TUESDAY MARCH 19, 2002
1) Run to your local comic shop and buy AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #39 (no, not the first Romita Sr. issue - the one released this month) because, for the first time in the history of the title that Ditko and Lee created, Ditko is listed as CO-CREATOR! Read all about it HERE!
2) It's happening again! We've found another previously undiscovered Ditko romance tale from the early '70s, done for Charlton Comics! First, it was I LOVE YOU #91; then it was ROMANTIC STORY #107; then it was TIME FOR LOVE #13 (all three done within a two-year period for Charlton from 1969-1971).
NOW, thanks to the intrepid eye of Narly Nick Caputo (New York City's finest Ditko fan), we bring you...JUST MARRIED #79! Cover-dated Sept. 1971, this Charlton romance title has a Ditko 7-page story entitled "Dream Of Love"! Can you believe it? Throw in the Charlton BLACK JACK #27 story from 1959, and we have uncovered an amazing amount of hitherto unknown Ditko material from over 30 years ago! Speaking of which...
3) You can help us unravel another undiscovered Ditko story! Remember the animated TV cartoon show, produced by Spielberg's company for Warners Brothers in the early '90s, called TINY TOONS?. It featured the younger offspring of the famous Warner Bros. cartoon characters; the cast including Buster and Babs Bunny, Elmira (as opposed to Elmer) Fudd, Montana Max (for Yosemite Sam), etc. Apparently, there was a comic produced for this overseas and Ditko is alleged to have done a story for it! The book may have been released in the U.K., and then translated into various languages for different countries. No one I know has seen it, so if you know any more details, please
E-MAIL ME, so we can uncover another Ditko gem!
4) Sometimes, important people in the industry are necessary the creative people. Harry Kremer, owner of NOW AND THEN BOOKS in Kitchener (Ontario, Canada - http://www.sentex.net/~dvanhorn/ ), passed away on March 12th. Harry basically floated the only comic I consider to be on par with the Ditko/Lee SPIDER-MAN issues, indie smash CEREBUS, back at the very beginning, and Dave Sim worked at the store before Cerebus's release. If you grew up in Toronto in the '80s, chances are most of your Cerebus issues have NOW AND THEN BOOKS stamped on the backing board, as well as other AV books. My last chance to speak to him was to get his permission to run a SYD SHORES bio from Dave's NOW AND THEN TIMES (a two-issue fanzine Dave had talked Harry into putting out) for Roy Thomas's ALTER EGO last year. He didn't know me from Adam, but happily gave his permission, as seemed to be his nature. His store? Imagine THE BEGUILING comic store in Toronto - imagine Jim Hanley's Universe in New York City - before there was a BEGUILING or HANLEY'S. A generous soul, who never made it to #300, but made #1 happen in so many ways. As for Six Degrees Of Ditko Separation: Dave met Deni Loubert at Harry's store, and Deni went on to form RENEGADE, which published DITKO'S WORLD in 1986. You can read an article on his life HERE.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 29, 2001
1) Many of you may already know that WIZARD magazine released their January 2002 issue (#124) at the end of November. Inside is an article entitled, "Who is Steve Ditko?", for which I was interviewed. What follows via the link below is my open letter to all Ditko, and comic-book, fans, expressing my disappointment about the abuses propagated by Wizard magazine onto me regarding my participation. Click HERE to read the letter.
2) Bill Schelly's new TWOMORROWS tpb, SENSE OF WONDER is on the shelves! It's a collection of fanzine work by Bill from the '60s (he created the fanzine SENSE OF WONDER) and also includes other fanzine artwork and remembrances. It has TONS of Ditko artwork and references. Check out the TWOMORROWS web-site for more info., as it becomes available!
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2001
1) From the world of Ditko fanzines comes news of a new TWOMORROWS trade paperback by Bill Schelly entitled SENSE OF WONDER! It's a collection of fanzine work by Bill from the '60s (he created the fanzine SENSE OF WONDER) and also includes other fanzine artwork and remembrances. Bill sent us a list of all the Ditko contents and here it is...
