Steve Ditko: A Remembrance

The comic industry has lost a legend.

Born in Johnstown, PA in 1927, Steve Ditko loved early comic strips in the newspaper, like Batman and The Spirit. He joined the military after high school and was drawing comics even then.

Throughout his career, he rarely gave interviews or took photos. He was a firm believer that he spoke through his art. And through his art, he spoke beautifully.

On assignment from Stan Lee, Ditko created Spider-Man. Spidey and his alter ego Peter Parker were different than other top superheroes of the time. He wasn’t revered by the police, but hassled. He had real teenage problems like girl trouble, financial difficulty, and grief and guilt over Uncle Ben’s death. He doted over Aunt May and strived for acceptance by his peers. He was the average teenager, more relatable than the other super-powered characters at the time, and he caught fire for that reason. Ditko also helped create many members of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery,

His other big Marvel Comics creation was Doctor Strange. The Sorceror Supreme’s mystic arts was a trait for heroes in comics in the 1960s. Some lesser known characters to come from him include Eternity and Hulk villain, The Leader.

Ditko also worked for DC Comics. There, he gave us Blue Beetle, Hawk and Dove and the Question, all characters who have become more popular in comic culture over the years.

Is there a more iconic superhero costume than Spider-Man? We have Steve Ditko to thank.

His mark has forever been left not just in comic books, but in society as a whole. With each movie that comes out, we get more Ditko characters on the big screen. There are plenty more to come.

Steve Ditko died on June 29th, 2018.