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An American HeroDitko Unleashed

EXHIBITION Ditko Unleashed, An American HeroSeptember 29, 2016 - January 8, 2017. CuratorsFlorentino FlórezFrédéric Manzano Organization & CoordinationPalma Espai d’Art Foundation

InsuranceMarch JLT correduria de seguros

DISTRICT COUNCIL OF PALMA *

MayorJosé Hila Vargas

Regidor de l’Àrea de Cultura, Patrimoni, Memòria Històrica i Política LingüísticaMiquel Perelló Oliver

PATRONAT FUNDACIÓ CASALS D’ART I ESPAIS EXPOSITIUS DE PALMA

PresidentJosé Hila Vargas

Vice PresidentMiquel Perelló Oliver

PatronsSusanna Moll KamerichEva Frade BravoFrancisca Niell LlabrésJosé Javier Bonet DíazPedro Ribas DietrichAntoni Sbert CasasayasNeus García IñestaPaco Espinosa TrujilloGaspar Sabater Vives

SecretariAntoni Pol Coll

SotssecretàriaFrancisca Arbona Serra

* in 2016

CATALOGUE

EditorFrédéric Manzano

AuthorsFlorentino FlórezIntroduction by Robin Snyder

Design & ModelingExtra Estudio

ScansFrédéric Manzano

English Translation Rachel Waters

This is an exhibition catalogue. All trademarks and copyrights appear solely as historic examples of Steve Ditko art. All rights reserved. All similarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidential. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Editions Déesse and Idea and Design Works, LLC.

ÉDITIONS DÉESSE

President/PublisherFrédéric Manzano

IDW PUBLISHING

CEO & PublisherTed Adams

COO & PresidentGreg Goldstein

EVP & Sr. Graphic ArtistRobbie Robbins

CCO & Editor-in-ChiefChris Ryall

CPA & Chief Financial OfficerMatthew Ruzicka

VP of MarketingDirk Wood

VP of Digital ServicesLorelei Bunjes

VP of Licensing, Digital and Subsidiary RightsJeff Webber

VP of New Product DevelopmentJerry Bennington

Director, Special ProjectsScott Dunbier

Special Thanks to:Robin Snyder and our wives, Eva Barceló & Laurence Manzano.

Acknowledgments:Lluc Amengual, Thomas Barichella, Olivier & Hugo Bijaoui, Aaron Caplan, Jacques Collin, Andrew Colman, ComicLink.com, CoollinesArtwork.com, Editions Déesse, Ditko.Blogspot.Com, Daniel Duclos, Mark Evanier, Ron Fontes, Arthur Fuchs, Joan Carles Gomis, HeritageAuctionGalleries.com, Steve Leialoha, Paul Levitz, Michel Maillot, David Mandel for supplying us with scans of his collection, MetropolisCollectibles.com, Josep Maria Nadal Suau, Ramón F. Pérez, Faustino Rodríguez Arbesú, RomitaMan.com, Carolina Vicente, Johannes A. Von Horrach, Jim Vadeboncoeur, Peter Wingfield, Marv Wolfman.

Lenders:Bill Baroud, Kam Blagowski, Mike Burkey, Duane Capizzi, Richard & Stephen Donnelly, Terry Doyle, Stephen Fishler, Jean-Paul Gabilliet, Michael Haack, Jim Halperin, Peter Koch, Hans Kosenkranius, Steve Kriozere, Bechara Maalouf, Kelvin Mao, Joseph Melchior, Albert Moy, Jérôme Perrault, Philippe Queveau, Georges Simonian, Vincent Zurzolo.

Ditko Unleashed © 2016 Editions Déesse.Published by IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC.Editorial Offices: 2765 Truxtun Road, San Diego, CA. 92106, U.S.A.All Steve Ditko characters, images and likenesses TM & © 2016 Steve Ditko.All Marvel characters: TM & © 2016 Marvel Entertainment, LLC and its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.All DC comic artwork, its characters and related elements are TM of and © DC Comics or their respective owners.All other characters, images and likenesses TM & © 2016 by their respective copyright holders.

