Who is Steve Ditko? with Mark Ditko & Alex Grand

Read Alex Grand’s Understanding Superhero Comic Books published by McFarland Books in 2023 with Foreword by Jim Steranko with editorial reviews by comic book professionals, Jim Shooter, Tom Palmer, Tom DeFalco, Danny Fingeroth, Alex Segura, Carl Potts, Guy Dorian Sr. and more.

In the meantime enjoy the show:

A sit-down chat between Alex Grand and Steve Ditko’s nephew, Mark Ditko on various key aspects of the Spider-Man co-creators life, characters, and motivations in this career-spanning interview. Also rare photos, and 2 prior unseen photos.

Stephen J. Ditko was an American comics artist and writer best known as the artist and co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Steve Ditko studied under Batman artist Jerry Robinson at the Cartoonist and Illustrators School in New York City.

Transcript published in Roy Thomas’ Alter Ego Collectors Items’ Classics:

Images used in artwork ©Their Respective Copyright holders
“Who is Steve Ditko?” with Mark Ditko & Alex Grand

📜 Video chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:03 Bottleworks Ditko Exhibit 2021
04:02 Mark Ditko’s relation to Steve Ditko
05:04 When Steve Ditko visited his family
05:58 How Steve Ditko traveled during visits
06:32 Steve Ditko’s methodology in creating Spider-Man
08:50 Steve Ditko’s secret identity
10:00 Konga
11:53 Why was Steve Ditko secretive?
13:02 Mysterious Travelers by Zack Kruse
15:17 Was Steve Ditko religious?
15:48 Steve Ditko’s childhood comics
17:18 Lenny Schwartz Ditko play
18:01 Is Peter Parker actually Steve Ditko?
20:06 How did Steve Ditko like Joe Gill at Charlton?
22:12 Why Steve Ditko left Marvel & Stayed at Charlton?
22:54 Steve Ditko’s flare-ups of Tuberculosis
24:34 Steve Ditko’s discovery of Ayn Rand & De Bono
30:10 Did Ayn Rand turn Steve Ditko into a hermit?
32:05 Steve Ditko looked to Aristotle
32:38 Dispelling myths
34:10 Did Steve Ditko vote?
35:32 Steve Ditko’s favorite music
37:04 Did Steve Ditko date?
37:30 Jack Kirby’s question about Steve Ditko
39:00 Steve Ditko’s crush on Flo Steinberg
40:22 Steve Ditko’s relationship Eric Stanton
43:30 Eric Stanton is Peter Parker?
44:32 Did Steve Ditko ever mention Stan Lee?
46:52 Safest Place
47:20 Steve Ditko’s relationship with Jack Kirby
48:22 Blue Beetle, the Question & Mr. A
48:58 Steve Ditko’s direction for Spider-Man
51:47 Steve Ditko’s faceless characters, Chameleon
53:12 The Question is or isn’t Steve Ditko?
53:33 Steve Ditko’s problem with modern comics
55:20 Steve Ditko’s sense of right & wrong
57:09 Steve Ditko’s friendship with Wally Wood
59:05 Creeper, Dr. Strange & Shade the Changing Man
01:00:50 Character naming of Question & Mr. A
01:03:21 Did Steve Ditko work outside comics?
01:04:49 Steve Ditko’s time with Jim Shooter
01:09:14 Death of Kirby and Wood
01:09:30 Steve Ditko does not use Internet
01:11:21 The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell and Steve Ditko
01:17:21 Bleeding Cool criticized the Ditko’s
01:19:11 Cleaning out Steve Ditko’s studio
01:24:36 Steve Ditko’s legal relationship with Marvel/Royalties
01:27:03 Kevin Feige on Steve Ditko
01:28:33 Robin Snyder
01:31:45 Ditko’s estate upcoming book on Steve Ditko
01:34:21 How many photos of Steve Ditko exist?

#SteveDitko #MarkDitko #MarvelComics #ComicBookHistorians #SpiderMan #DoctorStrange #CharltonComics #ComicHistorian #CBHInterviews #CBHPodcast #CBH

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Use of images are not intended to infringe on copyright, but merely used for academic purpose.