Comic Book Master: The Art Of Ditko

Mention the name Steve Ditko and most comic book readers immediately associate him with his two most famous co-creations: Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.

Ditko had a long and successful career in the comic book industry.  Just of few of his creations include The Questions, Captain Atom, Hawk and Dove, The Creeper, Speedball, The Blue Beetle, Mr. A and many more.

In The Art Of Ditko, by Craig Yoe and published by IDW, readers get to see some of Ditko’s early work.

Steve Ditko got his start in comic books in the early 1950s.

Ditko had the uncanny knack for making the most mundane things seem creepy.  His human characters seemed to conceal secrets beneath their demeanor despite the circumstances.

As his talent grew Ditko tackled every conceivable genre of cartooning from mysteries to monsters.

But, it was his tales of the unusual, unexplainable, horror and science fiction that really set his art apart from other artists.

There was something unsettling about his drawings-almost sinister-hidden in the shadows.

Long before he drew Spider-Man or Doctor Strange or other mainstream characters Ditko had garnered the reputation as a fast, creative and dependable artist.

As with most young artists Ditko’s style developed over time.  Examining the stories in the book readers can identify his learning process.

There are some awkward panels and it’s easy to spot where he struggled to draw a figure correctly.

But as his work load increased and he drew more stories the economy of his line work, the use of dark areas to convey a dark mood and his ability to draw faces that often looked haunted and troubled soon differentiated his work from other artists.

It’s been said by many comic books artists, “No one can draw like Ditko!”

The huge hardbound book features a disturbing drawing of robot man’s head on the cover and spider web illustration on the back.

Stan lee provides the introduction.

Archival comic book tales in full color range from the bizarre to fantasy, sci-fi and horror.  Classic comic book covers spanning Ditko’s long career are also included.

It’s interesting to see how Ditko’s unusual style evolved over the years.  His range as an artist was second to none and his ability to draw readers in with his unusual and sometimes disturbing images is as powerful today as the day he drew each story.

The Art Of Ditko is more than an examination of an artist's career it is the dissection of a phenomenon.