STARBURST is sad to learn of the death of comic book legend Steve Ditko, aged 90.

The artist teamed up with Marvel’s Stan Lee in 1961 to create Spider-Man. The entire look of the character was down to Ditko, and from the moment he appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15, Spider-Man was a massive success. He continued working on the character with Lee until Issue 38 (and even began receiving a plot credit from Issue 25).

Perhaps Ditko’s crowning glory, however, came in 1963 when he created Doctor Strange. From his first appearance in Strange Tales #110, he was a hero who captured the imagination of many. When he would finally appear on the big screen in the MCU, many of Ditko’s touches were referenced.

Although he split with Marvel and Lee following a disagreement, he did return in 1979 and continued to freelance into the ‘90s. He also worked with Charlton, DC and many other independent publishers.

Despite his fame and fan base, Ditko was a very private man and refused interviews and didn’t appear to promote any of the later adaptations of characters that he was so instrumental in creating.

Everyone at STARBURST admired his work and his is a great loss.

We send our thoughts to his family and close friends.

Recommended Posts