First Printing19 18 17 16 1 2 3 4ISBN-13: 978-1-63140-711-6

1927-1966 | FIGHTING EVIL | COMBATIR EL MAL

1927-1953 Things to Come

Ditko: “I was born in 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.” 1

He was nine years old when, in 1936, the first successful novel by Ayn Rand was published, We the Living. That same year, Things to Come came out at the cinema: a sci-fi movie adaptation of a novel by H.G. Wells directed by Cameron Menzies. I doubt whether the future artist was aware of either of the two, although at a later date they would influence his work. Rand, of course, was a long-lasting influence, although when or how he came upon her novels and essays is not known.2 As for the film by Menzies, in its way it was very Randian, even though Wells’ ideas distanced it from Objectivism.3 The film was a passionate defense of progress and rationality as the only way of halting barbarian-ism and degeneration. Echoes of the film’s futur-istic imagery, with particularly fascinating vehi-cles and buildings, can be found in Ditko’s work and a popular still from the film was featured in one of his stories. 4

He was 13 years old when, on June 2, 1940, the first issue of The Spirit came out. He crossed the whole city to buy the newspaper in which the series was published. As with other comic artists, his mother bound the newspaper comic strips to preserve them and she sewed him a Batman dis-guise, another character who fascinated him. Later he was able to learn from and collaborate with Jerry Robinson, the creator of the Joker.

Lo que vendrá

Ditko: “Nací en 1927 en Johnstown, Pensilvania.” 1

Tenía 9 años cuando en 1936 se editó la pri-mera novela de éxito de Ayn Rand, Los que vivi-mos. Ese mismo año se estrenó La Vida Futura, de Cameron Menzies, una fantasiosa adapta-ción cinematográfica de la obra de Wells. Dudo que el futuro artista fuera consciente de una u otra obra pero en el futuro repercutirían en su trabajo. Por supuesto Rand fue una influencia duradera aunque no se sabe cuándo ni cómo entró en contacto con sus novelas y ensayos 2. Respecto al film de Menzies, era a su manera muy randiano a pesar de que las ideas de Wells lo alejaban del Objetivismo 3. La película hacía una apasionada defensa del progreso y la racio-nalidad, como únicos frenos ante la barbarie y la degeneración. La imaginería futurista del film, especialmente llamativa en vehículos y edificios, encontró ecos en la labor de Ditko, que incluyó un popular fotograma de Things to Come en una de sus historias 4.Tenía 13 años cuando el 2 de junio de 1940 apa-reció el primer número de The Spirit. Cruzaba toda la ciudad para comprar el periódico donde salía la serie. Como les ocurrió a otros dibu-jantes, su madre encuadernaba las tiras de los periódicos para conservarlas mejor y le cosió un disfraz de Batman, otro personaje que le fascinaba. Más tarde tuvo ocasión de apren-der y colaborar con Jerry Robinson, creador del Joker.

1 Declarations by Ditko in “The Spider’s Man. The Life Story of Steve Ditko” in issue #6 of Komik Heroes of The Future. Don Schank, 1964.

2  Ditko, Steve. “#18: Anti -Ditko Fans” in issue #3 of The Four-Page Series. Robin Snyder & Steve Ditko, 2013.

3  As Friedrich A. Hayek explains in The Road to Serfdom, Routledge Press, 1944. “The individual rights which Mr. Wells hopes to preserve would inevitably obstruct the planning which he desires.”“Los derechos individuales que Mr. Wells espera salvar se verán obstruidos inevitablemente por la planificación que desea”.

4  “Prisoner of the Satellites!” in issue #1 of Tales of Suspense. Marvel, 1959.

The Garfieldian Vol. 15 - ExtraGarfield Junior High School,May 26, 1943.Detail from page 5.Photo of Ditko from his school newspaper.Foto de Ditko en el periódico de su escuela.

