During Steve Ditko's 1950s output, his work could
range from very tightly rendered tales to very loose ones
at times, and this comic illustrates this facet in three stages.
The first story, THE ANGRY THINGS, is a five-pager
which has faces drawn with mininal detail and sharpness.
Louis Farro, in his wonderful UNIVERSE OF WONDER
article for Overstreet's Advanced Collector #1, wrote
this of the same period ('58-9).
The second story of the book, THE CHEAPEST STEAK IN
NOME is another story letdown, like the above. You are
waiting for the punch-line, as have most Atlas Ditko
tales, but the end result is anti-climatic.
The best STORY of the issue is the third Ditko entry
called SECOND HAND. Page 4s and 5 of this story are
far more tightly-wound. They are fantastic examples
of Ditko's ability to create mysterious suspense
within the human element.
It is also a story which carries a far greater
depth of plot than most.
Ditko's late '60s work showed a distinct disdain for
individuals whom abused the power of the press. It is not
known whether Ditko can be credited with developing the
J. Jonah Jameson angle in the Amazing Spider-Man series,
but Ditko clearly continued down this path after leaving
the book.
An interesting tactic to take while reading Ditko's
pre-superhero work is to watch for stories which laid
groundwork for future superhero (or his post-superhero)
work.
The thrust of SECOND HAND (Feb '58) deals with how the media
(TV and newsprint, in this case - much like the Daily Bugle) manipulate
a news story. Here, based on no credible facts, those in charge
of distributing news purposely whip the population into a frenzy
about the mysterious disappearance of city people, who are supposedly
being replaced by "others".
From beat reporter to editor to publisher to TV executives,
all willingly distort, and create, truths for the expressed purpose of
generating more sales. Ditko even draws the reaction of the gullible public,
as he has done so many times in his work.
One should be hesitant to claim that Ditko influenced/plotted/wrote any
story not specifically credited to him JUST because he wrote of media
manipulation before proceeding stories by another creator. Still, it
is clear by a story like this (and its context), Ditko is no stranger
to the subject matter of manipulation of mass media.
With regards to Ditko's varying tightness in his art, the final
story would ALMOST make you think another artist had drawn the tale.
THE KING OF PLANETOID X shows figures drawn by Ditko that are
far cleaner; far sharper in their details. To lend even more credence
to the original thesis is Ditko's layouts, here, appear to have taken
much greater thought.
Farro credits Ditko's 1959 Atlas work with the introduction
of Ditko's L-shaped (90 degrees) panel motifs. Perhaps he is right
for Ditko's Atlas work, but the motif is used in this story aplenty.
This gives the visual far more depth and weight than the other stories
in this issue, drawing one's eye all over the page at once.
The background work is more detailed and the unconventional
panel arrangements mark a stark contrast between this final story
of the book and the more static first one.
Speculation could run rampant on why this occurs in Ditko's '50s
work, but there is sufficient evidence within the walls of a single
issue to suggest there may be a reason beyond whimsy.
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