The Steve Ditko Archives Series by Steve Ditko, Blake Bell

Before the Amazing Spider-Man, before the mysterious Doctor Strange, before the black-and-white world of the Ayn Rand-inspired Mr. A, the legendary comic book artist Steve Ditko was conjuring all manners of horrors at his drawing table. In his first two years in the industry (1953 and 1954), Ditko drew tales of macabre suspense that were not yet hobbled by the imminent Comics Code Authority (adopted in October 1954)... moreBefore the Amazing Spider-Man, before the mysterious Doctor Strange, before the black-and-white world of the Ayn Rand-inspired Mr. A, the legendary comic book artist Steve Ditko was conjuring all manners of horrors at his drawing table. In his first two years in the industry (1953 and 1954), Ditko drew tales of macabre suspense that were not yet hobbled by the imminent Comics Code Authority (adopted in October 1954). These stories featured graphic bloodshed, dismemberment and blood-curdling acid baths as the ugly end to the lives of the dark and twisted inhabitants of Steve Ditko’s imagination. Following up on Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko, Blake Bell’s 2008 best-selling critical retrospective of Ditko’s career, strange suspense, Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1 will, for the first time, feature spectacular full-color reprints of every story from those first two years of his career. Beginning with Ditko’s very first story to Ditko’s short stint in the Joe Simon/Jack Kirby studio, to Ditko’s eventual encampment at the Charlton Comics operation in 1954, readers will see the initial works of an artist already at a level of craftsmanship that exceeded most of his peers. The book will also feature editor Bell’s insightful historical notes.“Ditko’s legacy is undeniable…visually he was revolutionary.”—MacLeans “Ditko’s artwork is impossible to shake.”—Douglas Wolk, author of Reading Comics less

More great crime, horror and sci-fi work by one of comics� greatest stylists. As the original artist and co-creator who brought the Amazing Spider-Man to life in 1962, and established the look of Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk as we know them today, artist Steve Ditko�s talents varied far beyond the realm of the superhero genre... moreMore great crime, horror and sci-fi work by one of comics� greatest stylists. As the original artist and co-creator who brought the Amazing Spider-Man to life in 1962, and established the look of Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk as we know them today, artist Steve Ditko�s talents varied far beyond the realm of the superhero genre. Tales of unexplored worlds, of spine-chilling suspense, mystery, and horror dripped hauntingly from the pen of Steve Ditko over half a decade before he would bring to the world famous wall-crawler to life. Unexplored Worlds: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 2 continues the showcase of the artist�s 1950s work that began with editor Blake Bell�s 2009 best-selling Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1, both following up on Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko, Bell�s 2008 critically-acclaimed retrospective of Ditko�s career. For the first time, spectacular full-color reprints of stories are on display from the peak period of his career as an artist. After a bout of illness forced Ditko to disappear from comics in 1955, the artist came back with a vengeance, marking 1956 as his first stint at Marvel Comics with his Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee. And in 1957, Ditko renewed his association with Charlton Comics, a partnership that would see Ditko produce almost 500 pages of completed artwork in that year alone. The leap in the quality of the legendary artist�s work during this period is stunning. A few scant years into his career and Ditko was already the most unique artist in comic-book history and one of its most prolific. The book also features editor Bell�s insightful introduction, providing historical background and speaking to Ditko�s influence and his unique craft. 224 pages of four-color comics less

Five years before his breakthrough as the co-creator of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and other classic super-heroes for Marvel Comics in the early 1960s, Steve Ditko, inspired by the freedom he found at the laissez-faire Charlton Comics, was turning out some of the best work of his career.Mysterious Traveler, which collects stories from (among others) Tales of the Mysterious Traveler and This Magazine Is Haunted, reprints over 210 full-color pages of Ditko in his early prime... moreFive years before his breakthrough as the co-creator of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and other classic super-heroes for Marvel Comics in the early 1960s, Steve Ditko, inspired by the freedom he found at the laissez-faire Charlton Comics, was turning out some of the best work of his career.Mysterious Traveler, which collects stories from (among others) Tales of the Mysterious Traveler and This Magazine Is Haunted, reprints over 210 full-color pages of Ditko in his early prime. These are stories that have never been properly reprinted until now — thrilling stories of suspense, mystery, haunted houses, and unsuspecting victims. less

Five years before Steve Ditko began work on his now legendary co-creations for Marvel Comics, the Amazing Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, he was pro- ducing some of his best work in near anonymity for Charlton Comics. Like its predecessors, Impossible Tales: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol... moreFive years before Steve Ditko began work on his now legendary co-creations for Marvel Comics, the Amazing Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, he was pro- ducing some of his best work in near anonymity for Charlton Comics. Like its predecessors, Impossible Tales: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 4 features over 200 meticulously restored full-color pages of Ditko in his early prime--stories that have never seen a proper reprinting until now, thrilling stories of suspense, mystery, haunted houses, and unsuspecting victims all delineated in Ditko's wildly idiosyncratic, masterful style. This fourth volume ranks as the best in the Archives series to date thanks in large part to the inspiration Ditko took from comics derived from the classic host-narrated radio shows, which gave an extra oomph to his creepy yarns. Moreover, comics such as This Magazine is Haunted and Tales of The Mysterious Traveler bore witness to a veritable explosion in Ditko's ingenuity in terms of manipulating the traditional comic-book page layout. This new level of excellence also manifested itself in his work on other books, such Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds, Out of This World, Strange Suspense Stories, and Unusual Tales, all of which are amply represented in this volume. less

Dripping With Fear: The Steve Ditko Archives Volume 5 features another 200-plus meticulously restored, full-color pages from Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko in his early prime, at the time working in near anonymity for Charlton Comics in the then-popular horror/suspense genre. Comics like Tales of The Mysterious Traveler and This Magazine Is Haunted saw an explosion in Ditko's ingenuity, as he manipulated the traditional comic-book page layout with masterful results... moreDripping With Fear: The Steve Ditko Archives Volume 5 features another 200-plus meticulously restored, full-color pages from Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko in his early prime, at the time working in near anonymity for Charlton Comics in the then-popular horror/suspense genre. Comics like Tales of The Mysterious Traveler and This Magazine Is Haunted saw an explosion in Ditko's ingenuity, as he manipulated the traditional comic-book page layout with masterful results. It was during this time that Ditko and his art-school colleague, the famed fetish artist Eric Stanton, began sharing a studio in Manhattan. The introduction by editor Blake Bell examines Ditko's stylistic evolution and delves deep into his association with Stanton. Ditko's secret collaborations with Stanton on his female bondage material remain a highly controversial topic, and Bell's introduction highlights numerous examples that prove the allegedly shy and private Ditko contributed with wild abandon to these risqué tales of titillation. This fifth volume stands as the best example yet of the Steve Ditko that would soon begin crafting such iconic classics as Spider-Man and Doctor Strange alongside Stan Lee at Marvel Comics."Fantastic... Raw and grotesque and beautifully drawn and presented." - Dave Gibbons less

Outer Limits features more than 200 meticulously restored, full-color comics pages by Ditko in his early prime. This volume’s suspense and mystery stories―thanks to the inspiration Ditko took from space travel comics―heavily weighted to the science fiction genre. Ditko rocketed into the vast outer reaches of the universe to craft tales that tapped into the fears and aspirations of middle America coming to terms with the Cold War and the beginning of the space race with Soviet Russia.