be the year of Steve Ditko!
2) This FANTAGRAPHICS project is just the beginning of the journey. While nothing is finalized yet, Fantagraphics has shown a very strong interest in reprinted Ditko's 1950s material! And in colour! Every Ditko enthusiasts' dream mya finally becoming true. A definitive published checklist by myself also looks like a definite go for 2003, as does the distinct possibility of another ART OF STEVE DITKO panel at next year's San Diego Comic-Con. You can see why 2003 will be the Year of Steve Ditko!
3) Given all the info. above, these projects need YOUR help! I'll settle for nothing less than the highest quality reproductions for the upcoming projects and therefore I am asking that ANYONE who owns Ditko original art (or stats) please get in touch with me so that we can use them in the book. You can e-mail me at ditko37@rogers.com and if need be, confidentiality can be granted. If you have rare/unseen artwork, please let me know. If you are a professional and have had contact with Ditko, or would love a chance to comment on his work/career, let me know. Since it will be difficult to come across Ditko's 1950s artwork, if you have clean British/Canadian/foreign reprints of his Charlton/Marvel work, please do let me know. This is a time for the whole Ditko community to come together to help produce the best Ditko volume possible!
4) Not to be forgotten is The ART OF STEVE DITKO Panel that went smashingly well at August's San Diego Comic Con. You can read my whole report on this and the Con HERE.
SATURDAY JULY 13, 2002
1) The SAN DIEGO COMIC CON is eighteen days away & (thanks to your humble web-site host) they will be celebrating Ditko's career like never before! San Diego is famous for their panels, and I will be moderating THE ART OF STEVE DITKO panel! I will be joined at the dias by TODD MCFARLANE, DICK GIORDANO, GARY GROTH, PAUL SMITH, BATTON LASH and JOHN ROMITA SR. to discuss & dissect the career of Ditko. Its on Friday August 2nd from 12:30-2pm in Room 9, so come on out and enjoy the fun!
2) Apparently, someone made a big mistake when they sent the solicitation to PREVIEWS for Ditko's new AVENGING WORLD graphic novel. It's still $25, but the page count is not 176, but 240 pages! That's a big heapin' a Ditko. No word on what is reprints and what is new, but it should be out any week now.
3) I did an interview with Fred Martinez, writer for the CONSERVATIVE MONITOR and you can read the entire piece HERE.
4) Ditko is Mad! No, but he made an appearance in the MAD MAGAZINE spoof on the Spider-Man movie. Check it out HERE. Thanks to Dave Hermary for the heads up.
WEDNESDAY MAY 15, 2002
1) We first reported on March 19th that Marvel had finally given Ditko a co-creator credit on the monthly comic, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. There was little fanfare from Marvel which made us rather suspicious. Why wouldn't Marvel make a big deal about finally doing the right thing. It appears they didn't make a big deal of it because the right thing was only going to last one issue. It has been reported that the latest issue of Spider-Man has seen the credit removed. $114 million dollars later, Marvel sees no longer fit to display the co-creator credit. Feel free to send Spider-Man editor, AXEL ALONSO an e-mail at mvlfanmail@marvel.com, but make sure you put in the subject header Mr. Alonso's name. Ask him why this has happened. Also, feel free to e-mail the Media Relations department members, Jeff Klein and Adam Fenton to ask them to grant myself, Blake Bell, an interview with Mr. Alonso, or the responsible party for adding/removing the credit. Requests to all three parties have gone unanswered in the past 2 hours. Surely the good ship Marvel didn't give Ditko a co-creator credit before the movie came out simply to avoid bad press, and now has rescinded it once the all-important first box-office weekend has passed? Does the House Of (Questionable) Ideas need more shame? We're going to put a little moratorium on Spider-Man news until we hear from Marvel about this latest movie.
2) It is confirmed! The May issue of PREVIEWS for books being released in July contains news of the new Ditko graphic novel! You can see the listing on page 372 of PREVIEWS and the order code is MAY02 2512. Here's the solicitation quote:
"AVENGING WORLD" tpb by Steve Ditko. First published in 1969 in Witzend #6, "The Avenging World" is a morality tale told in words and pictures, showcasing both Steve Ditko's exceptional narrative qualities and political sentiments pertaining to wrong and right, good and evil. The rigid and intense concepts posed in these later stories stand as a fascinating contrast to the freewheeling mix of action and suspense in his early horror
and superhero work. (Robin Snyder Publisher) (CAUT: 4) tpb, 240pg, b&w $25.00."
3) We've finally got the goods on Ditko's TINY TOONS story from the early '90s, including photo evidence! Ditko didn't do the cover you see to your left, but he certainly did a full five-page strip for this overseas (U.K.) production! One must wonder how many other stories over the past ten+ plus years Ditko has done for non-North American outlets that we haven't discovered yet! It would certainly help explain some of the gaps in his early '90s bibliography. Check out THIS LINK to The Artist section for all the details!
4) Speaking of never-before-discovered Ditko stories, we've got TWO more! Ditko fan extraordinaire, Will Murray, recently advised me that he did two stories with Ditko, with Ditko's inks, that nobody has ever bothered to document! Remember Marvel Comics' DESTROYER trade paperback that came out in 1991, reprinting the Murray/Ditko six-page story, "How The Thieving Ninja Came To Be" from DESTROYER #4, 1/90? Well, the tpb was mostly reprints, so maybe that's why no one noticed that there were two more original Murray/Ditko stories inside!
Will reports you can find two more 'Tales of Sinanju stories' inside: 1] "The Wonderful Death of Robin Hood!" (4 pgs) and 2] "How Master Shang Journeyed to the Moon." (12 pgs)! Holy Smokes! How did Ditko fans everywhere miss those two?! Thanks to Will for the discovery!
FRIDAY MAY 3, 2002
1) Do you like our new FRONT PAGE? Don't miss it.
2) 40 years after his birth, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Amazing Spider-Man hits the silver screen today. Ditko is taking all media by storm, and here are the two best examples. I was interviewed by the National Post, one of two national Canadian newspapers, and the Ditko-centric article by Jeet Heer can be read HERE.
