Ditko Archives anyone? - DC Comics Message Boards

DC Universe [all categories]

DC Universe Archives

Ditko Archives anyone? (Page 1)

profile | register | preferences | faq

UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone!
This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Author	Topic: Ditko Archives anyone?
deejay New Member	posted March 24, 2003 09:37 PM How about a Ditko library, compiling Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, the Question and Creeper? IP: Logged
James Friel Member	posted March 24, 2003 10:31 PM How about regular Archives for those characters instead. Blue Beetle/Question is one neat volume. Captain Atom is two volumes. Creeper, if you include all the Ditko material, is an awkward size--close to 280 pages as I recall, but I'm sure something could be arranged. Two Challengers-sized volumes? IP: Logged
deejay New Member	posted March 24, 2003 10:35 PM Sounds cool to me. I didn't realise that Ditko had produced so much Creeper material. How about Stalker and Shade. I always felt the latter was the last decent body of work he's produced. IP: Logged
Owen Cardiff Darcy Member	posted March 24, 2003 11:06 PM quote: Originally posted by deejay: I always felt [Shade the Changing Man] was the last decent body of work he's produced. Well, his last decent work for DC. After that you have the late '70s Starman and the Dr. Mayavale story in Legion of Super-Heroes. IP: Logged
gmp Member	posted March 24, 2003 11:34 PM I'd love to see DC archive Ditko's work. While they're at it, wouldn't it be nice if Marvel licensed Ditko's Spider-Man issues over to DC, so they could finally be reproduced correctly. I know it's not going to happen, but that doesn't mean I can't dream. I can just imagine how incredible those early Spider-Man's would look printed on good paper, with some time and care taken in the line art reproduction, which Marvel obviously doesn't care about. Glenn IP: Logged
Owen Cardiff Darcy Member	posted March 24, 2003 11:40 PM quote: Originally posted by gmp: I'd love to see DC archive Ditko's work. While they're at it, wouldn't it be nice if Marvel licensed Ditko's Spider-Man issues over to DC, so they could finally be reproduced correctly. I know it's not going to happen, but that doesn't mean I can't dream. I can just imagine how incredible those early Spider-Man's would look printed on good paper, with some time and care taken in the line art reproduction, which Marvel obviously doesn't care about. Glenn And some decent coloring. Thanks to the computer coloring in Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 1, the first Marvel Masterwork I bought was also my last. IP: Logged
jk4w Member	posted March 24, 2003 11:51 PM Ill pass on the Ditko stuf. Although i respect him as a innovatorI just cant get a feel for that guy. ------------------ IP: Logged
Lightning + Chemicals Member	posted March 25, 2003 12:06 AM "How about a Ditko library, compiling Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, the Question and Creeper?" This makes so much sense.... I would certainly buy these volumes. What is Ditko's current relationship with "the industry"? Eisner and Kubert are highly cooperative, so it's easy to collaborate with them on a retrospective project. Neal Adams is an iconoclast, but he certainly has facilitated his DC hardcover compilations with new art, etc. I seem to recall that Ditko is a "man of mystery" -- not too cooperative and/or comfortable with his comic book legacy. Anybody have the true story? IP: Logged
James Friel Member	posted March 25, 2003 04:03 AM I've never had any contact with him, but my impression from people who have is that while he's a thoroughgoing professional who will unfailingly do what he contracts to do, he has no real interest in going over old ground. I don't think, for instance, that there's enough money to get him to do Spider-Man again. On the other hand, as far as I know there was no bad blood between him and DC with regard to Creeper, Hawk & Dove, Shade or Stalker. So maybe he'd be open to doing covers for collections of these, strictly as a professional assignment. And of course, his unswerving position has always been that his work should speak for itself, so there's not much prospect of interviews or anything of that sort. IP: Logged
deejay New Member	posted March 25, 2003 06:23 AM I agree entirely with the remarks about the Marvel Masterworks. I'm a much bigger fan of Marvel's Silver Age material than DC but I'm dumping all my Masterworks because they're just to garish. A shame because I particularly cherish the Ditko Spidermans. How hard can it be to get it right? IP: Logged
Aldous Member	posted March 25, 2003 03:01 PM Lightning + Chemicals, how is Neal Adams an iconoclast? IP: Logged
daytripper Member	posted March 25, 2003 03:32 PM I don't think that Ditko produced enough of the Creeper, at least in its initial run, to fill an archive edition. What, there were six issues of the Creeper, and I believe Gil Kane, IIRC, drew the last two. I can't remember how many Showcase issues there were, what, two? So, maybe five or six issues by Ditko at the most. I think that he may have drawn a few Creeper stories later on, as in First Issue Special, so maybe there is enough material after all to fill one archive edition. I realize Ditko is not everyone's cup of tea, but I love the guy, and since I no longer have any (or much) of the DC and Charlton hero material by him, I'd snap these up like hotcakes. ------------------ Allen Smith IP: Logged
