Ditko Collection 1 1

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/31/2022 at 4:19 PM, mr_highgrade said:

There were times that he really enjoyed talking about the comic book industry. Then there were times that he wasn't in the best of moods and would cut me short. One time he spoke for over half an hour. 

It must have been difficult for him at times, with everyone likely wanting to talk about the one thing he didn't. You need to meet people, I think, to have a full picture of what they are like as people. So much gets lost in translation on the printed page and once you form a 'voice' in your head for them, you read everything they say in that voice and it could be miles off in tone and intent. I'd love to have met him. 

[lordbyroncomics]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:05 AM, mr_highgrade said:

I am not buying this, I met and spoke to Steve Ditko at least four different times at his office in NYC. Heck, I even introduced him to Greggy!  When I asked him if he still had any old Spidey comics, he made it very clear that he didn't want to do anything with Spider-man, because that was in his past. When he returned to Marvel in 1979 he told Jim Shooter that he would draw anything but, Spider-man and Doctor Strange. He even turned down the return of his original art work to Amazing Fantasy #15. 

There's probably an old thread that I started when I first met him about 15 years ago or so. Maybe someone can dig it up.

 

You asked him if he still had any old Spidey comics and, per you, his answer was to make it clear he didn't want anything to do with his past. That is not specifically saying he didn't HAVE them. He gave many comics to his nephews. It is completely plausible, I know meeting him four times is a thrill of sorts but in no way makes anyone an expert on a deeply private man. I don't see why bringing up a thread when you met him 15 years ago adds any relevance other than you (understandably) being grateful at those meetings. Those meetings are irrelevant to this since they shed no light on what he may have had or didn't have.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

[mr_highgrade]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:24 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

It must have been difficult for him at times, with everyone likely wanting to talk about the one thing he didn't. You need to meet people, I think, to have a full picture of what they are like as people. So much gets lost in translation on the printed page and once you form a 'voice' in your head for them, you read everything they say in that voice - and it could be miles off. I'd love to have met him. 

I met Stan Lee in 1986 at a show and also shook his hand. After meeting Ditko my life is now complete. I can now die in peace. 

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 8/31/2022 at 8:05 AM, mr_highgrade said:

I am not buying this, I met and spoke to Steve Ditko at least four different times at his office in NYC. Heck, I even introduced him to Greggy!  When I asked him if he still had any old Spidey comics, he made it very clear that he didn't want to do anything with Spider-man, because that was in his past. When he returned to Marvel in 1979 he told Jim Shooter that he would draw anything but, Spider-man and Doctor Strange. He even turned down the return of his original art work to Amazing Fantasy #15. 

There's probably an old thread that I started when I first met him about 15 years ago or so. Maybe someone can dig it up.

 

That's cause he seen dollar signs in @greggy eye's and tried to change the subject real quick 

[lordbyroncomics]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:24 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

It must have been difficult for him at times, with everyone likely wanting to talk about the one thing he didn't. You need to meet people, I think, to have a full picture of what they are like as people. So much gets lost in translation on the printed page and once you form a 'voice' in your head for them, you read everything they say in that voice - and it could be miles off. I'd love to have met him. 

I really don't want to get into a competition with anybody but I think sharing that you spoke with him one time for "over half an hour" does more to serve you than honor anything about Mr. Ditko. I get you want to dine out on your brief handful of encounters but it gave you no expertise or consultant credit so the fact that you keep referencing this stuff is very curious to me and seems self-serving. Forget about a 30+ minute conversation and 4 meetings in the sense of giving you special insight towards this. It obviously didn't increase your awareness of the slow reveal of photos and memories of Ditko from his nephews of whom he was very close, or the fact that he gave several vintage comics to Robin Synder before his death.

[lordbyroncomics]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:30 AM, mr_highgrade said:

I met Stan Lee in 1986 at a show and also shook his hand. After meeting Ditko my life is now complete. I can now die in peace. 

Ahh, it's all about your meetings and accomplishments. Got it! 

[mr_highgrade]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:27 AM, lordbyroncomics said:

You asked him if he still had any old Spidey comics and, per you, his answer was to make it clear he didn't want anything to do with his past. That is not specifically saying he didn't HAVE them. He gave many comics to his nephews. It is completely plausible, I know meeting him four times is a thrill of sorts but in no way makes anyone an expert on a deeply private man. I don't see why bringing up a thread when you met him 15 years ago adds any relevance other than you (understandably) being grateful at those meetings. Those meetings are irrelevant to this since they shed no light on what he may have had or didn't have.

At the end of the day it doesn't really matters what I think,  those books are gonna sell like hot cakes regardless. 

