Steve Ditko's History
Steve Ditko was an American comic book artist and writer best known for being co-creator of Marvel superhero
Spider-Man and creator of
Doctor Strange.
Ditko studied under
Batman artist Jerry Robinson at the Cartoonist and Illustrators School in New York City. He began his professional career in 1953, working in the studio of
Joe Simon and
Jack Kirby, beginning as an inker and coming under the influence of artist Mort Meskin. During this time, he then began his long association with Charlton Comics, where he did work in the genres of science fiction, horror, and mystery. He also co-created the superhero
Captain Atom in 1960.
During the 1950s, Ditko also drew for Atlas Comics, a forerunner of Marvel Comics. He went on to contribute much significant work to Marvel. In 1966, after being the exclusive artist on The Amazing Spider-Man and the "Doctor Strange" feature in Strange Tales, Ditko left Marvel for unknown reasons.
Ditko continued to work for Charlton and also DC Comics, including a revamp of the long-running character the
Blue Beetle, and creating or co-creating the Question, the Creeper, Shade the Changing Man, and
Hawk and
Dove. Ditko also began contributing to small independent publishers, where he created Mr. A, a hero reflecting the influence of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. Ditko largely declined to give interviews, saying he preferred to communicate through his work.
Ditko was inducted into the comics industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990, and into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994
On June 29, 2018, Steve Ditko was found dead in his apartment, and it was estimated by the New York Police Department that he had passed away roughly two days prior. To pay tribute to Ditko, the inside front cover and first three pages of all Marvel comics published on August 8 were turned into a four-page eulogy, which included words by Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and Executive Editor Nick Lowe.