The Garfieldian Vol. 15 - ExtraGarfield Junior High School,May 26, 1943.Detail from page 1.Ditko is the third person on the left in the middle row.Ditko está en la fila de enmedio y es el tercero empezando por la izquierda.

12 | 13

En 1943 se publicó El Manantial. En el Anuario de su Instituto de 1944 salía en alguna foto con unas gafas que le daban ese aire de empollón que muchos han relacionado con Peter Parker, el alter ego de Spider-Man. No se indica que participara en ninguna clase relacionada con el arte, pero sí en una de dibujo técnico. Cumplió dieciocho años en 1945. Se alistó en el ejército casi al final de la guerra, pasando una temporada en Alemania donde colaboró con el periódico de su base militar. Su interés por el arte había ido creciendo desde la infancia hasta con-vertirse en una clara vocación.Steve: “Me gusta dibujar, el tipo de dibujo que se emplea en los cómics. Nunca he tenido el deseo de ser un ilustrador o de hacer una portada para el Post.” 5

En 1949 King Vidor dirigió la adaptación cine-matográfica de El manantial, con un esplén-dido Gary Cooper en el rol de Howard Roark, el arquitecto rebelde. Al año siguiente Ditko llegó a Nueva York. Ditko: “A lo largo de los años me había ido inte-resando por los cómics así que me fui a Nueva York para entrar en la industria. Me apunté en la Cartoonist And Illustrators School donde mi estilo se vio muy influenciado por mi profesor, Jerry Robinson.” 6

La hoy mundialmente conocida School of Visual Arts había sido fundada poco antes, en 1947. Sus creadores fueron el dibujante de Tarzán Burne Hogarth y el filólogo Silas H. Rhodes. Mort Meskin había sido contratado para dar algunas clases pero debido a su timidez pidió a un amigo con quien compartía estudio que le acompa-ñara 7. Jerry Robinson permaneció allí diez años 8 y fue quien presionó para que Ditko consiguiera la beca que le permitió estudiar un segundo curso en la Escuela. Ditko: “Trabajaba durante el día (en tareas sin relación con el arte) e iba a la Escuela por la noche. Periódicamente hacía la ronda de editores de cómics y todos me rechazaban.” 9

Tardó tres años pero finalmente consiguió un encargo. Ha expresado en repetidas ocasiones su reconocimiento hacia sus profesores.Ditko: “Lo que se aprende de maestros como Jerry es a emplear tu propio cerebro partiendo de unos sólidos principios sobre las viñetas y secuencias del cómic.” 10

Su profesor le devolvió los cumplidos.Robinson: “Asimilaba todo lo que intenté trans-mitirle y además se lo tomaba muy en serio. Lo consiguió en gran medida gracias a su profunda dedicación y al trabajo duro.” 11

Acudió a su clase cuatro o cinco días a la semana, cinco horas cada día, durante dos años. Allí tuvo como compañero al también dibu-jante Eric Stanton. Un aspecto a tener en cuenta era el interés de Robinson hacia los movimien-tos de vanguardia, especialmente el surrealismo. Inspirado por artistas como Dalí o Duchamp, construyó algunas splash cargadas de elementos simbólicos y psicológicos, cuyos ecos resonaron en ciertas planchas de Ditko. También el com-ponente grotesco de sus personajes. Robinson impartía con Hogarth conferencias sobre distin-tos temas.