Dr. Strange pin-up : SUPER HEROES ANONYMOUS #2
Mr. A cover to SENSE OF WONDER #6
Splash panel from Mr. A "The Defenders" from SENSE OF WONDER #11 (plus the book details Bill's "experiences working with Ditko in each instance"). Other Ditko items in the book include...
Dr. Strange illustration from the cover of YANCY STREET JOURNAL #8
Spider-Man Promotional Art from 1963
Cover & excerpt from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7, "as part of a discussion of the merits of Ditko's work, and its impression" on Bill.
It looks like a slammin' piece of work for all Ditko fans, so look for it soon, and check out the TWOMORROWS web-site for more info., as it becomes available!
MONDAY JULY 30, 2001
1) It's official! Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko's official new web-site, www.snyder-ditko.com, went to air on July 4th, and it was all designed by yours truly!
Here, you can find all you need to know about Robin's THE COMICS periodical and Steve's PACKAGE SERIES! Robin and Steve are determined to not just have this be a shopping centre or re-hash of THE COMICS, but a site to complement both, with exclusive-to-the-site material! If you are a fan of Robert Kanigher's work, you'll enjoy July's exclusive web-site material, and the August update (with even more exclusive features) is coming THIS WEEK! I sense big things on the horizon, so don't forget to check it out every month!
2) I am a rye-ta! I am a rye-ta! Yes, my first-ever, professionally published article came out at the San Diego Comic-Con! It was an "article" on Ditko and Wally Wood, featured in COMIC BOOK ARTIST #14 - The TOWER COMICS Issue! It's in stores everywhere, or you can order from their web-site! Feel free to E-MAIL ME with your thoughts on my "unusual take"
on the Ditko/Wood relationship.
3) Other Ditko "events" on the horizon? Marvel Comics has announced they are putting out a 'Dr. Strange' Essentials collection, which will reprint Ditko's entire run on the book, and beyond into the Everett and Severin years. More details as the arrive.
4) And another mind-blower comes to us from the 9th issue (Jul '01) of ALTER EGO! Inside, there is a pre-inked page from Ditko's Amazing Spider-Man #38! I won't blow any of the surprises, but Roy Thomas has promised to send us a higher-quality version of the page for greater inspection! You can order on-line at their section of the TWOMORROWS web-site.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 20, 2001
1) The exciting news! The past month has had me working with Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko on designing their brand new web-site for Robin's THE COMICS and Steve's PACKAGE SERIES! And this is not just a shopping centre for their products, but an extension of their works! The site will debut JULY 4th - INDEPENDENCE DAY! You can bookmark the front page at www.snyder-ditko.com and then return July 4th for all the fun. You'll still be able to get all the ordering information on current and past projects, but the site will go beyond this to bring you exclusive previews and material long out of print! Robin and Steve take the big splash into the world of the 'Net and nothing will be the same again! It all starts
JULY 4th - INDEPENDENCE DAY! Be there!
2) The sad news. Bill Hall's famous Ditko fanzine DITKOMANIA has officially been retired by Bill. You can read all about it in our SPECIAL SECTION devoted to the man and his fanzine that kept all us Ditko fans linked together, long before there was a world wide web.
TUESDAY JUNE 5, 2001
1) Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko have released another PACKAGE! June 2001 sees the debut
of the second edition of THE DITKO PACKAGE from January 1989; the original Package! I've seen the book and it is a 7x10", newsprint format, which is a great improvement over the tiny-sized original pressing. The best part
is it is only $7! The contents are re-ordered and the "It's Either...Or" page from GUTS #5
is an added bonus! You can visit THE COMICS web-site, or order by e-mailing Robin Snyder at RSComics@aol.com and tell 'em Blake Bell sent you!
2) You had better get in touch with Robin Snyder because the May issue of his periodical, THE COMICS, featured the first installment of "A Mini-History" by Steve Ditko, which threatens to see Steve setting the record straight on all the myths and rumours surrounding his time at Marvel Comics in the '60s! In the first installment, Steve says future installments will have him commenting on why Stan Lee "chose not to know, to hear why" Ditko left Marvel; dealing with Stan Lee's allegation that he came up with Ditko's famous lifting scene from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #33 and "the wider implications of Stan's 'creative' credit claiming and credit keeping".