3) The second example? Ditko takes the radio waves by storm! I was interviewed by the nationally syndicated radio news show, ON THE MEDIA, on the topic of Ditko's journey to "official" co-creator status of Spider-Man. Listen to the my interview, archived at the show's web site at www.onthemedia.org. I was interviewed for almost 25 minutes, but they did some editing.
4) More articles of interest and intrigue? The headline is terribly annoying, but the TORONTO STAR has Stan talking well of Ditko, and you can read it HERE. The same paper has an editorial on the revolutionary aspects Lee and Ditko brought to comics via Spider-Man, and you can read that HERE. The NATIONAL POST has a fun article where two editors and a journalist duke it out over the movie, and one credits Ditko by saying "it's the look of comics -- the terrific Steve Ditko drawings -- that are so vividly memorable and worth getting nostalgic about, not the daft stories." Read the whole article HERE. Still think Ditko doesn't have the right to be a little bitter over lack of financial compensation for his co-creations at Marvel? Had he stuck it out, and became a company man, perhaps he could have had an $800,000 chairman emeritus salary like Stan Lee gets to this day at Marvel, and you can read about that, and the overall state of the industry (and the value of the Spider-Man property to it) in a story at the GLOBE & MAIL web site HERE. Click HERE for another Globe article on the Spidey phenomenon.
5) Reviews are in for the Spider-Movie, and it is a SMASH! Half of the Toronto papers did reviews crediting only Stan Lee as creator, even though they had stories inside about Ditko as co-creator! Don't people in the same newsroom ever talk to each other? For quality reviews, check out the GLOBE AND MAIL, the TORONTO STAR, and the L.A. Times; all of which credit both Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
6) The latest issue of THE COMICS has another one of Ditko's Mini-History essays, this time on "Spider-woman/Spider-girl"! Curious? Order them all from RSComics@aol.com. Ditko continues to tell his side of the story from his days at Marvel!
7) Peter Bagge, indie artist and man responsible for the hilarious recent Marvel release, MEGLOMANIACAL SPIDER-MAN, has lent us his thoughts on the project! You can read Peter's take on the Ditko/Lee/Spider-Man mythos in THE DITKO INFLUENCE section! Many thanks to Peter for his generosity.
SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2002
1) 40 years after his birth, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Amazing Spider-Man will hit the silver screen this coming Friday. I am happy to announce Steve Ditko does receive a "co-creator credit" in the opening credits of the movie. If you care to read a review of the movie (as well as the co-creator news), www.superherohype.com is the first place I saw it, but I'm sure this week will bring so much more. Andrew Sumner, magazine publisher in the UK, wrote me to say he had attended a pre-screening of the movie at Sony's London HQ (poor Londoners - the movie doesn't open there until June). Andrew commented that he thought it may be the best superhero movie to date, and that the Ditko credit in the opening credits reads "Based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko." The credit falls just after screenwriter David Koepp's screenplay credit and before Sam Raimi's director credit. Thanks to Andrew for the update! Not to overly publicize www.superherohype.com, but they have a large section of their site which actually has a countdown until the movie opens, plus plenty of other links to articles and sites on Spider-Man, and it can all be found HERE.
2) I was interviewed by the LA Times for an article on the movie and Ditko's participation in the character's creation. Here's a link to the LA Times Article, which has a never-before-seen picture of Steve Ditko from 1959! (contributed by Britt Stanton) It's a great article, but I was told by the author that they moved its date up to Monday, April 29, and cut it by one-third, so my quotes were canned. If you want to read the text of my answers, you can take a look HERE.
3) Kudos must go to JOHN GLEESON of the Winnipeg Sun, a newspaper up here in Canada. He has written an article entitled "The Real Spidey". It focuses fully on Ditko and his contribution to Spider-Man. You can read the article HERE. If anyone out there spots articles on Ditko, or that have serious Ditko content (and I do mean "serious", as opposed to just a mention of him as co-creator), please E-MAIL ME with the details, especially links to a newspaper/magazine's web site. Honestly, four months ago, before this co-creator credit came to pass, I was perfectly ready to ignore this movie. Now I (and hopefully/more importantly, Steve) can find some peace, and watch it knowing some of the issues from the last 40 years are being addressed.
4) To show how difficult it can be to clean up a 40 year-old mess (and how one must always be vigilant when crediting where credit is due), scan trade magazines and watch news reports on the movie. The Entertainment Weekly that came out last week, and featured Spider-Man on the cover, rightfully credited Ditko as co-creator. Shamefully, Premiere, which claims to be the movie magazine, obviously hasn't been paying attention as they only credited Stan Lee as creator in their Tobey Maguire (who plays Spider-Man in the movie) story form last week's issue. All you have to do is plug "Spider-Man" into www.google.ca, and a fact-checker could find numerous places that credit Ditko. For the absurd, Allen W. Wright wrote me to say CTV NewsNet (a Canadian all-news channel, like CNN) called Todd McFarlane the creator of Spider-Man!
5) Who can we credit for getting Ditko's name on the film as "co-creator"? Apparently, it's Director Sam Raimi. Sam was interviewed on April 23rd in London and told the magazine he is a huge Ditko fan and insisted on having Steve's name on the credits.
6) In Canada, one of two national newspapers is called The National Post. They interviewed me last week for a piece they are definitely (can you use that word in the newspaper business) running a piece on Ditko this coming week (perhaps Wednesday). Learning from my Wizard experience, I truly made every effort to shy away from even hinting that I have some mind-meld with Ditko, and know his every thought. Hopefully, it comes out well. They are going to be running a piece everyday on the movie, so here's a link to their Arts/Leisure section, which I suspect will have all the stories.
7) THE MEGALOMANIACAL SPIDER-MAN is a new release from Marvel in April (under the "Startling Stories" banner) featuring artwork by indie artist, Peter Bagge (of "Hate" fame), and his take on the whole Spider-Man mythos. It has received massive critical acclaim and basically follows Bagge's idea of a Peter Parker who turns into Steve Ditko. I'm not sure how Steve will feel about it, but it too has a "created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko" credit on the splash, and a "Tip O' The Pen To Steve Ditko" nod from Peter in the very end. Check out this LINK to a page that has links to cover and first four pages for a preview.
