Remember When: comic book remembrances
Apr 16, 2019 13:48:32 GMT -5
Prince Hal, hondobrode, and 2 more like this
Post by brutalis on Apr 16, 2019 13:48:32 GMT -5
Remembering When Ditko entered my world or did I enter his? As a teen in junior high was my exposure to the magical world of Steve Ditko from 3 Marvel Pocket books my grandmother bought for me. Two printing Spider-Man and one with Doctor Strange. I devoured these books! From there it was Marvel Tales reprinting of the Ditko Spidey and I would grab up issues as I found them. I found early Ditko from Marvel’s 70’s monster and horror reprints. Next up was his work for Charlton where I found his Captain Atom and The Blue Beetle and the Question. There were some Warren Magazine stories I might find occasionally while DC gave to me Shade the Changing Man and Prince Gavin; Starman. And then incredibly during the late 80's Sturdy Steve Ditko was back at Marvel drawing for Rom Spaceknight, Speedball, Machine Man, and various single issues or annuals. He was simply the art for hire "robot" at this point of his career but still it was nice seeing his quirky style on a fairly regular basis again. With fewer art jobs into the early 90's Ditko eventually stopped mainstream work in 1988 devoting time to his own small press individualistic stories until the time of his death in 2018.
Steve Ditko’s art style is its own uniquely quirky style which you either adore or don’t. There is a kind of rubbery contortion-ism of limbs and bodies which is most cartoonish that highlights more of the acrobatic athleticism and power of his heroes. A Ditko body is all moves and kicks and punches in an elastic bendy way which defies reality. His designs are stylized, very animated and individualized with unique traits and looks which allows every character to stand apart in a crowd. If you are a Ditko character you must have trained as a Cirque de Soleil performer or performed as a contortionist at a traveling carnival.
When I think horror and fantasy and amazing worlds it is Ditko’s images which jump to the forefront of my thoughts. There is just so much imagination, creativity and style in the worlds he creates that it blew my young mind. They are surreal and gravity defying and yet they feel completely real and believable, almost as if you have visited these strange realms before within personal dreams or nightmares. There is a strange comfort found realizing that I’m in familiar territory whenever I see Ditko’s idiosyncratic art style. His distorted world’s always deliver something new and exciting to experience. Ditko worlds can be highly archaic or sleek and futuristic, dazzling colors swirling through the filters of your mind or dankly dark drips of shadows filled with fear. All of which, like our own reality can co-exist side by side. No matter of Sturdy Steve’s beliefs or ideology, it is his art which was uniquely suited in expression of his individuality and creative concepts. Ditko will be missed and remembered, by me and many others who through his artistic creations found a boundless joy and enthusiasm for life…
Steve Ditko’s art style is its own uniquely quirky style which you either adore or don’t. There is a kind of rubbery contortion-ism of limbs and bodies which is most cartoonish that highlights more of the acrobatic athleticism and power of his heroes. A Ditko body is all moves and kicks and punches in an elastic bendy way which defies reality. His designs are stylized, very animated and individualized with unique traits and looks which allows every character to stand apart in a crowd. If you are a Ditko character you must have trained as a Cirque de Soleil performer or performed as a contortionist at a traveling carnival.
When I think horror and fantasy and amazing worlds it is Ditko’s images which jump to the forefront of my thoughts. There is just so much imagination, creativity and style in the worlds he creates that it blew my young mind. They are surreal and gravity defying and yet they feel completely real and believable, almost as if you have visited these strange realms before within personal dreams or nightmares. There is a strange comfort found realizing that I’m in familiar territory whenever I see Ditko’s idiosyncratic art style. His distorted world’s always deliver something new and exciting to experience. Ditko worlds can be highly archaic or sleek and futuristic, dazzling colors swirling through the filters of your mind or dankly dark drips of shadows filled with fear. All of which, like our own reality can co-exist side by side. No matter of Sturdy Steve’s beliefs or ideology, it is his art which was uniquely suited in expression of his individuality and creative concepts. Ditko will be missed and remembered, by me and many others who through his artistic creations found a boundless joy and enthusiasm for life…