daytripper Member	posted March 25, 2003 03:35 PM Plus, as DC comes out with the Thunder Agents Archives, you'll see some prime Ditko art, sometimes inked by Wallace Wood. The Blue Beetle work was outstanding, and I wish someone somewhere would reprint that truly awesome Ditko Warren work. ------------------ Allen Smith IP: Logged
James Friel Member	posted March 25, 2003 03:57 PM quote: Originally posted by daytripper: I don't think that Ditko produced enough of the Creeper, at least in its initial run, to fill an archive edition. What, there were six issues of the Creeper, and I believe Gil Kane, IIRC, drew the last two. I can't remember how many Showcase issues there were, what, two? So, maybe five or six issues by Ditko at the most. I think that he may have drawn a few Creeper stories later on, as in First Issue Special, so maybe there is enough material after all to fill one archive edition.... There's the Showcase issue, the six issues of Beware the Creeper (you need the Gil Kane issue for story purposes), and the issue of First Issue Special--that's a standard archive full right there. Then there's the issue of Cancelled Comics Cavalcade, which was to have appeared in Showcase, and about 50 pages, if I'm not mistaken, of short Ditko stories that appeared as backups in World's Finest. An awkward amount of material. IP: Logged
daytripper Member	posted March 25, 2003 04:02 PM Thanks for reminding me of the Worlds Finest material. Also, that reminds me of the Starman (a space character not related to the past or current Starman in DC continuity) stories by Ditko in Adventure Comics in the seventies. Ditko was prolific up until the late seventies, in commercial comics at least. ------------------ Allen Smith IP: Logged
kid colt Member	posted March 25, 2003 09:44 PM Did any of you guys buy the Steve Ditko reader from Pure Imagination? It reprints 160 pages of his 1957-1960 monster/horror work for Charlton. My shop just got a copy last week. It has a nice article by Greg Theakston on Ditko's childhood, and the creation of Spider-Man (an odd subject given the matter covered, but timely given the success of the movie). It's neat stuff, you ought to pick it up. Black and white, but that tends to show off some of Ditko's detail in some scenes. I liked it. Buy lots of these and maybe someone will see the numbers at DC, and reprint more Charlton stuff. IP: Logged
Lightning + Chemicals Member	posted March 25, 2003 10:49 PM "Lightning + Chemicals, how is Neal Adams an iconoclast?" icon�o�clast 1 : one who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration 2 : one who attacks settled beliefs or institutions My characterization of Neal Adams stems from the second meaning. During the mid-late 70's Adams withdrew from his career as a premier comics artist doing work for DC and Marvel. He definitely challenged/shamed the comics industry status-quo by spearheading the movement to provide Seigel and Shuster royalties from Superman. He may have also been involved in the Jack Kirby original artwork dispute with Marvel. Regardless, he effectively championed just change in the way talent is compensated in the industry. Then, frankly, he largely left the industry to concentrate on lucrative commercial art and movie storyboards. I just meant to contrast him to Eisner and Kubert -- who devoted their entire career and talents to sequential comics art.... IP: Logged
Lightning + Chemicals Member	posted March 25, 2003 10:55 PM It's also worth mentioning that Neal has some way-out cosmic theories that challenge conventional beliefs, too! http://www.nealadams.com/int.html IP: Logged
Dr. Van Thorp Member	posted March 26, 2003 12:04 AM quote: Originally posted by kid colt: Did any of you guys buy the Steve Ditko reader from Pure Imagination? It reprints 160 pages of his 1957-1960 monster/horror work for Charlton. My shop just got a copy last week. This is one that I will have to look for. I have a Chartlon comic that reprints four Ditko monster comics, and I've seen one of his horror comics about spider people from space, and I'd buy any of his stuff in these genres. IP: Logged
silveragesuperfan Member	posted March 26, 2003 04:09 PM [QUOTE]Originally posted by kid colt: [B]Did any of you guys buy the Steve Ditko reader from Pure Imagination? It reprints 160 pages of his 1957-1960 monster/horror work for Charlton. My shop just got a copy last week. It has a nice article by Greg Theakston on Ditko's childhood, and the creation of Spider-Man (an odd subject given the matter covered, but timely given the success of the movie). It's neat stuff, you ought to pick it up. Black and white, but that tends to show off some of Ditko's detail in some scenes. I second this recomendation wholeheartedly! Go buy this great volume, as the article and the artwork reproduction are both outstanding. It is a bit pricey at $25. for a trade though. I wish it had been available as a hardback too. IP: Logged
James Friel Member	posted March 26, 2003 09:36 PM Be aware, though, that Ditko is very likely not getting a penny for the use of any of his artwork reprinted here. Like most of Pure Imagination's other publications, all this stuff is public domain, free to anyone who wants to use it. Perfectly legal, but I think ethically dubious (unless I'm wrong and Ditko has received some reprint fees for this book, in which case I gladly eat my conjectures). Even more bothersome, Theakston includes a brief bio of Ditko which he admits Ditko would disapprove of, not because of its contents but because it exists at all. I dithered for a few minutes, then bought the book anyway. Couldn't resist. IP: Logged