8) There a huge event happening here in Toronto on the holiday weekend (May 18th and 19th) at the comic store in Canada, THE BEGUILING. An unbelievable line-up of Adrian Tomine (on Saturday), Chip Kidd, Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, Ivan Brunetti, James Sturm, Chester Brown, Seth and Joe Matt (on Sunday) will be in town helping to celebrate the store's 15th anniversary. Sunday will have a big signing and panels, but you can check out all the details at The Beguiling's web site's EVENTS PAGE. I promote The Beguiling because they have the largest selection of Ditko books in the country, and even have a Ditko back issue section upstairs!
MONDAY APRIL 8, 2002
1) It has been announced that Ditko is working on a new Avenging World graphic novel! More details as they are available! The latest issue of THE COMICS also has Ditko's Mini-History essay on Amazing Spider-Man #3! Ditko continues to tell his side of the story from his days at Marvel!
2) It's the 4th anniversary of DITKO LOOKED UP! It was getting crowded at the old server, so our saviour, JON LOVSTAD of THE GRAND COMICS DATABASE has offered us this new URL and server space. Welcome to WWW.DITKO.COMICS.ORG! FINALLY, everything on one site! Update your bookmarks, cause I won't keep the old links up forever. The GCD is a truly remarkable resource, & you can help out by offering to index comics not in the search engine, so sign up for one of the mailing lists & contribute to the greatest comic research project going!
3) Four years ago today, I unveiled this web site. Thanks to the many contributions of people across North America, it stands as great as it does today. Selfless contributions continue to flow in from all over, and I've met many fine people thanks to this site. Ditko never chased down the spotlight, so it is amazing how many people are just in love with the man's WORK. Thanks to all who have provided support and encouragement over the past four years. It's been a joy ride. And please do keep the contributions coming. Please E-MAIL ME if you have anything to share. You are what's made this site so great!
4) Ditko-influenced sightings are everywhere! You can expect a great deal more articles to be mentioning Ditko in the coming months (thanks to the movie), but check out Frank Miller's DARK KNIGHT 2 from D.C. Comics, if you want to read pure Ditko dialogue. Frank is trying to put the hope back in comics, and he's using Ditko's creation, The Question to do it! The Question is playing a pivotal role in the series and is mouthing sermons only Ditko could provide! THE CREEPER also makes a brief appearance in #2. Mike Reese of the Kirby list at yahoogroups pointed out an episode of The Simpsons that showed Marge leaving the baby at a daycare, and on the wall was a poster that said..."A is A". To top it off, the director of the daycare is seen reading "The Fountainhead"! Matt Groening has always been a Ditko fan, so more power to him! And I'm planning some big for the San Diego Comic Con with regards to Ditko, so keep your eyes peeled here!
5) I can't resist it! I have to mention it in this section, too! We've obtained the pre-inked pencils to the splash page of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #38! I'm not kidding! It's unbelievable! Ditko at his best! Check out the PRE-INKED PAGES section for all the details.
6) We're still searching for that TINY TOONS Ditko story (read about it below). It appears there may have been a U.K. annual, AND a European comic book of which six issues were printed. If you have ANY of these, please
E-MAIL ME, so we can uncover another Ditko gem!
7) Four weeks from last Friday (May 3rd), the live-action movie of the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN will appear in movie theatres across North America. Director Sam Raimi appears to be taking straight from the spirit of the Ditko/Lee version, but it will be a bittersweet moment. On one hand, it stands a testimony that artists of Steve's generation could produce such mythical icons working for little pay, and NO future. On the other, it stands as a glaring monolith to how creativity can be stamped out by those who don't respect the value of the creator, and his creation. I picked up one of the official movie picture books, and inside it read "based on the comic by Stan Lee." I know Marvel is trying to right the ship a little (if but in name only) with Ditko credits being spread to every Spider-Man title in the line now, but so much could have been gained had Martin Goodman, Marvel Publisher in the '60s, opened the financial door JUST a crack to include Kirby and Ditko. They probably would have stayed forever, producing even more legends for the masses. All I can hope for with regards to this movie is that Steve finds himself at peace with it. He deserves that much, at least.
TUESDAY MARCH 19, 2002
1) Run to your local comic shop and buy AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #39 (no, not the first Romita Sr. issue - the one released this month) because, for the first time in the history of the title that Ditko and Lee created, Ditko is listed as CO-CREATOR! Read all about it HERE!
2) It's happening again! We've found another previously undiscovered Ditko romance tale from the early '70s, done for Charlton Comics! First, it was I LOVE YOU #91; then it was ROMANTIC STORY #107; then it was TIME FOR LOVE #13 (all three done within a two-year period for Charlton from 1969-1971).
NOW, thanks to the intrepid eye of Narly Nick Caputo (New York City's finest Ditko fan), we bring you...JUST MARRIED #79! Cover-dated Sept. 1971, this Charlton romance title has a Ditko 7-page story entitled "Dream Of Love"! Can you believe it? Throw in the Charlton BLACK JACK #27 story from 1959, and we have uncovered an amazing amount of hitherto unknown Ditko material from over 30 years ago! Speaking of which...
3) You can help us unravel another undiscovered Ditko story! Remember the animated TV cartoon show, produced by Spielberg's company for Warners Brothers in the early '90s, called TINY TOONS?. It featured the younger offspring of the famous Warner Bros. cartoon characters; the cast including Buster and Babs Bunny, Elmira (as opposed to Elmer) Fudd, Montana Max (for Yosemite Sam), etc. Apparently, there was a comic produced for this overseas and Ditko is alleged to have done a story for it! The book may have been released in the U.K., and then translated into various languages for different countries. No one I know has seen it, so if you know any more details, please
E-MAIL ME, so we can uncover another Ditko gem!