Ditko leaves you with the quote "so it is past time to raise the other half of the cognitive curtain and see which performer is laying out the clearest, honest scenario". With that claim,
Steve has morally obligated himself to provide specific evidence/testimony and he says the next installment will deal with the stories revolving around the Green Goblin. One suspects Ditko will dispell the notion he would leave Marvel Comics over the identity the Green Goblin's identity, but we will all have to wait and read. The June issue of THE COMICS does not feature the next installment of "A Mini-History" and no one knows about the July issue. E-mail Robin at RSComics@aol.com. Subscriptions for U.S. Residents are $25 U.S. and $32 for outside of the U.S.!
SATURDAY JANUARY 27, 2001
1) Only a master like Steve Ditko could still be producing new material into his '70s.
Late November saw the release of STEVE DITKO'S ALL-NEW
176-PAGE ''HEROES'' PACKAGE #4. It contains new works by Ditko featuring
Killjoy, The Void, and other Ditko heroes, but the most significanr news is the volume
features the first MR. A. story in over 20 years! You order the volume from Robin Snyder,
Ditko's co-publisher at THE COMICS
web-site. And there is a rumour floating around that we will see a COMPLETE MR. A.
sometime in the next year!
2) Look for the March 2001 issue of Jon B. Cooke's COMIC BOOK ARTIST. Issue #12 will feature the second part of his Charlton spotlight; this
time ranging from the 1970s to the end of Charlton in 1985. There is also a good chance
this issue may feature an article by me! Jon and I are swapping e-mails as we speak to
see if we can fit something in, or another Ditko article for future issues of C.B.A.,
which you can order at the C.B.A. web-site!
3) As for D.C. Comics, they stink. I e-mailed them as to why we never
saw the Ditko back-up for GOTHAM KNIGHTS #7,
and they never responded. Apparently, Walter Simonson is holding onto the Ditko
ORION story, because it doesn't quite
fit with his current run. Whatever.
4) And for all Charlton fans, Maulin' Mike Ambrose has put out the pro-zine called
CHARLTON SPOTLIGHT. The first issue is
available to be purchased from Mike, so E-MAIL
Mike for all the details. It cost $6.95 and is 48 pages. Issue #1 is a
tribute issue to the recently-departed PAT BOYETTE, but it also features a ''complete''
Charlton checklist! A big help! Issue #2 may also feature an article by myself, and
should be out in the late summer. Check it out, funk soul brother!
FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2000
1) Perhaps the most impressive Ditko-related material since we last
updated the news section comes to us courtesy of Jim
Van Hise. He is the man who published one of the original fanzines
back in the 1960s and he back at it again. Yes, THE
ROCKET'S BLAST AND THE COMICOLLECTOR has been revived by Jim for
the year 2000. What is so Ditko-significant about this revival is that Issue
#1 (already on the shelves) has Jim writing a 40,000 word review of every
1950s Charlton comic in which Ditko participated! It has plenty of artwork
from that period as well, and a mention of this web-site, so go to your
local store, or Bud Plant Comic Art, and order Issue #1! It's only $9.95,
which gets you a giant, squarebound issue with a nice, thick, glossy cover
featuring a 1954 Ditko Charlton cover. Or you can order it directly from
Jim if you send $9.95 + $3.20 shipping (all U.S. funds) to Jim Van Hise,
57754 Onaga Trail, Yucca Valley, CA 92284. Orders from outside the
U.S. may want to contact Jim at his e-mail address
HERE.
2) Ditko-related material pops up in two of the TWOMORROWS' pro-zines
August issue. Jon B. Cooke's COMIC BOOK
ARTIST #9 spotlights Charlton, with the main focus on the mid-'60s
Action Line of heroes. Almost all of the people interviewed inside discuss
Ditko, in some form or another, and there is plenty of Ditko artwork to be
found. Roy Thomas's ALTER EGO v3 #5 features some rare Ditko fanzine artwork
in Bill Schelly's article on fanzines of the 1970s. Ordering info. on both
of these magazines can be found at www.twomorrows.com.
Also, COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE #81 appears as if it will have an article
spotlighting Ditko's Dr. Strange.
3) D.C. Comics ALLEGEDLY has two Ditko items in the near future.
