So what if the guy couldn't draw pretty girls (or pretty men, for that matter). Ditko was one the best, most innovative designer/draftsmen ever. And he really shined during Marvel's "Fin Fang Foom" period.
For me, Ditto did his best work during that period through his Marvel years as well as the Warren work. All peak Ditko. I wonder, though, whether a problem for him was the shrinking of the art boards. He did some interesting pencilling at Charlton, but never (to me) inked as well after that first run at Marvel -- which coincided with the art size being halved.
Well, he was no Romitta as far as the pretty girls, but he occasionally drew cute versions of them, like the close up panel of Betty Brant, and Liz Allen in Amazing Spider-Man #25. When I first got into reading comics, in 1969, I thought the Ditko Spidey's were about equal to what came after, on Spidey's 20'th birthday, when they reprinted the first 50 issues, I was amazed at how much more I liked the Ditko issues. Just comes with age. I did not know that they had shrunk the actual art pages, but I do feel Steve Ditko was never the same after Marvel, so that may explain it. Also, he was always best when he did his own inking. I have never read this one, thanks so much for posting it.
So what if the guy couldn't draw pretty girls (or pretty men, for that matter). Ditko was one the best, most innovative designer/draftsmen ever. And he really shined during Marvel's "Fin Fang Foom" period.
ReplyDeleteFor me, Ditto did his best work during that period through his Marvel years as well as the Warren work. All peak Ditko. I wonder, though, whether a problem for him was the shrinking of the art boards. He did some interesting pencilling at Charlton, but never (to me) inked as well after that first run at Marvel -- which coincided with the art size being halved.
DeleteWell, he was no Romitta as far as the pretty girls, but he occasionally drew cute versions of them, like the close up panel of Betty Brant, and Liz Allen in Amazing Spider-Man #25. When I first got into reading comics, in 1969, I thought the Ditko Spidey's were about equal to what came after, on Spidey's 20'th birthday, when they reprinted the first 50 issues, I was amazed at how much more I liked the Ditko issues. Just comes with age. I did not know that they had shrunk the actual art pages, but I do feel Steve Ditko was never the same after Marvel, so that may explain it. Also, he was always best when he did his own inking. I have never read this one, thanks so much for posting it.
ReplyDelete