4) Sometimes, important people in the industry are necessary the creative people. Harry Kremer, owner of NOW AND THEN BOOKS in Kitchener (Ontario, Canada - http://www.sentex.net/~dvanhorn/ ), passed away on March 12th. Harry basically floated the only comic I consider to be on par with the Ditko/Lee SPIDER-MAN issues, indie smash CEREBUS, back at the very beginning, and Dave Sim worked at the store before Cerebus's release. If you grew up in Toronto in the '80s, chances are most of your Cerebus issues have NOW AND THEN BOOKS stamped on the backing board, as well as other AV books. My last chance to speak to him was to get his permission to run a SYD SHORES bio from Dave's NOW AND THEN TIMES (a two-issue fanzine Dave had talked Harry into putting out) for Roy Thomas's ALTER EGO last year. He didn't know me from Adam, but happily gave his permission, as seemed to be his nature. His store? Imagine THE BEGUILING comic store in Toronto - imagine Jim Hanley's Universe in New York City - before there was a BEGUILING or HANLEY'S. A generous soul, who never made it to #300, but made #1 happen in so many ways. As for Six Degrees Of Ditko Separation: Dave met Deni Loubert at Harry's store, and Deni went on to form RENEGADE, which published DITKO'S WORLD in 1986. You can read an article on his life HERE.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 29, 2001
1) Many of you may already know that WIZARD magazine released their January 2002 issue (#124) at the end of November. Inside is an article entitled, "Who is Steve Ditko?", for which I was interviewed. What follows via the link below is my open letter to all Ditko, and comic-book, fans, expressing my disappointment about the abuses propagated by Wizard magazine onto me regarding my participation. Click HERE to read the letter.
2) Bill Schelly's new TWOMORROWS tpb, SENSE OF WONDER is on the shelves! It's a collection of fanzine work by Bill from the '60s (he created the fanzine SENSE OF WONDER) and also includes other fanzine artwork and remembrances. It has TONS of Ditko artwork and references. Check out the TWOMORROWS web-site for more info., as it becomes available!
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2001
1) From the world of Ditko fanzines comes news of a new TWOMORROWS trade paperback by Bill Schelly entitled SENSE OF WONDER! It's a collection of fanzine work by Bill from the '60s (he created the fanzine SENSE OF WONDER) and also includes other fanzine artwork and remembrances. Bill sent us a list of all the Ditko contents and here it is...
Dr. Strange pin-up : SUPER HEROES ANONYMOUS #2
Mr. A cover to SENSE OF WONDER #6
Splash panel from Mr. A "The Defenders" from SENSE OF WONDER #11 (plus the book details Bill's "experiences working with Ditko in each instance"). Other Ditko items in the book include...
Dr. Strange illustration from the cover of YANCY STREET JOURNAL #8
Spider-Man Promotional Art from 1963
Cover & excerpt from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7, "as part of a discussion of the merits of Ditko's work, and its impression" on Bill.
It looks like a slammin' piece of work for all Ditko fans, so look for it soon, and check out the TWOMORROWS web-site for more info., as it becomes available!
MONDAY JULY 30, 2001
1) It's official! Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko's official new web-site, www.snyder-ditko.com, went to air on July 4th, and it was all designed by yours truly!
Here, you can find all you need to know about Robin's THE COMICS periodical and Steve's PACKAGE SERIES! Robin and Steve are determined to not just have this be a shopping centre or re-hash of THE COMICS, but a site to complement both, with exclusive-to-the-site material! If you are a fan of Robert Kanigher's work, you'll enjoy July's exclusive web-site material, and the August update (with even more exclusive features) is coming THIS WEEK! I sense big things on the horizon, so don't forget to check it out every month!
2) I am a rye-ta! I am a rye-ta! Yes, my first-ever, professionally published article came out at the San Diego Comic-Con! It was an "article" on Ditko and Wally Wood, featured in COMIC BOOK ARTIST #14 - The TOWER COMICS Issue! It's in stores everywhere, or you can order from their web-site! Feel free to E-MAIL ME with your thoughts on my "unusual take"
on the Ditko/Wood relationship.
3) Other Ditko "events" on the horizon? Marvel Comics has announced they are putting out a 'Dr. Strange' Essentials collection, which will reprint Ditko's entire run on the book, and beyond into the Everett and Severin years. More details as the arrive.
4) And another mind-blower comes to us from the 9th issue (Jul '01) of ALTER EGO! Inside, there is a pre-inked page from Ditko's Amazing Spider-Man #38! I won't blow any of the surprises, but Roy Thomas has promised to send us a higher-quality version of the page for greater inspection! You can order on-line at their section of the TWOMORROWS web-site.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 20, 2001
1) The exciting news! The past month has had me working with Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko on designing their brand new web-site for Robin's THE COMICS and Steve's PACKAGE SERIES! And this is not just a shopping centre for their products, but an extension of their works! The site will debut JULY 4th - INDEPENDENCE DAY! You can bookmark the front page at www.snyder-ditko.com and then return July 4th for all the fun. You'll still be able to get all the ordering information on current and past projects, but the site will go beyond this to bring you exclusive previews and material long out of print! Robin and Steve take the big splash into the world of the 'Net and nothing will be the same again! It all starts
JULY 4th - INDEPENDENCE DAY! Be there!
2) The sad news. Bill Hall's famous Ditko fanzine DITKOMANIA has officially been retired by Bill. You can read all about it in our SPECIAL SECTION devoted to the man and his fanzine that kept all us Ditko fans linked together, long before there was a world wide web.
TUESDAY JUNE 5, 2001
1) Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko have released another PACKAGE! June 2001 sees the debut
of the second edition of THE DITKO PACKAGE from January 1989; the original Package! I've seen the book and it is a 7x10", newsprint format, which is a great improvement over the tiny-sized original pressing. The best part
is it is only $7! The contents are re-ordered and the "It's Either...Or" page from GUTS #5
is an added bonus! You can visit THE COMICS web-site, or order by e-mailing Robin Snyder at RSComics@aol.com and tell 'em Blake Bell sent you!
2) You had better get in touch with Robin Snyder because the May issue of his periodical, THE COMICS, featured the first installment of "A Mini-History" by Steve Ditko, which threatens to see Steve setting the record straight on all the myths and rumours surrounding his time at Marvel Comics in the '60s! In the first installment, Steve says future installments will have him commenting on why Stan Lee "chose not to know, to hear why" Ditko left Marvel; dealing with Stan Lee's allegation that he came up with Ditko's famous lifting scene from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #33 and "the wider implications of Stan's 'creative' credit claiming and credit keeping".