We see it like that because GOTHAM KNIGHTS #7
was supposed to feature a back-up Batman story by Ditko, but when it came out in July, it featured a Buscema back-up. Almost two years ago, Ditko handed in a back-up story
for ORION, a title based around the lead character from the NEW GODS series. Ditko's back-up feature is supposed to be in the Walt Simonson
issues out now, but no word yet on when the back-up will appear.
4) I'm sending out the Distress Signal to all Ditko fans! Bill Hall,
the mastermind behind the 1983-present fanzine
DITKOMANIA is considering ending
the fanzine's run! WE SAY THEE NAY! Bill was a Ditko Pioneer long before
this web-site, or the Internet, ever surfaces, and we'd love to see Bill
stick around! So, I am calling on all Ditko-maniacs to e-mail Bill
and encourage him to keep at it. You can e-mail him HERE,
so do your part in keeping this great fanzine alive!
5) Greg Theakston and the Gang at PURE IMAGES continue to reprint 1950s and 1960s
Ditko comics at the SUNDAY COMICS
portion of their web-site in Acrobat Reader form for your purchasing and downloading pleasure,
so go check them out. It is worth the VERY cheap price!
6) And you should still go after a copy of Ron Frantz's fabulous book (with some Ditko content) called FANDOM CONFIDENTIAL. You can purchase it right from Ron at his web-site (by credit card, as
well) right HERE.
It's only $14.95 for 200+ pages. Ron tells me he is over halfway through
the print run of 750 signed and numbered copies, so order fast!
7) Ditko continues to produce independent volumes by the boat-load. The month of June
saw the re-release of Ditko's 1990, 96-page opus, THE
MOCKER for $15 (U.S.). July saw the release of two Ditko items; the first being
STEVE DITKO'S PACKAGE #5 : THE 32-PAGE TSK! TSK! PACKAGE
(for $5 U.S.) in B&W magazine format, featuring his 'TSK! TSK!' commentaries.
Also, more interestingly, THE COMPLETE STATIC is now on the shelves. It combines all 14 chapters
of Ditko's STATIC saga, from the late '80s. Those who know, know how difficult it has been
to obtain a copy of the Chapters 6-14 saga, so here is you chance to have it all in one
volume for $15 U.S., so ask your local retailer to order it for you, or get one on E-Bay
for much less. In the August PREVIEWS catalog,
STEVE DITKO'S PACKAGE #4 is listed for release
in October. This looks to be an exciting volume as it contains 176-pages of all new stories
featuring Ditko's heroes like MR. A. (!), KILLJOY and others. It's been over 20 years since
we've seen a new MR. A. story, so this volume should be worth it.
8) This isn't exactly revelant news to anyone but me, but i FINALLY purchased a copy of
FANTASTIC FEARS #5 (Jan '54), Ditko's first-ever comic book artwork (but 3rd-published).
This, along with BLACK MAGIC #27 and DARING LOVE #1, has been a Holy Grail Ditko book
for me, and I am over the moon at acquiring one, after almost 20 years of dreaming!
If you want to read a re-mastered version of this classic, check out Michael T. Gilbert's
MR. MONSTER #6 issue. Michael is selling this issue, with this VERY important reprint of
Ditko's first artwork to anyone who wants one for the measly sum of $4 U.S., which
includes shipping! You can e-mail Michael T. Gilbert
with any questions, or just mail the money (he says cash is fine) to : Michael T. Gilbert
PO box 11421, Eugene, OR, U.S.A. 97440. Ditko's story for only $4! What a steal! He'll
also send you his Mr. Monster sales catalog if you ask.
SUNDAY APRIL 1, 2000
1) Ron Frantz, the man who runs MIDGUARD PUBLISHING and once ran ACE COMICS
(with many books done by Ditko) has wrote and published a fabulous book (with some
Ditko content) called FANDOM CONFIDENTIAL. You can purchase it right from Ron
at his web-site HERE.
It's only $14.95 for 200+ pages. The first edition is limited to 750 signed and
numbered copies, so order fast!
2) It's April and we still haven't seen THE MOCKER project from Snyder/Ditko.
What seemed to be a new volume is now just going to be a 2nd printing of the original
from 1990. Check out the MOCKER house-ad from Robin Snyder's THE COMICS
web-site HERE.
