REVIEW OF IMAGINE #4 DITKO LOOKED UP; Dec 6 '98
by Blake Bell
IMAGINE was another in a long line of independent anthology comics to which Ditko
contributed in the 1970s. Under the banner of STAR-REACH PRODUCTIONS, Mike Friedrich
assembled some impressive talent for his California-based production.
He struck gold with issue four of IMAGINE with a cover by Ditko, plus an excellent
eight-page story called ''The Summoning''. Interestingly enough, the rest of the magazine
is in black-and-white, but Friedrich decided to do the Ditko story in color and on nicer
paper stock.
The story begins with a triad of sorcerers, the mightiest of their society, who call upon
an omnipotent being to reshape their planet. All three are in competition, as the being
only answers one of their calls, and all three proclaim different wishes; one to see the
planet desolated to eradicate the mistakes of the past; the other, to allow the people of the
planet to start anew; and the final, to forsake the planet and take the people to the stars,
in search of a better life.
Once the being arrives, all three sorcerers confront it and suffice it to say, learn
the follies of their own narrow-mindedness. The being teaches them the value of focusing
on the greater good, rather than their own self-indulgent demands.
What stands out in this story, besides the ending, is the excellent work by Ditko
and the colorist Carl Gafford. Ditko takes great care with the extra details included
off the main focus of any given panel. The surrounding world of the ''being'' is another
example of Ditko's ability to conjure the fantastical when it comes to other dimension.
It is all the extra details, one that wouldn't necessarily fit into our normal world,
but seem perfectly in place here. Ditko always seemed to spend a far greater amount of
time on projects that were closer to him, usually when they lacked any imposed editorially
control.
As referred to earlier, the highlight of the story has to be the way Gafford has integrated
his colors with Ditko's artwork. As the ''being'' is vibrant in displays of raw power, so
too are the accompanying colors. This is not simple four-color comic work, as the
notion one is viewing another world, and another set of races, comes through thanks to the
different hues and textures used.
All hands are on deck for this little nugget from 1978, proving once again that, post '66
at least, Ditko is at his strongest when he resides outside the mainstream.
