Customer Reviews

Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko

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This is an incredibly entertaining book. Looking at the cover, one can tell they are not looking at just another comic book artist. Opening the book one sees the first glimpse of Ditko, a five page black and white story called "Stretching Things". The story is a look at a man grown bitter by his handicap, so much so that a possible cure to his condition doesn't bring a happy ending, but a descent into evil. This isn't your average "comic book artist". The book is a entertaining yet somber look at the career and art of Steve Ditko. The author touches lightly on his pre comic book days, perhaps too lightly in that the interesting tidbits of his life that the author gives us wets the appetite of the reader but leaves us wanting. The book quickly jumps into his career as a comic illustrator, Eisner, Foster and Jerry Robinson being his early inspirations.

The book has a nice balance between text and what most Ditko fans really want to see, his art. There are nice full page splashes of art opposite the beginning of each chapter. The chapters covering his time at marvel and charlton are laced nicely with art of Spiderman, Dr.Strange, Captain Atom, as well as his later Charlton work with pictures of Blue Beetle and The Question. There is a very interesting chapter on his time working at Warren, the publisher that put out the "Eerie" and "Creepy" magazines of the late 60s. This is interesting in that it shows some of Ditkos "wash" technique, a water/ink brushwork style of art of which Ditko was a master. The book covers his time at Marvel and the historic clashes with Stan Lee that drove him to work at other companies such as DC where he created characters such as "The Creeper" and Hawk&Dove and Charlton where he had more creative reign if less pay.

The book examines Ditko and his objectivist philosophy which he would incorporate into his work often. Such work as "The Question" and his "Mr. A" are examined at length, and holds the reader captive and left wanting more. The efforts of Ditko to keep his work uncompromising are as epic as any Ayn Rand novel. There are a lot of treats for those looking for rare and often unseen Ditko art. The last thirty pages of the book are dedicated to nothing but Ditko art and sketches. A chapter on Ditkos relationship with comic fandom has plenty of examples of his "fanzine" work.

Stories of comic book artists who didn't receive proper credit or compensation for their work are frequent when talking about gold and silver age artists. The book is, if anything, as much an indictment of the industry as it is a look at the artist. The battle over who owns art (and in some cases who "stole" art), over who created what and who didn't are exposed with jaw dropping effect. With Ditko however, the stain on the industry looks even greater by comparison than it does when held up to giants like Kirby or Superman creators Seigal and Shuster. Ditko doesn't come off as being "handled" or "paid off" or "swept under the rug" like so many companies did with artists who were vocal about creative rights. He comes off as an artist who kept his integrity intact, a rare character trait in any era. Ditko was about the "work" not about the money. One can't help reading this book and walk away looking at Marvel, DC, or Stan Lee in the same light.

The end result is both a sad and heroic tale. But Ditko is not easily defined, and when the author tries to do just that in the last chapter, he misses the mark. The author seems conflicted in the end, longing for the Ditko of old, bemoaning the increasing amount of "telling" text in his art rather than "storytelling". He wants to both exalt and scold Ditko for his uncompromising attitude at the same time. The author talks about how Ditko found Marvel/DC just churning out the same old bland retreads of characters come and gone, unwilling to be innovative. He complains about how Ditko spent too much of his story on the villains juxtaposed with Ditkos objectivist vision of "Hero" as opposed to the flavor of the day, the conflicted, or "anti-hero" that had gained popularity. Yet the author makes statements about how Ditko had "become chained by the trappings of the superhero genre".

It's not hard to see that Ditkos work was a scathing commentary on the "anti-hero" and on what superhero comics had become in general. Clearly, Mr. Bell seems somewhat conflicted about exactly what he wants to say regarding Mr. Ditkos legacy. This is a thankfully short bit of editorializing on the authors part to be sure. Yet the author, by trying to define what Ditko is, or had become fails to allow for the possibility that Ditko might have been evolving into something that has no definition. An artist, a master at visual storytelling, an essayist, a commentator on society, one might even say a political illustrator. Combining all of those, one comes up with something that hasn't been seen before or since. Something that eludes even the author. Something new, creative, sometimes polarizing, but definitely original and always indefinable. I couldn't begin to put a name to it, all I can say is that it's pure Ditko. This book tells and shows an incredible story. I wish it was a hundred pages longer. A must have for any comic collector.

Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko
A fascinating, thoroughly researched and insightful look into the enigmatic artistic genius that is Steve Ditko. Covers his early life + whole career in comics up to this present day. I cannot help but feel incredible joy for the epic work Ditko provided us and also great sadness for the philosophical choices he has made which rigidly limits his work and distances him from his many admiring fans. A great book which any fan of Ditko will enjoy and learn from.