3) VERY late November saw the release of STEVE DITKO'S 160-PAGE PACKAGE, VOL. 3,
featuring late '60s/early '70s Charlton ghost story reprints. It costs $13 and is being
distributed through Bud Plant, Cold Cuts, Crypt-O-Comix and The Nostalgia Zone. You can
order it directly from Robin Snyder
at HERE. To see a listing
of the Table Of Contents, go to the DITKO CHECKLISTS listing
and scroll down for the title ''Steve Ditko's 160-Page...''.
4) Even though we have yet to see The Mocker volume, Snyder/Ditko are claiming STATIC,
another hero from the '80s Charlton days, will make a re-appearance. See another House Ad
from THE COMICS HERE.
You can keep checking out all future work by Ditko and Snyder
HERE.
5) Also, the last three issues (Nov., Dec., Jan.) of THE COMICS have featured a return to
Ditko's TSK! TSK! series; one-page visual commentaries on God Knows What. Robin's
web-site has an example of same, and you can order a sample issue, or subscription
for 12 issues (for $24) HERE.
6) Two interesting items of Ditko note appeared in John Morrow's coterie of Pro-Zines.
COMIC BOOK ARTIST WINTER SPECIAL #1 featured a never-before published page of Ditko
artwork from 1971. Back when Jack Kirby moved to D.C., he wanted to do up a variety
magazine featuring some comic strips. Kirby asked Ditko to participate. Kirby's assistant
of the time, Mark Evanier, did up a script, and Ditko drew up two pages. The idea died,
but the first page from the strip, ''I Am...Gemini!'' is featured in the C.B.A. Winter
Special #1, which you can only get if you subscribe to the Pro-Zine COMIC BOOK ARTIST.
7) The second item is a reprinting of the cover to YANCY STREET JOURNAL #8 (1965) in
the latest issue of ALTER EGO (v3 #3), put out by Roy Thomas. The Y.S.J. was the first
Marvel fanzine and Ditko drew up a Dr. Strange head-shot for the cover. It had never
been reprinted until now. Also, check out the ''And Special Thanks To...'' section,
which features thanks to Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko and BLAKE BELL (that's me!); thanks to
my contribution to the Everett section of the issue.
8) The Halloween issue of DITKOMANIA features some pre-inked pages of Ditko's,
provided by artist/inker Bill Reinhold, from Bill R.'s work with Ditko on PHANTOM 2040!
Fascinating stuff. You can order issues of DITKOMANIA
from Bill Hall himself.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 10, 1999
1) Robin Snyder e-mailed me yesterday to tell me STEVE DITKO'S 160-PAGE PACKAGE, VOL. 3,
featuring late '60s/early '70s Charlton ghost story reprints, will be available by the end
of November, at a cost of $13. The book will be distributed through Bud Plant, The Comics,
Crypt-O-Comix and The Nostalgia Zone. You can read more
about it HERE.
2) It also appears there is another volume from Ditko and Snyder on the way.
Robin's site lists THE MOCKER under their upcoming projects for January. Can we assume
this will be another volume featuring the character from the previous Ditko/Snyder
volume from 1990? More info. as it becomes available...
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 1999
1) Since we last spoke, Ditko and Robin Snyder's 80-PAGE MISSING MAN Package has hit the
stores! Released on August 11th, Robin tells me it is selling MUCH better than anticipated.
It is certainly a complete volume of Missing Man stories, featuring every bit of Missing
Man action from the early '80s Pacific Comics. As a bonus, Ditko did up two NEW
stories for the volume. It costs $9 U.S. and you can read all about
it HERE.
2) We are offering The All-New, 160-Page Steve Ditko Package, released in February 1999,
for the very special price of... $7.50. The
original cover price on this book is $12, but we only have FIVE copies left, so order
soon. Packing and shipping will cost $2.50, so you can send $10 to Blake Bell,
33 Coldwater Rd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3B 1Y8. You can read all about the
book HERE. Even including shipping, the total
price is well under the original cover price, but after those five go, they are gone
at this special price forever!
