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Six of Ditko's best splash pages, from his time working on Atlas/Marvel horror and science fiction anthologies in the late fifties and early sixties.

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The original six issue INCREDIBLE HULK series (1962-1963) was kind of a thematic mess, with Lee and Kirby never really landing on an approach.

Ditko drew the last issue, and this sequence is pure Ditko plotting, with the Hulk only partially transforming into himself, and forced to use a conveniently available Hulk mask to hide Bruce Banner's face.

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DO YOU BELIEVE IN NIGHTMARES #1 (1957). St. John's

An almost all Ditko issue, featuring different approaches to layout and, most notably, rendering techniques.

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No mainstream creation has ever better reflected a creator's strengths and unique perspective than Steve Ditko's DOCTOR STRANGE.

In retrospect, it's a remarkable thing to have emerged from an era when not many creators were afforded the freedom to engage in almost total self-expression. Ditko created an entire visual language that remains in place today.

Brilliant.

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In two of his later Doctor Strange stories, Ditko included black characters where they wouldn't normally have been included at the time. Most notably, he made a random doctor who looks after Strange black.

Quietly progressive, with an awareness of the value of positive representations.

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Ditko's early AMAZING SPIDER-MAN covers were largely functional more than uniquely designed. However, he hit his stride after about twenty issues, and produced a handful of covers that nearly matched the work he was doing inside.

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As throughout his career, Ditko's Charlton covers could be slapdash or feature awkward, unbalanced composition, or reflect real effort in design or rendering.

These are some of his more engaging covers, from THE MANY GHOSTS OF DOCTOR GRAVES.

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Ditko's two RACKET SQUAD IN ACTION covers.

Issue 11 is a hodgepodge of barely connected images, but the 12th issue features a still startling depiction of the immediate impact of a bomb exploding, as clothes are torn apart and the concussion sends bodies flying. A classic Ditko image.

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Four Ditko covers from Charlton's UNUSUAL TALES. 1957-1959.

Excellent examples of Ditko's singular early approach to monsters, his ability to create a unique and atmospheric street scene, and his odd but darkly effective character designs. One wonders what Ditko thought (if he ever saw it) about the published version of the last cover, his bizarre and frightening sidewalk monster all but obscured by a giant, ugly promo blast advertising 8000 PRIZES.

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SPACE ADVENTURES #10 (1954)

Ditko using multiple planes of action again.

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Ditko’s first three Marvel covers. A trio of deuces. STRANGE WORLDS #2 (February, 1959), TALES OF SUSPENSE #2 (March, 1959) and TALES TO ASTONISH #2 (March, 1959).

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Although Ditko did a number of Western stories (particularly for Charlton in the fifties), the genre was rarely represented in his cover work. This cover for CHEYENNE KID #10 (1957) being the rare exception.

Obviously Charlton editorial (such as it was) thought promoting Custer might sell copies, but the garish blue blurb mainly serves to obscure Ditko’s rush of braves, swarming the doomed Union soldiers, standing tall in the face of eternity. 

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MR. A #24 (2017). Perhaps Ditko’s last original published cover, evidently originally drawn for a Mr. A series from the nineties, published in 2017.

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Considering how many monster stories he drew for Marvel/Atlas in the early sixties, it’s surprising how few covers Ditko did (Jack Kirby did a ton). 

Ironically, one of the titles he did a lot of cover work for was AMAZING ADULT FANTASY...the title that transformed into AMAZING FANTASY with issue fifteen, featuring the debut of Ditko’s most famous character (Spider-Man)...with a cover by Kirby. Yep, the world’s first peek at Ditko’s most iconic creation was drawn by Jack Kirby (albeit inked by Ditko).

(Included here is Ditko’s original, unused cover)

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Ditko produced a handful of annuals for Marvel in the early eighties, right down to the covers. He seemed especially engaged by the Micronauts material. 

INCREDIBLE HULK ANNUAL #7 (1980), FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #16 (1981), MICRONAUTS ANNUAL #1 (1980), MICRONAUTS ANNUAL #2 (1981)

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The one Ditko FLY cover not inked by Rudy Nebres. But Ditko, it should be noted, inked the hell out of it himself. 

THE FLY #8 (August, 1984. Archie Comics)

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Ditko’s MACHINE MAN run (with Marv Wolfman scripting) followed Jack Kirby’s original run, picking up a year or so after Kirby’s nine issues wrapped up.

Interesting to think that Kirby and Ditko combined to draw all nineteen issues. Nine for Kirby, Ten for Ditko. If you throw in the three issues of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, which introduced Machine Man (as “Mister Machine”), it’s twelve for Kirby and ten for Ditko.

MACHINE MAN #10, 15 and 16 (August, 1979; June, 1980; August, 1980)