This is a great book in it's subject matter, art and storytelling about a unique and massively gifted artist, flawed only by the overlay of the writer's small-minded commercial vison of what HE wanted from the artist. If he truly understood Ditko's work or his story, the writer would understand that this is THE very issue that Ditko seems to be fighting all these years;
crass commercial exploitation and marginalizing an artist's vision in favor of what the industry seems to perceive as a mindless comic market, while remaining blind to the artist's true vision. Some of us simple-minded comic readers actually "got" the message in Ditko's work, and comic books have never been the same since without him.

I personally think that the world and the message Ditko creates is perfect in itself,and the real loss is that no-one in the industry just let go and let him share it with us, nor would pay him commeasurate with his genius, or honor his ownership of his work. There are copyright laws for the music business; they should apply retroactively to Ditko and all the other artists in the comic book world that have been exploited.

When I think about a lifetime spent creating such subject matter as the endless conflict between good and evil, the directions that Ditko chose make sense; jst as Ditko's Spider-man or the early Batman were conflicted loners trying to fight for justice in an unjust world, the unjust treatment Ditko received at the hands of Marvel set him on his solitary path to create his own unique vision and world where
there WAS justice for the oppressed, and penalty for the criminals.

In our ugly world, the rich man gets away with murder, the banks steal from us then get government bail-outs as a bonus, politicians can start false wars, indulge in criminal war profiteering and illeagal torture, then walk away with billions. This garbage wouldn't happen in Ditko's world, period, and I like the thought of that. The concept of real justice must terrify such every-day con-men criminals; no wonder they squelched Ditko's absolute views on right and wrong.

I think we've all been robbed by greedy comic empire thieves and narrow-visioned hypocrites for the last 40 years; no-one told Picasso what to draw nor stole his work from him. We've been deprived of decades of visionary art and stories from Steve Ditko, simply because everyone wanted what THEY wanted from him, but no-one would simply allow him to freely create what HE invisioned, nor (it appears) treat him fairly and allow him ownership of his own work.

Ultimately, Ditko's work transcended "comic" books, and the bean-counting profiteers couldn't understand the more visionary concepts he offered us; so 60 years after their creation, we're still suffering talking mice and "faster than a speeding bullet" one dimensional heros.
I like to imagine that, like any great artist with a unique vision, he's been quietly working away for decades on staggering quantities of amazing works that will someday emerge into the world with stunning impact. Any real artist simply wants to create and mainfest his vision, regardless of wether there is a market or if anyone else understands;
I only hope that Ditko will eventually share it again with us.

Steve, thanks from a reader who "got" it.

Seriously, I grew up knowing that Ditko was awesome. This book just proves it further. Lavishly illustrated, well written and researched, this book is easily one of my favorite bios of my favorite comic legends. Steve inspired me to pick up a pencil and do what i do best and has done it once again. Bell, ya did a great job.

Finally. Someone has written a definitive history of the life of the creator of Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and many other classic comic book heroes. Ditko's statement that he wanted only his work to speak for him was never satisfying enough for his fans, who wanted to know more. This book details his life in the comic book industry to present day and answers so many questions (like, why he left Spider-Man and Marvel Comics at the initial height of Spider-Man's popularity). The book is stuffed with quality reproductions of Ditko's art through his entire career and the stories told keep the reader turning page after page, just to see what happens next. Blake Bell is to be commended for producing a quality book on one of the greatest comic book artists ever.

This oversized book is about the art and life of Steve Ditko. There is not much to be said about his personal life, because he never had much of a social life, having never married or even had a sweetheart as far as we know. His life seems to have been devoted to his art, which is well documented here. The author gives intelligent analysis about the strengths and weaknesses of his artwork, with reproductions of hundreds of examples of his art. Ditko is best known as the co-creator of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, but he also created or co-created other heroes like Capt. Atom, the Question, the Creeper and the Hawk & the Dove. He also worked on just about every other type of comic book; including horror, science fiction, romance, western, humor and others. His work changed noticeably when he discovered the writings of Ayn Rand and became a proponent of her philosophy of Objectivism. Objectivism became the major influence not only on his life, but also on his art. His beliefs kept him from experiencing the financial success that he deserved, and they continue to do so today. An excellent book about one of the most important artists in the history of comic books.

Think of the subset of Silver Age comic artists worthy of admittance to the pantheon of lavish coffee-table hardbounds.

How could the creator of Spiderman be overlooked?

Thanks to Blake Bell's Strange and Stranger, Steve Ditko is no longer so conspicuously underserved.

Hardbound status as some purely gratuitous distinction recognizes achievement superficially, if at all. Nonetheless, it distinguishes those comic illustrators (in the minds of a more general public) as the draftsmen whose panels merit consideration as "fine art."

Bell's Strange and Stranger is substantive, though.

