Book Review - “Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko” - Blake Bell

Typically I try to avoid biographies, no matter whether they are “auto”, “official” or “unauthorized”. My reason is basically this: the less I know about a personality, the less that knowledge interferes with my enjoyment of their work. The more I know about the creator the less I can focus on the creation “in and of itself“ without having my opinion coloured by the personality of the artist, the behind the scenes anecdotes, mundane bits of trivia, and so on.
Add to that, when we know the subject of a biography is protective of their privacy, it just seems a bit too voyeuristic prying into that which they do not wish to share. And being one of the most reclusive figures in pop culture, it’s more than likely that Steve Ditko would rather this book didn’t exist.


Steve Ditko is best known as the co-creator of Spider-Man, as well as other iconic Marvel comics characters such as Dr. Strange, as well as DC & Charlton’s The Creeper, Hawk & Dove, The Question, etc. Creation and ownership being contentious issues in the silver age of comics, he likely had a hand in the design and/or development of many more. Naturally, the struggle for proper credit & fair compensation is central to any story of comic artists of the period. The story of Ditko adds another more interesting wrinkle: Objectivism.


Without delving too much into the complicated philosophy of Ayn Rand, suffice to say at it’s core Objectivism emphasizes the individual over the collective; the importance of human intellect, productive work and art to the human existence, and applies the standard of rational choice to ethics. One principle of Objectivism is the “Law of Identity”, that is: a thing “is what it is”, there cannot be duplicity. As Rand states, “A is A”. For adherents to Objectivism, morality is black and white (in a nutshell: good cannot be evil, nor vice versa… so a thing must be one or the other, it cannot be both.). The Law of Identity weighs most heavily on the career of Ditko, becoming the basis of his most controversial creation, Mr. A.


Getting back to the book, you can see how the Objectivist line of thinking might appeal to a shy, withdrawn artistic type: especially to one who feels he and his work are being exploited by his corporate employer. It’s not a stretch to see how that situation might be aggravated into a vicious circle: the growing immersion in a philosophy / the worsening of bitterness at his perceived exploiters / the stronger his adherence to his moral code, and so on. Blake Bell effectively shows us the widening gyre. Disputes with comics insiders over ownership and accusations of theft. Alienation from comics fans. A declining work ethic for anything other than his personal projects leads to declining quality and dwindling output. A staunch moral code encroaches on his creativity, fuelling a need to “enlighten” rather than “entertain“. Ultimately, the story is tragic. We’re left feeling outraged on behalf of Ditko, but at the same time frustrated by him (eg. Why would he turn down an opportunity to illustrate “The Fountainhead”?)

Bell creates a compelling profile, interspersed nicely with artwork to illustrate how changes in attitude affected changes in output. The book provides an ample sampling of Ditko art, from early material and the heyday of Marvel to his more current works like Static & Avenging World. The most appealing are his signature psychedelic mindscapes and some stand out inks & washes for 60s horror publisher Warren. The most heartbreaking are the colouring books, toy packaging and fast food restaurant promos from the 80s & 90s.

As far as biographies go, this one spends little time on the personal life of its subject; there are few details available anyhow. (Is it just me, or do the few existing photos of Ditko bear an uncanny resemblance to young Peter Parker?) “Strange and Stranger” presents something more interesting than simple biography: the epic story of an uncompromising hero assailed by corporate greed; his unwillingness to compromise in his staunch moral code and how his principles may have contributed to his eventual downfall. A secret pleasure of mine is to imagine Steve Ditko cast in the role of Number 6 in the tv show “The Prisoner”: Uncompromising, unmutual, a lone voice crying out for the right to be individual, desperately protecting his intellectual property (information) from the grabbing hands of the comics industry Village. (Can’t you just hear Stan Lee’s familiar voice as the taunting Number 2...? “By hook or by crook, we will!”). Well, a girl can dream, can't she?



Steve Ditko reminds you to "THINK".






(Naturally, all images are copyright of their respective owners and are used here solely for the purposes of review!)