Blowhard, Esq. writes:
I’ve been enjoying this biography of Steve Ditko which also contains a healthy survey of his work. Check out this trippy, psychedelic sampling of some of his comic covers and art from the late 50s and 60s.
Fabrizio once summed it up nicely when he said “Fuck Roy Lichtenstein.”
Related
- Ditko’s official website. His Wikipedia page.
- A gallery of Ditko’s strange faces.
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
Never heard of him before. These are marvellous.
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He’s most known for his work at Marvel Comics in the early 60s, specifically on Dr. Strange and as the co-creator of Spider-Man.
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I was a big Marvel comics fan as a kid. Though back in those days, I never liked Ditko. His stuff seemed crude and messy to my young mind. I just hadn’t developed a feel for style yet. I much preferred Jack Kirby’s work (though Kirby jumped the shark later in his career). Now, it’s not even close. Ditko wins by a mile. Thanks for posting these.
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Roy Lichtenstein is an interesting case. He certainly never presented himself as a comic artist, but as a fine artist who painted, first, comic panels, and then other subjects using the visual language of comics, e.g. heavy black lines, ben day dots, etc. In other words, he wasn’t drawing comics, he was drawing pictures of comics, using artistic license to change their designs and captions and all. He became unspeakably rich doing this. And one could argue that he should be despised because he exploited the work of underpaid geniuses like Ditko. But he and his fellow popists really did accomplish a revolution in popular consciousness. Common people everywhere now acknowledge that something like a comic panel or cereal box is a product of individual creativity, and worthy, at the highest level, of our admiration and honor. I’m guessing that Lichtenstein would be the first to tell you that Ditko was a greater artist than he. But Lichtenstein played in a different ballpark, where the rewards were just that much greater …
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>>And one could argue that he should be despised because he exploited the work of underpaid geniuses like Ditko.
I’m not saying Lichtenstein should be despised, but given that he was doing ersatz comics, why not bypass him and go to the real thing? Besides, as I think the gallery I posted shows, Ditko’s originals are way more interesting than Lichtenstein’s knock-offs.
>>I’m guessing that Lichtenstein would be the first to tell you that Ditko was a greater artist than he.
You think? I would hope so, but I’m not so sure. Not that it matters much one way or another, I guess.
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I don’t know Lichenstein’s opinion on the matter but I have heard a long interview with him and he came off as very cool to me, certainly very self-deprecating. He just might say Ditko was better, he just might.
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Huh, interesting. I should see if there’s any interviews with him on YouTube.
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He seemed a bit bemused by his whole career.
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Reblogged this on Will S.' Sunny Side Blog.
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