kid colt Member	posted March 26, 2003 10:59 PM The Ditko article was pretty interesting. Ditko wouldn't approve because he wants his work to speak for himself, and he's a private guy. I was amazed to read the part where Ditko actually was OK with Stan Lee, as I had always heard they had a terrible falling out. Apparently, Ditko blames most of that on Martin Goodman, though. I wonder how much Goodman really did have to do with the old Marvel Comics. We'll likely never know. Talk about screw jobs, though, Steve Ditko has to be up there with Siegel, Schuster, Bill Finger, and others. Quitting Spidey at Amazing #38, he likely has only received the money he got for those pages in the first 38 issues (and 2 Annuals). Think about Spider-Man since 1965---the TV shows, cartoons, movies, toys, merchandise, etc. I'll bet Ditko's got zero of any of that money. Sturdy Steve should be able to buy and sell all of us at this point, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was close to penniless. That's not even close to right. IP: Logged
profh0011 Member	posted March 28, 2003 11:48 PM Over the last few years, from time to time, I've picked up the occasional ACG reprinting old sci-fi material, quite a few of them containing Steve Ditko material. Today I got my copy of the PI book. GREAT-looking package! I also love the large format-- is this about the size of the original comics, or a bit bigger? (Many tend to forget not only the art but the printed comics themselves were a bit bigger decades back.) It occured to me as I watched the SPIDER-MAN movie last year-- I wondered if Steve Ditko was getting any moeny at all as a result of that? I really find it near-impossible to worry about the "ethics" of Greg Theakston (in other threads at least twice somebody went on an anti-PI tirade relating to some of their Jack Kirby books), when the truth is, Greg's got a tiny company, while Marvel and DC are owned by HUGE COMGLOMERATES, and these guys reprint Kirby & Ditko material all the time and create books spun from their works and license out movies and cartoons based on their works, and THEY don't seem worried about giving money to Ditko or Kirby's family-- AS THEY DAMN WELL SHOULD!!! To me, it's not about legalities, it's what I feel to be "right". If I were in a position to do it, I'd see that Ditko, Kirby's family, and ANYBODY else whose works were generating profits from their works, would get some kind of percentage of it. I really don't care if the world is going completely to hell and "morals" are considered some kind of outdated and laughable concept-- they're very serious to me. IP: Logged
Jim Davis Member	posted March 29, 2003 01:50 AM quote: Originally posted by profh0011: To me, it's not about legalities, it's what I feel to be "right". If I were in a position to do it, I'd see that Ditko, Kirby's family, and ANYBODY else whose works were generating profits from their works, would get some kind of percentage of it. I really don't care if the world is going completely to hell and "morals" are considered some kind of outdated and laughable concept-- they're very serious to me. Well, to be completely fair, would you want Ditko or Kirby's heirs to be on the hook for any losses their works generated? Suppose the Spider-Man movie had tanked really badly; should Ditko be held financially accountable? Since Ditko didn't run any financial risks why should he reap financial rewards? Also, do we know for certain that Ditko was not offered some stake in the movie, say as a technical consultant for either a fee or percentage? Perhaps he turned it down because he didn't want his name on something he didn't have artistic control over or something. Jim Davis IP: Logged
daytripper Member	posted March 29, 2003 08:03 AM I made a trip yesterday to the Great Escape in Louisville to get The Steve Ditko Reader. My regular dealer, the one I order from, didn't have it. I'll start on it tonight. There is an ethical question regarding the payment to Ditko of reprint fees, but how does Ditko himself feel about it? We'll never know. There will be another big book about Ditko coming out in the future, the Blake Bell/Fantagraphics volume announced a while back, unless that project has been shelved. And Twomorrows is putting out a book on Wally Wood, based largely in part, IIRC, on an unpublished bood by Bhob Stewart. The cover to the book is on the Twomorrows web site, http://www.twomorrows.com. I'm just a selfish fan, but I believe the entertainment and historical value of volumes like these overcomes the ethical concerns of reprinting work done by these gentlemen without paying them or their estates a fee. And, given the small press nature of the Ditko volume, I don't think that Greg Theakston is going to make a fortune off this book. I'm willing to mail Ditko a fiver or a ten if someone tells me he needs the money. I wouldn't mind that at all. He's enriched my life enough. But if these small publishers, like AC, ACG, John Lustig, Greg Theakston, etc. had to locate every artist, and pay them a fee, there would never be reprint volumes of classic, but public domain, work. ------------------ Allen Smith IP: Logged

This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 All times are ET (US)	next newest topic \| next oldest topic
Administrative Options: Close Topic \| Archive/Move \| Delete Topic
	Hop to:

Contact Us | DC Comics