Ditko leaves you with the quote "so it is past time to raise the other half of the cognitive curtain and see which performer is laying out the clearest, honest scenario". With that claim,
Steve has morally obligated himself to provide specific evidence/testimony and he says the next installment will deal with the stories revolving around the Green Goblin. One suspects Ditko will dispell the notion he would leave Marvel Comics over the identity the Green Goblin's identity, but we will all have to wait and read. The June issue of THE COMICS does not feature the next installment of "A Mini-History" and no one knows about the July issue. E-mail Robin at RSComics@aol.com. Subscriptions for U.S. Residents are $25 U.S. and $32 for outside of the U.S.!
SATURDAY JANUARY 27, 2001
1) Only a master like Steve Ditko could still be producing new material into his '70s.
Late November saw the release of STEVE DITKO'S ALL-NEW
176-PAGE ''HEROES'' PACKAGE #4. It contains new works by Ditko featuring
Killjoy, The Void, and other Ditko heroes, but the most significanr news is the volume
features the first MR. A. story in over 20 years! You order the volume from Robin Snyder,
Ditko's co-publisher at THE COMICS
web-site. And there is a rumour floating around that we will see a COMPLETE MR. A.
sometime in the next year!
2) Look for the March 2001 issue of Jon B. Cooke's COMIC BOOK ARTIST. Issue #12 will feature the second part of his Charlton spotlight; this
time ranging from the 1970s to the end of Charlton in 1985. There is also a good chance
this issue may feature an article by me! Jon and I are swapping e-mails as we speak to
see if we can fit something in, or another Ditko article for future issues of C.B.A.,
which you can order at the C.B.A. web-site!
3) As for D.C. Comics, they stink. I e-mailed them as to why we never
saw the Ditko back-up for GOTHAM KNIGHTS #7,
and they never responded. Apparently, Walter Simonson is holding onto the Ditko
ORION story, because it doesn't quite
fit with his current run. Whatever.
4) And for all Charlton fans, Maulin' Mike Ambrose has put out the pro-zine called
CHARLTON SPOTLIGHT. The first issue is
available to be purchased from Mike, so E-MAIL
Mike for all the details. It cost $6.95 and is 48 pages. Issue #1 is a
tribute issue to the recently-departed PAT BOYETTE, but it also features a ''complete''
Charlton checklist! A big help! Issue #2 may also feature an article by myself, and
should be out in the late summer. Check it out, funk soul brother!
FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2000
1) Perhaps the most impressive Ditko-related material since we last
updated the news section comes to us courtesy of Jim
Van Hise. He is the man who published one of the original fanzines
back in the 1960s and he back at it again. Yes, THE
ROCKET'S BLAST AND THE COMICOLLECTOR has been revived by Jim for
the year 2000. What is so Ditko-significant about this revival is that Issue
#1 (already on the shelves) has Jim writing a 40,000 word review of every
1950s Charlton comic in which Ditko participated! It has plenty of artwork
from that period as well, and a mention of this web-site, so go to your
local store, or Bud Plant Comic Art, and order Issue #1! It's only $9.95,
which gets you a giant, squarebound issue with a nice, thick, glossy cover
featuring a 1954 Ditko Charlton cover. Or you can order it directly from
Jim if you send $9.95 + $3.20 shipping (all U.S. funds) to Jim Van Hise,
57754 Onaga Trail, Yucca Valley, CA 92284. Orders from outside the
U.S. may want to contact Jim at his e-mail address
HERE.
2) Ditko-related material pops up in two of the TWOMORROWS' pro-zines
August issue. Jon B. Cooke's COMIC BOOK
ARTIST #9 spotlights Charlton, with the main focus on the mid-'60s
Action Line of heroes. Almost all of the people interviewed inside discuss
Ditko, in some form or another, and there is plenty of Ditko artwork to be
found. Roy Thomas's ALTER EGO v3 #5 features some rare Ditko fanzine artwork
in Bill Schelly's article on fanzines of the 1970s. Ordering info. on both
of these magazines can be found at www.twomorrows.com.
Also, COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE #81 appears as if it will have an article
spotlighting Ditko's Dr. Strange.
3) D.C. Comics ALLEGEDLY has two Ditko items in the near future.
We see it like that because GOTHAM KNIGHTS #7
was supposed to feature a back-up Batman story by Ditko, but when it came out in July, it featured a Buscema back-up. Almost two years ago, Ditko handed in a back-up story
for ORION, a title based around the lead character from the NEW GODS series. Ditko's back-up feature is supposed to be in the Walt Simonson
issues out now, but no word yet on when the back-up will appear.
4) I'm sending out the Distress Signal to all Ditko fans! Bill Hall,
the mastermind behind the 1983-present fanzine
DITKOMANIA is considering ending
the fanzine's run! WE SAY THEE NAY! Bill was a Ditko Pioneer long before
this web-site, or the Internet, ever surfaces, and we'd love to see Bill
stick around! So, I am calling on all Ditko-maniacs to e-mail Bill
and encourage him to keep at it. You can e-mail him HERE,
so do your part in keeping this great fanzine alive!
5) Greg Theakston and the Gang at PURE IMAGES continue to reprint 1950s and 1960s
Ditko comics at the SUNDAY COMICS
portion of their web-site in Acrobat Reader form for your purchasing and downloading pleasure,
so go check them out. It is worth the VERY cheap price!
6) And you should still go after a copy of Ron Frantz's fabulous book (with some Ditko content) called FANDOM CONFIDENTIAL. You can purchase it right from Ron at his web-site (by credit card, as
well) right HERE.
It's only $14.95 for 200+ pages. Ron tells me he is over halfway through
the print run of 750 signed and numbered copies, so order fast!
7) Ditko continues to produce independent volumes by the boat-load. The month of June
saw the re-release of Ditko's 1990, 96-page opus, THE
MOCKER for $15 (U.S.). July saw the release of two Ditko items; the first being
STEVE DITKO'S PACKAGE #5 : THE 32-PAGE TSK! TSK! PACKAGE
(for $5 U.S.) in B&W magazine format, featuring his 'TSK! TSK!' commentaries.
