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Topic: Ditko in the ’70s (and beyond) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 12:00am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

The mental image I have of Ditko (withdrawn, unhappy, maybe sad) is shaken by the article "The Charlton Empire: A Brief History of the Derby, Connecticut Publisher"in COMIC BOOK ARTIST #9.  
"Ditko lived in a local hotel in Derby for a while," (art director Frank) McLaughlin said. "He was a very happy-go-lucky guy with a great sense of humor at that time, and always supplied the [female] color separators with candy and other little gifts."
According to the article, everybody was having a fantastic time at the Charlton headquarters which had the offices in the front of the building, the presses in the back, even Capital Distribution next door--all aspects of comic book publishing in one place.  It described everybody loving working for the company (even for low pay) and especially under editor Dick Giordano.  

Here are some pages that Ditko did for one of a couple of back-up features for Charlton in the early 70's, a fun concept he came up with--KILLJOY.









Edited by Eric Jansen on 07 March 2023 at 12:06am
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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 12:43am | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Love that Killjoy!

I was trying to think of any artists I can see as having been influenced by Ditko and really can think of only two... Gilbert Hernandez and Len Strazewski.
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Colin Ian Campbell
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 8:00am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I thought Strazewski was a writer not an artist. What about Ron Frenz - some of his Amazing Spider-Man work seemed to be derived from Ditko.
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 8:37am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

So many of Ditko's characters are "jumpers"!  Spider-Man, the Creeper, Blue Beetle, Speedball--I picture all of them up in the air, half of the time with their legs higher than their heads!  And now Killjoy--a character I didn't even know existed a week ago!

In fact, I can hardly think of a "jumper" that Ditko DIDN'T draw!  Except--did he ever draw the Beast?  He probably did draw the original X-Men in a cameo in SPIDER-MAN once or twice, but how about the blue furry version?
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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 5:59pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Oops, I had another Len in mind that did do memorably Ditko style comics but can't place what comic I saw it (a back-up in a double sized Marvel?)in so googled something and got a Mike Parobeck comic labelled as Len Stawzewski. Parobeck a little Ditko influence perhaps, but maybe more Toth. I should've known better anyway as I have all those first two Justice Society runs. :^/

I can't picture any Ditko new X-Men. He did the old ones in a '60s Tales Of Suspense I used to have. He did a cool Sasquatch so maybe The Beast would be bit like that.
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Dave Kopperman
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 6:06pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Given how organic P. Craig Russel’s inks looked over Ditko (and PCR’s solo Dr. Strange OGN), I’d say PCR would cite him as a major influence.
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 9:50pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

Jim Starlin often resembles Ditko in poses, hand gestures, and otherdimensional realms.
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 10:16pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Here's some pages of the LIBERTY BELLE back-up feature that Ditko did for Charlton.  There's a light and airy feel to this that I haven't really seen with other Ditko work.  Of course, I don't remember him drawing a female-led feature.  I don't see that him listed as a co-creator and I wonder if he had anything to do with the design.






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Colin Ian Campbell
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Posted: 07 March 2023 at 11:46pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

Ditko drew the Beast in Rom #65 & 66.
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 08 March 2023 at 12:10am | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Ditko also drew the blue, furry Beast in Avengers Annual #13, just mentioned upthread.

As noted, Starlin was definitely influenced by Ditko.  And even moreso Al Milgrom, particularly in his inking style.  I've seen Ditko influence (and at times, Ditko swipes) in Keith Giffen's work.  Terry Beatty and Gary Kato on Ms. Tree showed notable Ditko influence.  Marshall Rogers at times looked to be influenced by Ditko. 


Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 08 March 2023 at 12:12am
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 08 March 2023 at 1:22am | IP Logged | 11 post reply


"Ditko drew the Beast in Rom #65 & 66."

Oh boy!  Ditko drew EVERYBODY there!  Thanks!
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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 08 March 2023 at 1:33am | IP Logged | 12 post reply

Gary Kato is definitely another one!

Killjoy and Liberty Belle were in the back of early E-Mans (before Rog 2000). I wonder if Joe Staton showed a little Ditko influence too?

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