[Forbush-Man]

On 8/31/2022 at 7:29 AM, lordbyroncomics said:

He was forward thinking and still wrote at length about Spider-Man, Stan, his views on Marvel and Joe Quesada, and so forth- fans just chose to ignore it. The ones that knew about his self-published essays were more inclined to write him off as a crank, etc.

I'm looking for information in Ditko's own words about his time at Marvel in the late 1950's to early 1960's.  What would you recommend for resources? Any particular books, magazines, websites? I'm always looking to find something about him and that period. 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Forbush-Man

[lordbyroncomics]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:33 AM, Forbush-Man said:

I'm looking information in Ditko's own words about his time at Marvel in the late 1950's to early 1960's.  What would you recommend for resources? Any particular books, magazines, websites? Always looking to find something about him and that period. 

These are easy to find, actually- Ditko's self published works with Robin Synder contained numerous essays by Ditko, some were about then-modern Marvel developments, sometimes it was about Spider-Man, and so forth. Not all of it is about comics but what IS is well worthwhile.

http://ditko.blogspot.com/p/ditko-book-in-print.html

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 8/31/2022 at 8:30 AM, mr_highgrade said:

I met Stan Lee in 1986 at a show and also shook his hand. After meeting Ditko my life is now complete. I can now die in peace. 

Must be nice

[lordbyroncomics]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:33 AM, Forbush-Man said:

I'm looking information in Ditko's own words about his time at Marvel in the late 1950's to early 1960's.  What would you recommend for resources? Any particular books, magazines, websites? Always looking to find something about him and that period. 

http://fourrealities.blogspot.com/2008/05/avenging-mind-by-steve-ditko.html

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/31/2022 at 4:31 PM, lordbyroncomics said:

I really don't want to get into a competition with anybody but I think sharing that you spoke with him one time for "over half an hour" does more to serve you than honor anything about Mr. Ditko. I get you want to dine out on your brief handful of encounters but it gave you no expertise or consultant credit so the fact that you keep referencing this stuff is very curious to me and seems self-serving. Forget about a 30+ minute conversation and 4 meetings in the sense of giving you special insight towards this. It obviously didn't increase your awareness of the slow reveal of photos and memories of Ditko from his nephews of whom he was very close, or the fact that he gave several vintage comics to Robin Synder before his death.

I think you meant that for Mr HG, Lord B

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 8/31/2022 at 8:29 AM, BlowUpTheMoon said:

Wonder what condition these are in 

[lordbyroncomics]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:38 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

I think you meant that for Mr HG, Lord B

You are correct, my apologies if it seemed directed at you. It would slide off Mr HG anyhow and therefore is irrelevant! 

[mr_highgrade]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:39 AM, lordbyroncomics said:

You are correct, my apologies if it seemed directed at you. It would slide off Mr HG anyhow and therefore is irrelevant! 

I don't care about anything you have to say. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/31/2022 at 4:39 PM, lordbyroncomics said:

You are correct, my apologies if it seemed directed at you. It would slide off Mr HG anyhow and therefore is irrelevant! 

No worries, I never met him. I got a stroppy letter from him once, but.....

[shadroch]

On 8/31/2022 at 8:24 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

It must have been difficult for him at times, with everyone likely wanting to talk about the one thing he didn't. You need to meet people, I think, to have a full picture of what they are like as people. So much gets lost in translation on the printed page and once you form a 'voice' in your head for them, you read everything they say in that voice and it could be miles off in tone and intent. I'd love to have met him. 

Meeting people tells you how that person was at that moment.  The hours I spent talking to Yoko Ono while John played with his son on the floor gave me an insight into them, but I'm quite sure there were other sides to him. My friends who would run into him when he lived nearby didn't have much nice to say about him, but that was a dark period of his life when the government was trying to deport him. 

If I met someone who told me they didn't keep their books, i'd believe him. 

If someone I trust tells me it was told to them , I believe it. 

[lordbyroncomics]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:41 AM, mr_highgrade said:

I don't care about anything you have to say. 

Yes, that's obvious. I didn't mean disrespect, but I do think it's unsavory to keep mentioning you met Ditko a handful of times and direct people to your other threads about it, especially because you're using it as some foundation for you having some special insight. 4 times and a half hour conversation, wow...! 

The reason for this is because Mr. Ditko was private. People who got a tense and short letter from him broadcast it, like it makes them unique. There's a FB group for such letters, and I respect Craig Yoe very much who runs it, but- this is dishonoring Steve Ditko all to get a little attention and it rubs me the wrong way. I met him and knew him and exchanged a lot more with him than you did which is why your "this is how he was" in passing to other members here is kind of bemusing. Cherish the times you got to speak to him. Don't use it as a platform to talk about yourself- you're a lot less interesting than Ditko.

[theCapraAegagrus]