3) It appears Robin Snyder and Ditko's 160-page Package, reprinting 20 of Ditko's Charlton
stories from the late '60s and early '70s, will make its appearance in November (perhaps
December, since it is being solicited in September's PREVIEWS catalog). You can read more
about it HERE.
4) Remember the exciting MR. MONSTER comic from Eclipse back in the late '80s? The creator
of same was Michael T. Gilbert, who is also a MAJOR contributor to ALTER EGO, especially
with his study of the letters of Gardner Fox. What made MR. MONSTER so prominent in the
Ditkoverse is that Michael's MR. MONSTER #6 issue reprinted (and recoloured) Ditko's first
story drawn for comics, ''Stretching Things'' from FANTASTIC FEARS #5 (Jan '54).
Michael e-mailed the other day to let everyone know he is selling this issue, with this
VERY important Ditko work to anyone who wants one for the measly sum of $4 U.S., which
includes shipping! You can e-mail Michael T. Gilbert
with any questions, or just mail the money (he says cash is fine) to : Michael T. Gilbert
PO box 11421, Eugene, OR, U.S.A. 97440. Ditko's story for only $4! What a steal! He'll
also send you his Mr. Monster sales catalog if you ask.
5) And if you enjoyed our RETURN OF SKYMAN pre-inked pages in our new
Pre-Inked Pages section, you can still acquire the Ditko
selections from ACE COMICS by e-mailing the publisher,
Ron Frantz to obtain copies. Ditko drew the cover to
''Daredevil Battles The Claw #1'', and did 18 pages of pencils per issue for ''What Is...The
Face? #1-3'' and ''Return Of Skyman #1''. Each issue will costs between $2 and $3 U.S.,
so check out these hard-to-find Ditko stories!
6) As spoke of earlier, Rodney Schroeter, noted Ditko authority and fellow
Objectivist, received permission from Steve to make copies for what Rodney considers one
of Ditko's most significant works, ''LAZLO'S HAMMER''. Rodney still has a few copies left
and is offering it to the public, shipping included, for only $5.50 (U.S. funds)! This tome
was originally presented in Robin Snyder's HISTORY OF THE COMICS back in November of 1992.
Rodney is providing to the public 27 single-sided, high-quality pages, in B&W. You can
e-mail RODNEY SCHROETER to order and/or clarify
any of the details!
7) It doesn't appear that Tristan Lapoussiere English, CD-ROM version of his 400-page tome,
called The Steve Ditko Index, will be coming to stores near you anytime soon. Tristan writes
to say paying work has him swamped and it is moving slowly. A shame.
Friday July 30, 1999
1) There is so much news since we last updated the site, so bear with us! An 80-Page
Ditko Package is being shipped to stores as we speak! It is THE volume on one of Ditko's
most bizarre characters, THE MISSING MAN! Supposedly, it reprints the earlier stories
and adds some new material. You can read all about it HERE.
Imagine that, Ditko back with another package in the same year
2) Ditko And Robin Snyder's ALL-NEW, 160-PAGE, STEVE DITKO PACKAGE came out in mid-February
and is as spectacular as one would suspect! Amazing that Ditko, at he heads into his 70s, can
still produce such a voluminous piece of work, with such a high calibre of art and story. You
can read all the info. about it HERE.
3) Even MORE Ditko in 1999! Robin Snyder and Ditko are going to publish another 160-page
package reprinting 20 of Ditko's Charlton stories from the late '60s and early '70s.
The package is due this autumn. You can read more about it
HERE.
4) More exciting Ditko news from France! As we all know, Tristan Lapoussiere published
the 400-page tome called The Steve Ditko Index, but how to get it in English and here
in North America? Tristan has asked me to inform the Ditko world that he will be publishing
the book, in English, on CD-ROM! Tristan provided the following details about the upcoming
project HERE.
5) COMIC BOOK ARTIST #4 (Spr '99), from TwoMorrows Publishing, features some Ditko
nuggets. The ALTER-EGO portion of the book has the Rapport interview, from 1966,
with Ditko. There is also a rare Ditko illustration from the rare fanzine, Komik Heroes
Of The Future (Issue #6 from '64), featuring Spider-Man and Dr. Strange. The regular
issue of C.B.A. is a Warren issue, so there is plenty of talk about Ditko's great B&W stories
from the mid-'60s for that company.