In 1943, The Fountainhead was published. In his 1944 high-school yearbook, Ditko can be seen in the occasional photo, wearing glasses that lend him a studious look associated by many with Peter Parker, Spider-Man’s alter ego. The year-book does not mention whether he took any kind of art classes, although he did apparently attend classes in technical drawing.Ditko turned 18 in 1945. He joined the military at what was almost the end of the war and was posted for a time in Germany, where he helped out with the newspaper at the military base. His interest in art had grown since his childhood to vocational proportions.Steve: “I like drawing – the kind of drawing done for comics. I never had any desire to be an illus-trator or do a POST cover.” 5

In 1949, King Vidor directed the movie adapta-tion of The Fountainhead, with a splendid per-formance by Gary Cooper in the role of Howard Roark, the rebellious architect. The following year, Ditko arrived in New York.Ditko: “Through the years I became inter-ested in doing comic art and went to New York to enter the comic-book field. I enrolled in the Cartoonist and Illustrators School where my style was greatly influenced by my instructor - Jerry Robinson.” 6

The today world-famous School of Visual Arts had been founded shortly before in 1947. Its cre-ators were the artist responsible for Tarzan, Burne Hogarth, and philologist Silas H. Rhodes. Mort Meskin had been hired to give some classes but because he was so shy, he asked a friend with whom he shared a studio to accompany him.7 Jerry Robinson stayed there for ten years 8 and it was he who pushed for Ditko to be awarded a grant so that he could stay on for a second year at the school.Ditko: “I was working during the day (non-art job) and going to C&I at night. Periodically, I made the rounds of all the comic publishers and was turned down by all.” 9

It took three years, but he was finally commis-sioned with a job. On repeated occasions he has expressed his acknowledgement of his teachers.Ditko: “Jerry Robinson was a great teacher for teaching fundamentals in how to tell/show comic book story/art. (...) What one learns from a teacher like Jerry is how to use one’s mind with solid comic book panel/sequence principles.” 10

His teacher returned the compliment.Robinson: “He really took in everything that I tried to convey to him and was very serious about it. A good part of making it was the depth of dedication and the hard work put in.” 11

Ditko attended classes four or five days a week for five hours a day over a period of two years. One of his classmates there was the comic art-ist Eric Stanton. One point to bear in mind was Robinson’s fascination for avant-garde move-ments, particularly Surrealism. Inspired by art-ists like Dalí or Duchamp, some splash pages full of symbolic or psychological elements were drawn by Robinson, echoes of which can be found on some of Ditko’s plates and in the grotesque side to his characters. Robinson gave seminars on different subjects, together with Hogarth.

5  “An Interview With Steve Ditko” by Bob “Keith” Greene in issue #2 of Rapport. Robert K. Greene, 1966.

6  Commentary by Ditko in issue #42 of The Reader. Derrill Rothermich, 1965.

7  Brower, Steven. From Shadow to Light. The Life and Art of Mort Meskin. Fantagraphics Books, 2010.

8  Couch, N. C. Christopher. Jerry Robinson, Ambassador of Comics. Abrams, Comicarts, 2010.

9  Declarations by Ditko in “The Spider’s Man. The Life Story of Steve Ditko” in issue #6 of Komik Heroes of The Future. Don Schank, 1964.

10  Couch, N. C. Christopher. Jerry Rob-inson, Ambassador of Comics. Abrams, Comicarts, 2010.

11  “Student and Teacher.” Article by Jerry Robinson in The Art of Ditko. Yoe Books and IDW, 2009.

Tales of Suspense #1 Marvel, 1959. “Prisoner of the Satellites.” Panel from page 3.

Things to Come Cameron Menzies, 1936.Lobby card.Fotograma de la película.

1927-1966 | FIGHTING EVIL | COMBATIR EL MAL

Robinson: “The whole school used to come; we booked them into the largest auditorium. Burne and I would spend several hours going back and forth, exploring the subject from every angle and answering students’ questions.” 12

The talks were accompanied by charcoal draw-ings on large pieces of paper, which were much appreciated by the students. In photos taken in Ditko’s studio, behind his drawing board, ana-tomical illustrations by Hogarth can be seen. We can speculate on the influence that he had on the young artist. Tarzan’s comic creator defined his own work as “romantic,” claiming that he had elevated the hero to legendary proportions. He did not regard legends as lies, believing that they served to define our origins and our end goal. Rand 13 and Ditko would believe in some-thing similar.They did not coincide in everything. Hogarth questioned masked superheroes’ vigilante role (from Spirit to Spider-Man) – the character on the fringes of society who lays down his own laws. He was concerned about the cultural shift from the classic hero to the superhero forced to hide his own identity.The rules that Ditko adopted, following his stud-ies at the Cartoonist and Illustrators School, can be encapsulated in the advice given to young comic artists.14

Ditko: “1. So study the basics.2. See how it appears in life.3. How others interpret it.4. And from it all, do it in a way that you person-ally feel is right or good.”