Also, more interestingly, THE COMPLETE STATIC is now on the shelves. It combines all 14 chapters
of Ditko's STATIC saga, from the late '80s. Those who know, know how difficult it has been
to obtain a copy of the Chapters 6-14 saga, so here is you chance to have it all in one
volume for $15 U.S., so ask your local retailer to order it for you, or get one on E-Bay
for much less. In the August PREVIEWS catalog,
STEVE DITKO'S PACKAGE #4 is listed for release
in October. This looks to be an exciting volume as it contains 176-pages of all new stories
featuring Ditko's heroes like MR. A. (!), KILLJOY and others. It's been over 20 years since
we've seen a new MR. A. story, so this volume should be worth it.
8) This isn't exactly revelant news to anyone but me, but i FINALLY purchased a copy of
FANTASTIC FEARS #5 (Jan '54), Ditko's first-ever comic book artwork (but 3rd-published).
This, along with BLACK MAGIC #27 and DARING LOVE #1, has been a Holy Grail Ditko book
for me, and I am over the moon at acquiring one, after almost 20 years of dreaming!
If you want to read a re-mastered version of this classic, check out Michael T. Gilbert's
MR. MONSTER #6 issue. Michael is selling this issue, with this VERY important reprint of
Ditko's first artwork to anyone who wants one for the measly sum of $4 U.S., which
includes shipping! You can e-mail Michael T. Gilbert
with any questions, or just mail the money (he says cash is fine) to : Michael T. Gilbert
PO box 11421, Eugene, OR, U.S.A. 97440. Ditko's story for only $4! What a steal! He'll
also send you his Mr. Monster sales catalog if you ask.
SUNDAY APRIL 1, 2000
1) Ron Frantz, the man who runs MIDGUARD PUBLISHING and once ran ACE COMICS
(with many books done by Ditko) has wrote and published a fabulous book (with some
Ditko content) called FANDOM CONFIDENTIAL. You can purchase it right from Ron
at his web-site HERE.
It's only $14.95 for 200+ pages. The first edition is limited to 750 signed and
numbered copies, so order fast!
2) It's April and we still haven't seen THE MOCKER project from Snyder/Ditko.
What seemed to be a new volume is now just going to be a 2nd printing of the original
from 1990. Check out the MOCKER house-ad from Robin Snyder's THE COMICS
web-site HERE.
3) VERY late November saw the release of STEVE DITKO'S 160-PAGE PACKAGE, VOL. 3,
featuring late '60s/early '70s Charlton ghost story reprints. It costs $13 and is being
distributed through Bud Plant, Cold Cuts, Crypt-O-Comix and The Nostalgia Zone. You can
order it directly from Robin Snyder
at HERE. To see a listing
of the Table Of Contents, go to the DITKO CHECKLISTS listing
and scroll down for the title ''Steve Ditko's 160-Page...''.
4) Even though we have yet to see The Mocker volume, Snyder/Ditko are claiming STATIC,
another hero from the '80s Charlton days, will make a re-appearance. See another House Ad
from THE COMICS HERE.
You can keep checking out all future work by Ditko and Snyder
HERE.
5) Also, the last three issues (Nov., Dec., Jan.) of THE COMICS have featured a return to
Ditko's TSK! TSK! series; one-page visual commentaries on God Knows What. Robin's
web-site has an example of same, and you can order a sample issue, or subscription
for 12 issues (for $24) HERE.
6) Two interesting items of Ditko note appeared in John Morrow's coterie of Pro-Zines.
COMIC BOOK ARTIST WINTER SPECIAL #1 featured a never-before published page of Ditko
artwork from 1971. Back when Jack Kirby moved to D.C., he wanted to do up a variety
magazine featuring some comic strips. Kirby asked Ditko to participate. Kirby's assistant
of the time, Mark Evanier, did up a script, and Ditko drew up two pages. The idea died,
but the first page from the strip, ''I Am...Gemini!'' is featured in the C.B.A. Winter
Special #1, which you can only get if you subscribe to the Pro-Zine COMIC BOOK ARTIST.
7) The second item is a reprinting of the cover to YANCY STREET JOURNAL #8 (1965) in
the latest issue of ALTER EGO (v3 #3), put out by Roy Thomas. The Y.S.J. was the first
Marvel fanzine and Ditko drew up a Dr. Strange head-shot for the cover. It had never
been reprinted until now. Also, check out the ''And Special Thanks To...'' section,
which features thanks to Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko and BLAKE BELL (that's me!); thanks to
my contribution to the Everett section of the issue.
8) The Halloween issue of DITKOMANIA features some pre-inked pages of Ditko's,
provided by artist/inker Bill Reinhold, from Bill R.'s work with Ditko on PHANTOM 2040!
Fascinating stuff. You can order issues of DITKOMANIA
from Bill Hall himself.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 10, 1999
1) Robin Snyder e-mailed me yesterday to tell me STEVE DITKO'S 160-PAGE PACKAGE, VOL. 3,
featuring late '60s/early '70s Charlton ghost story reprints, will be available by the end
of November, at a cost of $13. The book will be distributed through Bud Plant, The Comics,
Crypt-O-Comix and The Nostalgia Zone. You can read more
about it HERE.
2) It also appears there is another volume from Ditko and Snyder on the way.
Robin's site lists THE MOCKER under their upcoming projects for January. Can we assume
this will be another volume featuring the character from the previous Ditko/Snyder
volume from 1990? More info. as it becomes available...
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 1999
1) Since we last spoke, Ditko and Robin Snyder's 80-PAGE MISSING MAN Package has hit the
stores! Released on August 11th, Robin tells me it is selling MUCH better than anticipated.
It is certainly a complete volume of Missing Man stories, featuring every bit of Missing
Man action from the early '80s Pacific Comics. As a bonus, Ditko did up two NEW
stories for the volume. It costs $9 U.S. and you can read all about
it HERE.
2) We are offering The All-New, 160-Page Steve Ditko Package, released in February 1999,
for the very special price of... $7.50. The
original cover price on this book is $12, but we only have FIVE copies left, so order
soon. Packing and shipping will cost $2.50, so you can send $10 to Blake Bell,
33 Coldwater Rd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3B 1Y8. You can read all about the
book HERE. Even including shipping, the total
price is well under the original cover price, but after those five go, they are gone
at this special price forever!
3) It appears Robin Snyder and Ditko's 160-page Package, reprinting 20 of Ditko's Charlton
stories from the late '60s and early '70s, will make its appearance in November (perhaps
December, since it is being solicited in September's PREVIEWS catalog). You can read more
about it HERE.