6) DITKOMANIA #62 (June '99) has an original Dick Ayers cover featuring The Face and Gabe
Jones (from Sgt. Fury). You can subscribe to this great fanzine from
Bill Hall himself.
Wednesday January 20, 1999
1) Rappin' Ron Frantz, former publisher of the late '80s version of ACE Comics,
is selling the issues Ditko drew for his company via the 'Net! Ditko drew the cover to
''Daredevil Battles The Claw #1'', and did 18 pages of pencils per issue for ''What Is...The
Face? #1-3'' and ''Return Of Skyman #1''. Each issue will costs between $2 and $3 U.S.,
so check out these hard-to-find Ditko stories! You can
e-mail Ron Frantz to order these issues
and confirm pricing details!
2) Ditko And Robin Snyder's ALL-NEW, 160-PAGE, STEVE DITKO PACKAGE is at the printers
at could be released at any time! Haven't heard about it? We've created a special page for
it and you can find it HERE.
Monday December 6, 1998
1) Rodney Schroeter, noted Ditko authority and fellow Objectivist, has received
permission from Steve to make copies for what Rodney considers one of Ditko's most significant
works, ''LAZLO'S HAMMER''. Rodney is now offering it to the public, shipping included, for
only $5.50 (U.S. funds)! This tome was originally presented in Robin Snyder's HISTORY OF THE
COMICS back in November of 1992. Rodney is providing to the public 27 single-sided,
high-quality pages, in black and white, and it is available now! You can e-mail
RODNEY SCHROETER to order and/or clarify any of the
details!
2) And don't forget to pester your local retailer concerning Robin Snyder's all-new,
160-page STEVE DITKO PACKAGE, released in January 1999. Remember, these are brand new
Ditko stories; 160 pages for only $12 U.S.! We've created a special page for it and you can
find it HERE.
3) And correction! Michael Brown informs us the NEW GODS book which will have a Ditko
five-page story in it, featuring DeSaad (and written by Mark Millar), is not a TPB, but
an ongoing series devoted to Kirby's Fourth World characters which has back-up stories
running in each issue. Byrne recently did his take, and now Walter Simonson will be doing
his in 1999 and the Ditko story will be appearing in the back of one of those issues. Look
for it no earlier than March.
4) And Ditko made an appearance in TIME Magazine. The latest issue had this letter written
by Ditko in the letters page.....''Re the eulogy of Batman's Bob Kane by Stan Lee, whom you
describe as 'creator of Spider-Man' [ Notebook, Nov. 16 ]: Spider-Man's existence needed a
visual, concrete identity. It was a collaboration of writer-editor Stan Lee and artist
Steve Ditko as co-creators. Steve Ditko. New York City.'' That's two letters in less than
a month (the other to Comic Book Marketplace #63)! Look out, world!
Sunday November 22, 1998
1) Ditko is back and bigger than ever! Once again, Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko
have combined forces with an all-new, 160-page STEVE DITKO PACKAGE! The November issue
of PREVIEWS has the item listed for order. This all-new art, all-Ditko tome will be
released in January 1999. Robin Snyder has a web site for his monthly publication
called THE COMICS and it has a special Ditko section featuring info. on the above,
including a preview of the cover of the DITKO PACKAGE!
Click HERE to go right to the
section. Just imagine; a virtual eight months worth of Ditko work, and it all happens
in January, in trade paper-back form for only $12!
2) Robin also informs the world that Roy Thomas, who's trail-blazing fanzine from
the '60s (called Alter-Ego) - currently residing as an all-new insert in the magazine COMIC
BOOK ARTIST - is publishing a ''feature by Steve Ditko'' (quoting Robin Snyder from the Ditko
mailing list) in issue #4 of the above magazine. Robin says ''this is an important work and not
something trivial''. It COULD be out in January (I think it is bi-monthly).
3) COMICS ON CD-ROM is an on-line site which
sells what the title says; comics from the '40s and '50s scanned onto cd-rom. There is a
Steve Ditko special, which features seven stories from the following : 1) Mysterious
Traveler #7, This Magazine Is Haunted #14, Strange Suspense Stories #20, Unusual Tales #11
and #22, Outer Space #21, and an issue of Space Adventures. The cost is $19.95 for shipping.
