Spider-Man creator Steve Ditko has died
Steve Ditko, comic book artist, creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange (co-written with Stan Lee), has passed away at the age of 90, Variety reports. According to NYPD, the body was found on June 29 in his Manhattan apartment, but the case was not made public until this Friday.Steve was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. From childhood on, he was deeply impressed by superhero comics such as "Batman" and "The Ghost" by Will Eisner. After graduating from high school, in 1945, Ditko entered the army, where he got his first job in the comic book industry - drawing for the newspapers of the US Department of Defense. After being retired in 1950, Ditko continued his studies under the direction of Jerry Robinson, who worked on "Batman". Robinson introduced Ditko to the editor-in-chief and future CEO of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee. So Steve joined a team of artists, including Jack Kirby, a comic book artist who helped create early Marvel projects. Ditko played a vital role in the creation of Spider-Man, coming up with his style: suit, shooting spider webs, red and blue colors, while Lee was unhappy with Kirby's projects on the subject. Spider-Man made his debut in Amazing Fantasy # 15 in 1962 and was so successful that already in 1963 Marvel released its own series Amazing Spider-Man, with Ditko and Lee as the main artists. Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes in the world today, with over 360 million copies of comics sold since his birth.  Doctor Strange appeared in 1963, but Steve Ditko left Marvel due to disagreements and misunderstandings with Stan Lee. Among others, Ditko created heroes such as Squirrel Girls, Captain Atom, Mr. A and Question. Mr. A was inspired by writer Ayn Rand and her philosophy of objectivism. After a short stint with Charlton Comics, Ditko left for rival Marvel, DC Comics, where he created Creeper, a minor villain from the Batman comics. Ditko worked with various publications until the very end of his career as an artist, sometimes moonlighting as a freelancer. Steve Ditko did not like to give interviews or appear in public, did not advertise his personal life, completely devoting himself to work. The Topic of Article: Spider-Man creator Steve Ditko has died. |