Judicially constructed, the text-to-image ratio is ideal. The timeline of Ditko's career is an outline following appropriately-balanced examination of each phase. In-depth where called for; summary where called for.

Ditko has been overlooked in the age of retrospection (until now) for perhaps the same reason that his name failed to enter the general public's lexicon back in the day. At the beginning of his peak period, he adopted a fervent devotion to the provocative philosophy of objectivism.

As espoused by Ayn Rand (The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged), students of objectivism often subscribe to the philosophy as acolytes: inflexible, dogmatic, or even sanctimonious.

Not pragmatic qualitites in an industry as tiny (incestuous) as midcentury comicbook publishing.

This defining moment has long been the focal point of fascination with Ditko, the mystery's fuel heightened by a dearth of extensive information covering this phase.

The monstrously talented draftsman became absorbed with the philosophy that challenged the entire postwar era. Eventually, his micropublished titles explored objectivist philosophy without compromise. Titles like Mr. A and Static - a handful of works which reveled in the challenge of visualizing the most abstract of philosophical concepts.

All from within the confines of starkly black-&-white panels in crime and superhero comic books.

Now the story behind them has finally been given its dignifed treatment.

Steve Ditko has always been a fascinating figure in the history of comics. One of the field's true originals, his incredible dedication to his personal philosophy can be viewed as an act of purity or hubris depending on where you stand, but this examination by Blake Bell is about as even handed effort as you will find when examining such a controversial figure. Focusing initially on what little is known about Ditko's early years, Bell correctly moves to an examination of his art, which in itself is truly amazing. Bell's close look at Ditko's many innovations, with proper credit given to those who influenced Ditko, is worth the purchase of the book for anyone interested in the history of comics. Using a number of examples, Bell clearly illustrates Ditko's growth as an artist and just as clearly shows his artistic deterioration as his philosophical musings overwhelmed his ability to convey them in new ways. As I have read a number of Ditko's works relating to Rand's "Objectivism" I can state that Bell accurately portrays the repetitiveness and boredom this work produces.

My basic concerns with the book arise when Bell invests too much of his personal history with Ditko into the work; an approach that is better served in magazine article than in a full-fledged biography. Also, the extras at the end with various covers and humorous work feels like padding without being incorporated into the body of the work.
But considering Ditko's reclusive nature this is about as close as a comic fan is going to get to this artist and bell's hard work is to admired.

Not only is Steve Ditko one of my favorite artists, he is also one of the most fascinating personalities in the history of American comics. If you too are a fan or if you are a student of American comic book culture and history, Blake Bell's book, which is equal parts coffee table art book and well-researched biography, is utterly fascinating.

The presented art, a mixture of pages as they appeared in print and scans of Ditko's original black and white artwork, is beautifully reproduced. It is organized mostly chronologically and it is fascinating to watch Ditko's art change and mature as he hones his craft. There were a few cases where I had to go searching on other pages to find the art referred to in the text, but for the most part, this book is well-organized and designed in this regard.

As for its biographical content, Bell, an outsider to Ditko's world, does an admirable job showing how Ditko absorbed the work of the artists he admired in his youth (especially Jerry Robinson, whom he studied under, and Mort Meskin, whom he worked with for a time when they were both employed by Simon and Kirby) and how he developed the unique art style that made his best stories, especially his work on Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, so distinctive. He also brings great insight into his pivotal partnership with Stan Lee, and how his discovery of Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy turned him into a real life Howard Roark, a man willing to blow up his career over a set of principles only he could fully understand. Bell shows us the shades of gray in a man who believes in only black and white.

In the end, Bell leaves it up to the reader to ponder whether Mr. Ditko is a sad figure cheated of both the money and the credit for his role in creating Spider-Man or an uncompromising American iconoclast admirable in his stubbornness. What he leaves no doubt about is that Steve Ditko is an American comic book legend.

Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko is an amazing book that does a thorough job in capturing a flavor of this very complicated artist. Author Blake Bell, in providing details of Ditko's childhood lays the ground for the rather off-the-beaten path that Ditko would take, first at comic book companies like Charlton in the 1950s to the height of success at Marvel Comics (Spider-Man and Dr. Strange) in the 1960s, then on a criss-cross journey as objectivism began to loom over his work more and more. I was surprised that one reviewer said this book verges on hero worship -- far from it, as the author does a good job at explaining how so many of the professional estrangements in Ditko's life was brought on by himself. Of course, you shouldn't buy this book just for the text. After all, it is the art that is legendary, and Bell does a good job with samples of Ditko throughout the artist's career, explaining how he grew dramatically at first and at times -- later in his career -- almost seemed to just go through the motions. For an expanded review, check out my Squidoo lens by searching goldenrulecomics on that site. This is a gorgeous book, and much more in-depth than might be expected. Well worth the price.