4) Remember the exciting MR. MONSTER comic from Eclipse back in the late '80s? The creator
of same was Michael T. Gilbert, who is also a MAJOR contributor to ALTER EGO, especially
with his study of the letters of Gardner Fox. What made MR. MONSTER so prominent in the
Ditkoverse is that Michael's MR. MONSTER #6 issue reprinted (and recoloured) Ditko's first
story drawn for comics, ''Stretching Things'' from FANTASTIC FEARS #5 (Jan '54).
Michael e-mailed the other day to let everyone know he is selling this issue, with this
VERY important Ditko work to anyone who wants one for the measly sum of $4 U.S., which
includes shipping! You can e-mail Michael T. Gilbert
with any questions, or just mail the money (he says cash is fine) to : Michael T. Gilbert
PO box 11421, Eugene, OR, U.S.A. 97440. Ditko's story for only $4! What a steal! He'll
also send you his Mr. Monster sales catalog if you ask.
5) And if you enjoyed our RETURN OF SKYMAN pre-inked pages in our new
Pre-Inked Pages section, you can still acquire the Ditko
selections from ACE COMICS by e-mailing the publisher,
Ron Frantz to obtain copies. Ditko drew the cover to
''Daredevil Battles The Claw #1'', and did 18 pages of pencils per issue for ''What Is...The
Face? #1-3'' and ''Return Of Skyman #1''. Each issue will costs between $2 and $3 U.S.,
so check out these hard-to-find Ditko stories!
6) As spoke of earlier, Rodney Schroeter, noted Ditko authority and fellow
Objectivist, received permission from Steve to make copies for what Rodney considers one
of Ditko's most significant works, ''LAZLO'S HAMMER''. Rodney still has a few copies left
and is offering it to the public, shipping included, for only $5.50 (U.S. funds)! This tome
was originally presented in Robin Snyder's HISTORY OF THE COMICS back in November of 1992.
Rodney is providing to the public 27 single-sided, high-quality pages, in B&W. You can
e-mail RODNEY SCHROETER to order and/or clarify
any of the details!
7) It doesn't appear that Tristan Lapoussiere English, CD-ROM version of his 400-page tome,
called The Steve Ditko Index, will be coming to stores near you anytime soon. Tristan writes
to say paying work has him swamped and it is moving slowly. A shame.
Friday July 30, 1999
1) There is so much news since we last updated the site, so bear with us! An 80-Page
Ditko Package is being shipped to stores as we speak! It is THE volume on one of Ditko's
most bizarre characters, THE MISSING MAN! Supposedly, it reprints the earlier stories
and adds some new material. You can read all about it HERE.
Imagine that, Ditko back with another package in the same year
2) Ditko And Robin Snyder's ALL-NEW, 160-PAGE, STEVE DITKO PACKAGE came out in mid-February
and is as spectacular as one would suspect! Amazing that Ditko, at he heads into his 70s, can
still produce such a voluminous piece of work, with such a high calibre of art and story. You
can read all the info. about it HERE.
3) Even MORE Ditko in 1999! Robin Snyder and Ditko are going to publish another 160-page
package reprinting 20 of Ditko's Charlton stories from the late '60s and early '70s.
The package is due this autumn. You can read more about it
HERE.
4) More exciting Ditko news from France! As we all know, Tristan Lapoussiere published
the 400-page tome called The Steve Ditko Index, but how to get it in English and here
in North America? Tristan has asked me to inform the Ditko world that he will be publishing
the book, in English, on CD-ROM! Tristan provided the following details about the upcoming
project HERE.
5) COMIC BOOK ARTIST #4 (Spr '99), from TwoMorrows Publishing, features some Ditko
nuggets. The ALTER-EGO portion of the book has the Rapport interview, from 1966,
with Ditko. There is also a rare Ditko illustration from the rare fanzine, Komik Heroes
Of The Future (Issue #6 from '64), featuring Spider-Man and Dr. Strange. The regular
issue of C.B.A. is a Warren issue, so there is plenty of talk about Ditko's great B&W stories
from the mid-'60s for that company.
6) DITKOMANIA #62 (June '99) has an original Dick Ayers cover featuring The Face and Gabe
Jones (from Sgt. Fury). You can subscribe to this great fanzine from
Bill Hall himself.
Wednesday January 20, 1999
1) Rappin' Ron Frantz, former publisher of the late '80s version of ACE Comics,
is selling the issues Ditko drew for his company via the 'Net! Ditko drew the cover to
''Daredevil Battles The Claw #1'', and did 18 pages of pencils per issue for ''What Is...The
Face? #1-3'' and ''Return Of Skyman #1''. Each issue will costs between $2 and $3 U.S.,
so check out these hard-to-find Ditko stories! You can
e-mail Ron Frantz to order these issues
and confirm pricing details!
2) Ditko And Robin Snyder's ALL-NEW, 160-PAGE, STEVE DITKO PACKAGE is at the printers
at could be released at any time! Haven't heard about it? We've created a special page for
it and you can find it HERE.
Monday December 6, 1998
1) Rodney Schroeter, noted Ditko authority and fellow Objectivist, has received
permission from Steve to make copies for what Rodney considers one of Ditko's most significant
works, ''LAZLO'S HAMMER''. Rodney is now offering it to the public, shipping included, for
only $5.50 (U.S. funds)! This tome was originally presented in Robin Snyder's HISTORY OF THE
COMICS back in November of 1992. Rodney is providing to the public 27 single-sided,
high-quality pages, in black and white, and it is available now! You can e-mail
RODNEY SCHROETER to order and/or clarify any of the
details!
2) And don't forget to pester your local retailer concerning Robin Snyder's all-new,
160-page STEVE DITKO PACKAGE, released in January 1999. Remember, these are brand new
Ditko stories; 160 pages for only $12 U.S.! We've created a special page for it and you can
find it HERE.
3) And correction! Michael Brown informs us the NEW GODS book which will have a Ditko
five-page story in it, featuring DeSaad (and written by Mark Millar), is not a TPB, but
an ongoing series devoted to Kirby's Fourth World characters which has back-up stories
running in each issue. Byrne recently did his take, and now Walter Simonson will be doing
his in 1999 and the Ditko story will be appearing in the back of one of those issues. Look
for it no earlier than March.
