REVIEW OF COMIC CRUSADER #14 DITKO LOOKED UP; Dec 6 '98
by Blake Bell
Steve Ditko did more to support the underground fanzine scene of the late
'60s/early '70s than any other ''big-name'' comic artist around. Perhaps he approved
of the independent streak in the creators of 'zines like Alter Ego, The Collector,
and Comic Crusader, and no doubt he enjoyed the complete editorial freedom allowed
him in such pages.
Comic Crusader #14 was Part One of what Ditko dubbed his ''H Series'' - the ''H'' no
doubt being for hero. Yet Ditko was determined to show a hero didn't have to be draped in
skin-tight, multi-colored costumes. To Steve Ditko, judgment of an individual as a hero was
based upon the character's inner courage and ability to remain true to his convictions
in the face of the most daunting, most unrelenting circumstances.
The protagonist of this story is an actor who is tiring of playing roles which focus
on Man as a corrupt failure, and society's notion that this represents Man's true nature.
''D. Skys'' is his name (as in ''D. Skys D. Limit'') and the story opens with him signing
a movie contract on the promise of him being made a huge star.
As the scripts arrive, Skys is disappointed to find they all revolve around the melodrama
of rejecting ''life as a positive value''. Of course, the studio executives mount pressure
on Skys to trade in his beliefs in the name of the Art-of-the-minute (''relevant, social''
drama of significance). Skys rejects such attempts, espouses the need for roles which
''shows a man at his best'', and is subsequently black-balled from the mainstream.
Sound slightly like an auto-biography? The editor of COMIC CRUSADER, Marty Greim, states
in his opening editorial that Ditko had submitted this to D.C., but was rejected (or couldn't
come to terms with D.C.'s desires on the strip). If that wasn't an omen, considering the
story Ditko was trying to tell, one could simply suggest Ditko's theme in this story was
based upon his experiences with both the ''Big Two'' companies.
It is common knowledge Stan Lee and Ditko grew farther apart in their philosophical
approach to storytelling as Ditko's run on Amazing Spider-Man came to a grinding halt.
Ditko wanted more randomness (like the Green Goblin being just a nobody, rather than a
featured character) to better reflect reality. Future works of Ditko would also clash with
Lee's sensibilities, as Ditko's future characters lost any sense of doubt in their purpose.
They were hardline and never questioned their moral stance, something which Lee used as a
key device at Marvel. The conflict in a Lee story could be an internal struggle, where the
lead character questioned himself and his courage, but Ditko's protagonists were always
secure in their moral judgments, and faced conflict only from an outside, impure society.
One doesn't doubt Ditko could see the swarming of the bottom line at Marvel and D.C.
and the compromises it would eventually ask of him. Such is the value Ditko placed on
these fanzines and his time with Charlton : they both offered little to no editorial
interference.
Ditko adds a nice subplot to the story in CRUSADER #14, with Ed, a friend and business
partner of Skys, who has run arrears of a gambling debt to a leading crime boss called
''Spot''. With his white-gloves as protection, ''Spot'' is a criminal obsessed with
remaining germ-free. His bodyguards all carry disinfectant spray cans around with them,
spraying ''Spot'' upon his command.
Even Ed, thinking to himself, partially blames Skys for holding out on the studio,
and not being able to forward him ''another loan''. When Skys fends off another attack
by Spot's cronies, Ed criticizes Skys again for stirring up trouble. This is another of
Ditko's re-occurring themes; the notion that the coward would rather not confront evil,
as it creates even greater hardship for the coward when retribution strikes back. The
hero in a Ditko story never backs down from a confrontation against the corrupt, no
matter what the potential consequences.
The final subtext to the story is the choice of attire at certain points in the
story. Skys is shown on a movie poster, playing a hero, wearing shackles around his
wrist that have had their chains broken. Skys signs his movie contract wearing a suit
and tie, like the executives whom literally hover over him while he signs his name.
As Skys demands more freedom, Ditko presents him in a simple collared shirt with a
plain jacket on, unzipped to the waist. As Skys begins his studies on how to achieve
his ideal, he is shown in the climatic scene, holding a barbell in one hand with but
his trunks on, much like the statue in his house in page 1, panel 1 to emphasis Man
at his clearest of purpose.
When Spot's men attack Ed at his store, Skys dons a barbarian costume, with Ditko
having the character constantly emphasizing he is doing it to show them the follies
of the ''language of force''. Ditko then has Skys dress up as a dirty bum to confront
Spot, all the while Ditko has Skys blasting Ed for allowing Spot and his racket to
exist by giving into to his extortion demands. Ditko delivers home the message again
that the old axiom is true : if you ain't part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
The story ends as Skys (dressed as the dirty bum) and Ed are confronted by two gun
men working for Spot, as Skys berates Ed for creating a situation, then not willing to
accept the responsibility of his actions. Part Two of the ''H'' Series'' continued into
COMIC CRUSADER #15.
Many of Ditko's themes remain the same throughout his vast body of work. The key to
Ditko as a storyteller is his ability to vary the subplots, characters and situations
enough, but still allow for those elements to end up at the same place, after starting
at such disperate places.