Robinson: “La escuela entera solía acudir, los agru-pábamos en un gran auditorio. Burne y yo podía-mos pasarnos horas de acá para allá, analizando el asunto desde todos sus ángulos y contestando a las preguntas de los alumnos.” 12 Acompañaban las charlas con dibujos al car-bón sobre grandes papeles muy apreciados por los estudiantes. En fotos tomadas en el estudio de Ditko, detrás de su mesa de dibujo aparecían colgadas ilustraciones anatómicas de Hogarth. Se puede especular sobre la influencia que tuvo sobre el joven creador. El dibujante de Tarzán definió su trabajo como “romántico”, afirmando que había llevado al héroe a un plano mítico. No estaba de acuerdo con la idea de mito como men-tira, opinaba que más bien servía para definir de dónde venimos y hacia donde queremos ir. Rand 13 y Ditko emplearían conceptos similares.No todo eran coincidencias: Hogarth cuestionó a los superhéroes enmascarados (de Spirit a Spider-Man) como vigilantes, tipos al margen de la socie-dad que establecían sus propias leyes. Le preocu-paba el giro cultural que llevaba del héroe clásico al superhéroe que debía ocultar su identidad.La jerarquía de valores que Ditko asumió tras su paso por la Cartoonist And Illustrators School se resumía en los consejos que dirigió a los jóvenes dibujantes de cómics. 14

Ditko: “1. Así que estudia las bases.2. Mira cómo se presentan en la vida real.3. Cómo otros las interpretan. 4. A partir de ahí, hazlo de una forma que per-sonalmente consideres que es correcta o que está bien.”

12  Couch, N. C. Christopher. Jerry Robinson, Ambassador of Comics. Abrams, Comicarts, 2010.

13  Rand, Ayn. The Romantic Manifesto. New American Library, 1969.

14  Gary Martin’s interview with Ditko. “Steve Ditko: A Portrait of The Master” in issue #2 of The Comic Fan. Larry Herndon, Aug. 1965.

The Spectator Johnstown High-School Yearbook 1944.Mechanical drawing class. Ditko is the smiling boy in glasses.Clase de Dibujo Técnico. Ditko es el sonriente muchacho con gafas.

Black Magic Vol. IV #5 (29) Prize Group, 1954. “Madame Cyanide and Master Tricks!”Panel from page 5.

14 | 15

Primer asalto

El joven estudiante consiguió su primer encargo “con un editor de cómics muy pequeño” 1. “Stretching Things” tuvo una accidentada tra-yectoria. Su guionista Bruce Hamilton contó que, aunque fue el primer cómic que Ditko vendió a un editor, no fue el primero en publicarse 2. Stanmore, considerada la editorial con los precios más bajos del mercado, lo compró. Cuando vieron su cali-dad se lo revendieron a otra empresa. Salió diez meses después en Fantastic Fears (Ajax), en 1954. Era una excelente primera historia, con un humor muy negro y un grafismo estupendo. Aunque la huella de Eisner y Meskin era inne-gable, tenía también un aire a lo Kubert. Son muchos, como Mike W. Barr 3, quienes consideran que al principio se parecía mucho a Kubert. Estoy de acuerdo.Hamilton escribió también el alucinante guión de “Hair Yee-eeee”, para Strange Fantasy nº 9 (Ajax, Dic. 1953). Ditko abocetó aquel relato sobre el pelo de un tipo que crecía cobrando vida pro-pia. Fue terminada a lápiz y entintada por Sy Moskowitz así que apenas se apreciaba al pri-mero, más allá de la correcta narrativa. Aunque dedicaría gran parte de su talento a los géne-ros del horror y la fantasía, una de sus prime-ras historias fue romántica. No salió mal parado del intento y “Paper Romance” en Daring Love nº 1 (Sep.-Oct. 1953) permanecerá como una obra correcta, con las imágenes casi sepultadas por los numerosos textos. Se han señalado algunos parecidos entre la obra de Meskin y la de Ditko, como la portada del pri-mero para Golden Lad nº 3, cuyo fondo está poblado por un ejército de caras, recurso que luego repetiría su discípulo. Ditko: “¡La función de todo dibujante de cómic es CONTAR UNA HISTORIA! Tiene que ser capaz de

