Years back, Peter Rios (if my memory’s to be believed)
started a thread, at the old CGS forums, asking people to share the
comic artist who best epitomized any given character, for them. Neal Adams might be your Batman artist (or
possibly Berni Wrightson), Kirby (or John Byrne) your FF artist, Jerry Ordway
(or Curt Swan) your Superman artist, Marie Severin (or Herb Trimpe) your Hulk
artist. It was a great thread that
really got to the heart of why we, as comic fans, love and collect these
stories—sometimes to an obsessive fault.
The conjunction of personal taste in art and affection for a particular
character engenders a very specific attachment for us readers, which can lead
to interesting and illuminating conversations.
(So, please feel free to share your own in the comments and kickstart
this dialogue)
Spider-Man is an iconic character, some might even say he’s
the lynchpin of the Marvel Universe—or, at least, the standard-bearer for decades,
leading up to the recent invasion of Hollywood by so many of Marvel’s spandex
class. Spidey was the one most visible
in other media—with cartoons, a live-action television series, costumes and
party favors and toys, and a musical—as well as, it could be argued, the one
most accessible to nascent comic book fans.
And through the years, Spidey’s had a horde of great artists delineate
his adventures—John Romita, Sr. & Jr., Todd McFarlane, Mark Bright, Gil
Kane—but for me, it’ll always be Ditko!
Ditko co-created Spider-Man, drew the book for the first few
years, bringing to life such classic characters as J. Jonah Jameson, Betty
Brant, the Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, and the Green Goblin. He’s the artist who defined Spidey, for
decades to come. And he is, hands down,
the best artist ever to draw the webslinger.
Sure, it may seem a copout to go with the creator, but
Ditko’s Spidey perfectly epitomizes the character, to my mind. My introduction to Spidey was through
Ditko—not the comics, but the original animated series from 1967. Spider-Man, along with the other characters,
were strongly modeled on Ditko’s style.
Images of him swinging through New York, coming directly at you through
the television screen, are right out of those comics. And, though incredibly amateurish, those
cartoons were a ton of fun, at the age I discovered them.
When I finally got an opportunity to read some of those
early Spider-Man tales, my mind did not change.
Ditko’s work in those few dozen issues is stellar. His fluid, easy line and facility with body
language really elevate those comics.
All his characters look real, rather than the idealized HEROES™ we’ve come to expect
from the “photo-realism” made popular, in recent years. Peter Parker looks like a teenager. Aunt May is an old woman. J. Jonah Jameson is a loudmouthed
buffoon. Ditko’s work allows readers to
better relate to these people, affording them an opportunity to become more
invested in the stories and the drama, and become fans for life.
Ditko is also able to infuse these characters with power and
strength, when it suits the story.
Possibly the most famous sequence in all of Spidey’s publishing history
can be found in issue #33, the final chapter of the 3-part “If This Be My
Destiny” storyline. Doc Ock has stolen a
rare isotope that may be the only thing that can save Aunt May’s life. Peter, as Spider-Man, is trapped beneath tons
of heavy machinery. Through force of
will and thoughts of his family—his Uncle Ben, whom he let down, and his Aunt
May, whom he must save—Peter is able to push himself off the floor and throw
the pile of iron from his back. It’s one
of the most powerful scenes in Spider-Man history (or comic history, for that
matter), achieved through the deft artistry of Ditko.
Ditko is a master craftsman, still creating new comics
today, and one of the giants in the history of the comic book medium. And his work on Spider-Man illuminates that
fact, greatly. If you’ve never checked
out these early stories, you definitely should.
And if you find the writing a bit grating, as I do, then just look at
the pictures. Because Ditko drew the
best damn Spider-Man.
-chris