4) And Ditko made an appearance in TIME Magazine. The latest issue had this letter written
by Ditko in the letters page.....''Re the eulogy of Batman's Bob Kane by Stan Lee, whom you
describe as 'creator of Spider-Man' [ Notebook, Nov. 16 ]: Spider-Man's existence needed a
visual, concrete identity. It was a collaboration of writer-editor Stan Lee and artist
Steve Ditko as co-creators. Steve Ditko. New York City.'' That's two letters in less than
a month (the other to Comic Book Marketplace #63)! Look out, world!
Sunday November 22, 1998
1) Ditko is back and bigger than ever! Once again, Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko
have combined forces with an all-new, 160-page STEVE DITKO PACKAGE! The November issue
of PREVIEWS has the item listed for order. This all-new art, all-Ditko tome will be
released in January 1999. Robin Snyder has a web site for his monthly publication
called THE COMICS and it has a special Ditko section featuring info. on the above,
including a preview of the cover of the DITKO PACKAGE!
Click HERE to go right to the
section. Just imagine; a virtual eight months worth of Ditko work, and it all happens
in January, in trade paper-back form for only $12!
2) Robin also informs the world that Roy Thomas, who's trail-blazing fanzine from
the '60s (called Alter-Ego) - currently residing as an all-new insert in the magazine COMIC
BOOK ARTIST - is publishing a ''feature by Steve Ditko'' (quoting Robin Snyder from the Ditko
mailing list) in issue #4 of the above magazine. Robin says ''this is an important work and not
something trivial''. It COULD be out in January (I think it is bi-monthly).
3) COMICS ON CD-ROM is an on-line site which
sells what the title says; comics from the '40s and '50s scanned onto cd-rom. There is a
Steve Ditko special, which features seven stories from the following : 1) Mysterious
Traveler #7, This Magazine Is Haunted #14, Strange Suspense Stories #20, Unusual Tales #11
and #22, Outer Space #21, and an issue of Space Adventures. The cost is $19.95 for shipping.
You can visit the site by the above link and check out the quality of their work, as they
offer a sample, seven-page Ditko story, scanned in full. This is certainly not a bad idea,
but the Ditko story I saw seemed scanned straight off a browned copy, and no attempt was
made to clean up the pages. Still, not a bad way to get seven rare Ditko gems for only
$19.95. Hopefully, if they do another batch, they'll take greater care in the presentation.
Again, I am not endorsing the product, as I have not ordered from them yet.
4) The infamous ACG is apparently back again with more poor quality reprints of
'50s/'60s Ditko work. October apparently did see another issue with old Ditko work :
Not Approved Horror #1 (with ''Deep In The Mountains'' from UNUSUAL TALES #11 [what's the
deal on THAT book? I just bought it in January and now everybody's reprinting from it!]).
Again, many books from ACG have been solicited and many have never seen the light of day
(I've never seen one), but someone did actually claim to have received this one.
5) And from out of the blue, Steve Ditko wrote a letter to COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE,
which printed it in the latest issue, #63, concerning the famous ''weight-off-my-back''
scene in Amazing Spider-Man #33! Rarely does this private individual go public like
this! Go out and get it!
6) The Saturday morning BAT-MAN cartoon show had an episode (Saturday, November 7th)
featuring the CREEPER; a character Ditko created back in early '68 for DC's SHOWCASE.
They didn't acknowledge Ditko in the credits, but the Creeper did buy his costume from
the 'Ditko Vintage Clothes Store'.
7) Issue #60 of Ditkomania, (for Hallowe'en '98) the fabulous, decade-old, Bill
Hall fanzine concerning all things Ditko is now available for purchase. You can find out all
the information you need from Bill Hall himself.
Monday June 8, 1998
1) The June issue of PREVIEWS is soliciting more ACG comics reprinting Ditko work.
Who knows if they will ever see the light of day? The books with Ditko in them are :
''Not Approved #1'' with pre-code horror from Charlton and Fawcett; and ''Space War Classics
#1'', reprinting Charlton's ''Space War #1''. Many thanks to Michael Brown from the
Ditko Mailing List (see our CREDITS section for details on how
to join) for pointing them out!
2) Issue #58 of Ditkomania, the fabulous, decade-old, Bill Hall fanzine
concerning all things Ditko is now available for purchase. You can find out all the
information you need from Bill Hall himself.
Wednesday April 8, 1998
1) Well, there is a new Ditko web-site on the 'Net. How that's for news? :)
2) DC is publishing an 80-page LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE GIANT featuring a
Spectre story by Peter David & Billy Mumy, with art by Steve Ditko & Kevin Nowlan!
3) A company from Montreal called AVALON COMMUNICATIONS GROUP (ACG) has been
releasing reprints containing '50s and '60s Ditko work. I haven't seen any of them
and reports say that many have shown up on Diamond Distributors Cancellation List.
According to Bob Heer, MAGICMANM #1 and NEMESIS #1 have been released, while UFO #1
(for February), and others for March, haven't been spotted. April's PREVIEWS lists
JUNGLE JIM #1 and ALL SUSPENSE #1 (listed as by Chic Stone and Steve Ditko) for release.
Feel free to E-MAIL ME with
any news.
4) Tristan Lapousierre's french-text book on Steve Ditko is out and can be purchased
from him. Wild Bill Hall of DITKOMANIA fame called it ''the best'' book on Ditko he has
ever seen with plenty of rare Ditko art. It is $75 U.S. and can be ordered from : Tristan
Lapoussiere, 12 Rue Anceau, 60390 Le Vauroux, FRANCE. Tell him I sent you!
5) ''Alter Ego, The Best Of The Legendary Comics Fanzine'' features art and articles by
Steve Ditko, Gil Kane, Stan Lee, and so on. It costs $17.95 plus $4 postage and is from
Hamster Press, PO Box 27471, Seattle, WA 98125. Tell them I sent you!
6) Ditko is currently working on a graphic novel for Fantagraphics. More details as they
are available.
If you have any Ditko-related news, please feel free to
E-MAIL ME.
