Legendary Comic Creator Steve Ditko Dies at Age 90
Legendary comic book artist and creator Steve Ditko has died at the age of 90 in New York.
Deadline reports he was found dead in his apartment and had most likely been dead for several days.
Ditko was a master creator who co-created Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. He would also go on to co-create the Question, the Creeper, Shade, the Changing Man, Hawk and Dove, Mr. A., Captain Atom.
He first got into comics by reading Batman and Will Eisner’s The Spirit. He eventually enlisted in the military and began drawing comics for an Army newspaper. After being discharged he trained under Batman artist Jerry Robinson at his Cartoonists and Illustrators School.
His first comics published were in Daring Love #1 and Fantastic Fears #5. Ditko would eventually begin working for Charlton Comics which he did intermittently until the company folded in 1986.
After recovering from tuberculosis he would join Atlas Comics which eventually became Marvel Comics. He introduced the world to Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962. He would then introduce Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #110 in 1963.
Ditko eventually retired from comics in 1998.
A number of Ditko’s peers remembered the legendary artist and praised his creative abilities.
Steve Ditko was one of the most amazing creators in the history of comics, and showed us there is a hero in all of us. Our hearts go out to his loved ones, and everyone who knew him. pic.twitter.com/ukvuA7odF5
— DC (@DCComics) July 7, 2018
Sad to hear of the passing of the legendary artist and creator Steve Ditko. Beloved for generations– his work was the Quirky to Kirby's Majesty and helped provide the early visual vocabulary in counterpoint to Kirby's power and influence. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/GvH8Mcrxg6
— Jim Lee (@JimLee) July 7, 2018
Rest In Peace, Steve Ditko. You did it. You’re free. pic.twitter.com/zE1ZL4hSpV
— Bill Rosemann (@BillRosemann) July 7, 2018
RIP to comic book legend Steve Ditko, beyond influential on countless planes of existence. He never truly profited from his comic creations that have lasted for decades, but his work will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/UBZQWpF79i
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) July 7, 2018
Rest In Peace, the great Steve Ditko.
Actually stood behind him at Marvel years ago–Had no idea who he was and came pretty close to commenting that the pages he was turning in… https://t.co/FUeYCUJN9y— Mike Mignola SDCC 4901 (@artofmmignola) July 7, 2018
Steve Ditko passed away today at age 90. Without him there's no Spider-Man, no Doctor Strange, no Green Goblin… and no Squirrel Girl. https://t.co/LAdan7LUiC pic.twitter.com/ajs3E6BsUU
— Ryan North (@ryanqnorth) July 7, 2018
Sharing a beautiful Steve Ditko ink and wash page from Eerie Magazine (1960s) Ditko was a giant, and his work was a big part of my life. #SteveDitko pic.twitter.com/jmtnplG2zV
— Jerry Ordway (@JerryOrdway) July 7, 2018
Steve Ditko has caught the last web out across the city into the mystic. An early influence on my work, I met Steve exactly once many years ago for a few moments in the Marvel offices. Getting to shake his hand was a privilege. Thanks for all the lovely work, Steve. Godspeed. pic.twitter.com/gOsdFdJa92
— Walter Simonson (@WalterSimonson) July 7, 2018
RIP Steve Ditko. You were too weird to live and too rare to die. Thanks for changing comics, & my life. https://t.co/NRPeUak5xR pic.twitter.com/bFMgXbqylf
— Jason Latour (@jasonlatour) July 7, 2018
Last panel of the last page of the last issue of Marvel's @RomSpaceknight. Pencils by Steve Ditko, inks by P. Craig Russell. pic.twitter.com/jZBnkPjBQA
— Chris Ryall (@chris_ryall) July 7, 2018
Steve Ditko designed costumes like he wanted to punish future artists in advance
Have you ever taken a second to look at Mysterio’s damn gloves pic.twitter.com/PogDcVolaq
— Daniel Kibblesmith ☃️ (@kibblesmith) July 7, 2018
Steve Ditko: utterly committed to only creating exactly what he wanted to from the first moment he could. RIP
— Charles Soule (@CharlesSoule) July 7, 2018
Without Steve Ditko there would have been no Spider-Man, no Doctor Strange, no Creeper, no Hawk and Dove, none of the black and white reprint comics I read in seaside resorts as a boy. No The Question (which means no Rorschach). No Mister A. No mystery.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) July 6, 2018
Steve Ditko. RIP. I have way of conveying how much this man's comics meant to me. I work in his shadow.
— Chuck Dixon (@Dixonverse) July 6, 2018
Steve Ditko, legendary artist and Spider-Man co-creator, has died at 90. Ditko will always be one of the most amazing and powerful influences in comics… his style and spirit will be long missed. RIP. #comics #legend pic.twitter.com/5Ii6UvDaf5
— Perch @SDCC2018 (@ComicPerch) July 6, 2018
Goodbye, Steve Ditko. Thanks for making such a mark on my life with your own marks. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/LJsAUVulVM
— Mitch Gerads @SDCC (@MitchGerads) July 7, 2018
The uncompromising and brilliant Steve Ditko is gone. Here's my favorite image of him: trapped in an ink bottle between his two iconic collaborations. pic.twitter.com/R75q4yv9i5
— Gerry Duggan (@GerryDuggan) July 7, 2018
He will definitely be missed. But fortunately, his creations and his legacy will live on.
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