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Why is Steve Ditko in Hiding???

Started by Yannis,

121 posts in this topic

comicartcom

comicartcom

Posted
Posted

Great insight and background...thanks for sharing! :headbang:

Yeah it's kindof ironic to think back how bummed we were when Steve vanished from Spidey-dom ( :o ), but in my mind Issue #39 cover is my personal Romita Sr favorite and what many think is his finest cover...

 

 

well I grew to like Romita later.. But everyone thought it sucked when Ditko left..

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That Ron Dude

That Ron Dude

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I don't assume that Ditko makes any sense. He wouldn't even speak up when Stan Lee made a little record (I believe) for the Merry Marvel Marching Society which included all the voices of the Marvel Bullpen.

 

Though he has contributed to fanzines, very early on, he has stood apart from the fans for a long long time. I suspect that he was on the outside as a kid in school, as a young professional, as an older commercial artist and today as an old man.

 

I assume that he is painfully shy and probably doesn't get along with most people. I suspect that he rationalizes this as, "Let the art speak for itself," but it really means, "I don't want to talk about it. Everytime I do talk about it it just makes matters worse". I suspect he learned this very early in life, as so many people do. What he has is probably closer to autism than an Ann Randian philosophy.

 

I realize that I could be wrong, and I am probably wrong in many ways. But that is my best guess and it seems that guessing based on scant evidence is all we can really do.

 

Have you ever noticed that the Ditko issues of Spider-Man show Peter Parker as an out of it creep, while the Romita issues get him hooked up with Mary Jane and Gwen and have him driving a motorcycle?

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Yannis

Yannis

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My God , I never thought a simple question would become such a hot topic. really everyone, I thought I would get a response or two and thats it. But this.... WOW. I had no intention of creating an endless debate. Still my presonal feeling is that it would be nice for him to come once even to even a Javitz center in NY. Last, I loved his stuff on Dr. Strange. Have every issue what he did on Strange.man I miss stories like that. I Hope I did not anger the mindless ones..............

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jimjum12

jimjum12

Posted
Posted
My God , I never thought a simple question would become such a hot topic. really everyone, I thought I would get a response or two and thats it. But this.... WOW. I had no intention of creating an endless debate. Still my presonal feeling is that it would be nice for him to come once even to even a Javitz center in NY. Last, I loved his stuff on Dr. Strange. Have every issue what he did on Strange.man I miss stories like that. I Hope I did not anger the mindless ones..............

 

The Mindless Ones liked his work too....that's why they kept turning up for more lol .GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

P.S. I never thought about it before,but what if the Mindless Ones were Ditko's satire on comics fandom ?

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Sharkey

Sharkey

Posted
Posted
I did it again, my quick bad typing, Put a reward up for me , I tried to say!

 

Why don't you go here:

Ditko books for sale

 

Buy and read some of these (they contain a lot of his essays and objectivist-themed comic bits), then come back and post about Stevie-boy. (thumbs u

 

 

Also, for those interested, there was a good bit on the Fake Stan Lee blog a few days back:

 

Fake Stan Lee talks Ditko and makes fun of Stan for taking credit for everything

 

I enjoy the blog, but he's trying a bit too hard to be a rabble-rouser, methinks. (shrug)

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Loki

Loki

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hm I'd never seen that interview before... It certainly provides some interesting insights into both Mr. Ditko and Mr. Lee.

 

I'm disappointed to see Stan Lee exposed as someone who doesn't believe that the artist contributes equally in the creation of a character. Particularly in light of the times I've seen him quoted as saying otherwise.

 

Personally, I think comics are a medium where "having an idea" isn't worth much without someone to turn that idea into reality. In my mind, Steve Ditko will always be the co-creator of Spider-man, Jack Kirby will be the co-creator of the FF, and so on. Of course, that's just my 2c

 

BTW - I'd be interested in seeing the entire documentary / interview if anyone knows where to find it.

 

 

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Sharkey

Sharkey

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It was on youtube in portions but apparently most of it got taken down. It was very interesting, but the Stan Lee interview is probably the best part of it. Otherwise it's lots of Jonathan Ross yammering on about how much he loved Ditko. lol

 

Here's another one of the other more interesting parts, Alan Moore talking about Ditko's Mr. A

 

I am not sure where to buy it. It was a BBC documentary, but I'm not sure if they sell copies of their programs somewhere. Didn't find it on their web site.

 

Here's a good piece by Ross that leads up to his documentary:

Link-o-rama

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gaz973

gaz973

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I went to some effort to find the documentary because I missed it but couldn't find it at all. If anyone can help, I would be most grateful. :wishluck:

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Loki

Loki

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Posted
It was on youtube in portions but apparently most of it got taken down. It was very interesting, but the Stan Lee interview is probably the best part of it. Otherwise it's lots of Jonathan Ross yammering on about how much he loved Ditko. lol

 

Here's another one of the other more interesting parts, Alan Moore talking about Ditko's Mr. A

 

I am not sure where to buy it. It was a BBC documentary, but I'm not sure if they sell copies of their programs somewhere. Didn't find it on their web site.

 

Here's a good piece by Ross that leads up to his documentary:

Link-o-rama

 

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on the BBC Canada TV listings in case it ever gets re-aired. Unfortunately, it looks like both the BBC Canada and main BBC websites don't sell the documentary yet, so that's about my only hope...

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Sharkey

Sharkey

Posted
Posted
It was on youtube in portions but apparently most of it got taken down. It was very interesting, but the Stan Lee interview is probably the best part of it. Otherwise it's lots of Jonathan Ross yammering on about how much he loved Ditko. lol

 

Here's another one of the other more interesting parts, Alan Moore talking about Ditko's Mr. A

 

I am not sure where to buy it. It was a BBC documentary, but I'm not sure if they sell copies of their programs somewhere. Didn't find it on their web site.

 

Here's a good piece by Ross that leads up to his documentary:

Link-o-rama

 

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on the BBC Canada TV listings in case it ever gets re-aired. Unfortunately, it looks like both the BBC Canada and main BBC websites don't sell the documentary yet, so that's about my only hope...

 

You're welcome. Maybe some of our European forumites know if BBC sells DVDs of its programs anywhere other than the BBC site. Buehler? Anyone?

 

I should clarify my statement about the documentary -- it did include a lot of Ross yammering about his love for Ditko, but it also had a lot of good stuff in it, including interviews with many comic legends talking about Ditko. Unfortunately, the "search" for Ditko concludes a little anticlimactically, and I really did not agree with or like what Ross did in the end. The documentary is clearly a vehicle for Ross to realize a life-long dream to meet Ditko, and the viewers are left with a Geraldo-like "What's in Al Capone's Vault" steaming heap of disappointment. :signrant:

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