You can visit the site by the above link and check out the quality of their work, as they
offer a sample, seven-page Ditko story, scanned in full. This is certainly not a bad idea,
but the Ditko story I saw seemed scanned straight off a browned copy, and no attempt was
made to clean up the pages. Still, not a bad way to get seven rare Ditko gems for only
$19.95. Hopefully, if they do another batch, they'll take greater care in the presentation.
Again, I am not endorsing the product, as I have not ordered from them yet.
4) The infamous ACG is apparently back again with more poor quality reprints of
'50s/'60s Ditko work. October apparently did see another issue with old Ditko work :
Not Approved Horror #1 (with ''Deep In The Mountains'' from UNUSUAL TALES #11 [what's the
deal on THAT book? I just bought it in January and now everybody's reprinting from it!]).
Again, many books from ACG have been solicited and many have never seen the light of day
(I've never seen one), but someone did actually claim to have received this one.
5) And from out of the blue, Steve Ditko wrote a letter to COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE,
which printed it in the latest issue, #63, concerning the famous ''weight-off-my-back''
scene in Amazing Spider-Man #33! Rarely does this private individual go public like
this! Go out and get it!
6) The Saturday morning BAT-MAN cartoon show had an episode (Saturday, November 7th)
featuring the CREEPER; a character Ditko created back in early '68 for DC's SHOWCASE.
They didn't acknowledge Ditko in the credits, but the Creeper did buy his costume from
the 'Ditko Vintage Clothes Store'.
7) Issue #60 of Ditkomania, (for Hallowe'en '98) the fabulous, decade-old, Bill
Hall fanzine concerning all things Ditko is now available for purchase. You can find out all
the information you need from Bill Hall himself.
Monday June 8, 1998
1) The June issue of PREVIEWS is soliciting more ACG comics reprinting Ditko work.
Who knows if they will ever see the light of day? The books with Ditko in them are :
''Not Approved #1'' with pre-code horror from Charlton and Fawcett; and ''Space War Classics
#1'', reprinting Charlton's ''Space War #1''. Many thanks to Michael Brown from the
Ditko Mailing List (see our CREDITS section for details on how
to join) for pointing them out!
2) Issue #58 of Ditkomania, the fabulous, decade-old, Bill Hall fanzine
concerning all things Ditko is now available for purchase. You can find out all the
information you need from Bill Hall himself.
Wednesday April 8, 1998
1) Well, there is a new Ditko web-site on the 'Net. How that's for news? :)
2) DC is publishing an 80-page LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE GIANT featuring a
Spectre story by Peter David & Billy Mumy, with art by Steve Ditko & Kevin Nowlan!
3) A company from Montreal called AVALON COMMUNICATIONS GROUP (ACG) has been
releasing reprints containing '50s and '60s Ditko work. I haven't seen any of them
and reports say that many have shown up on Diamond Distributors Cancellation List.
According to Bob Heer, MAGICMANM #1 and NEMESIS #1 have been released, while UFO #1
(for February), and others for March, haven't been spotted. April's PREVIEWS lists
JUNGLE JIM #1 and ALL SUSPENSE #1 (listed as by Chic Stone and Steve Ditko) for release.
Feel free to E-MAIL ME with
any news.
4) Tristan Lapousierre's french-text book on Steve Ditko is out and can be purchased
from him. Wild Bill Hall of DITKOMANIA fame called it ''the best'' book on Ditko he has
ever seen with plenty of rare Ditko art. It is $75 U.S. and can be ordered from : Tristan
Lapoussiere, 12 Rue Anceau, 60390 Le Vauroux, FRANCE. Tell him I sent you!
5) ''Alter Ego, The Best Of The Legendary Comics Fanzine'' features art and articles by
Steve Ditko, Gil Kane, Stan Lee, and so on. It costs $17.95 plus $4 postage and is from
Hamster Press, PO Box 27471, Seattle, WA 98125. Tell them I sent you!
6) Ditko is currently working on a graphic novel for Fantagraphics. More details as they
are available.
If you have any Ditko-related news, please feel free to
E-MAIL ME.
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