First Round

The young student’s first commission was “with a very small comic publisher.” 1 “Stretching Things” had an eventful history. Its scriptwriter, Bruce Hamilton, said that although it was the first comic that Ditko sold to a publisher, it was not the first of his to be published.2 Stanmore – considered to be the publisher with the lowest prices on the market – bought it. When they saw the quality, they sold it on to another company. It was published ten months later in 1954 in Fantastic Fears (Ajax). It was a superb first story, with marvelous illustrations and a strong dose of black humor. Although there were clear traces of Eisner and Meskin, it was also influenced by Kubert. Many people, including Mike W. Barr,3 believe that his early work had much in common with that of Kubert. I agree.Hamilton also wrote the amazing script of “Hair Yee-eeee” for issue #9 of Strange Fantasy (Ajax, Dec. 1953). Ditko drew the sketches for the story – about a guy’s hair that grew and took on a life of its own. It was finished off in pencil and inked by Sy Moskowitz, and so Ditko’s contributions were barely perceptible aside from his correct use of narrative. Although he would devote much of his talent to horror and fantasy, one of his first stories was romantic, a genre that was rare for him. He did not come out of it badly, and “Paper Romance,” published in issue #1 of Daring Love (Sept-Oct 1953), is a decent piece of work, with pictures almost buried under the weighty text.Some similarities have been pointed out between Meskin’s and Ditko’s work, like the former’s cover for issue #3 of Golden Lad, with a back-ground filled with a whole army of faces: a tech-nique that his disciple would go on to use.Ditko: “The function of a comic artist is to TELL A STORY! He must get across an idea or point of the

1953-1954

3  In the introduction to The Steve Ditko Omnibus, Vol. II. DC Comics, 2011.

1  The Reader #42. Derrill Rothermich, Oct. 1965.

2  Greg Theakston in “A Paper Romance with the Comics” in Ditko, Edge of Genius. Pure Imagination, 2004.

Captain 3-D #1 Harvey, 1953. Cover. Pencils by Jack Kirby; Inks by Mort Meskin and Steve Ditko. Ditko’s contributions are not very noticeable, but some of the inside 3-D effects were spectacular. No se aprecia mucho la intervención de Ditko, pero algunos de los efectos de relieve en el interior eran espectaculares.

Fantastic Fears #5 Ajax, 1954. “Stretching Things.” Panels from page 2. It contained many features of his later work for Warren, like the grotesque theme and bloodcurdling ending. The finishes were professionally done and typical of the artist. Many things were worthy of note: the long vertical panels, the characters’ faces and expressions, and his way of framing or else framing within a frame, as in the panel where the police officers could be seen through a sloping skylight. Contenía muchos elementos de sus posteriores obras para Warren, como su tema grotesco y el final sangriento. Los acabados eran profesionales y característicos. Tenía muchos aspectos destacables: viñetas alargadas en vertical, las caras y expresiones de los personajes o su forma de encuadrar y reencuadrar, como en la viñeta en que se veía a los policías a través de una claraboya inclinada.

1927-1966 | FIGHTING EVIL | COMBATIR EL MAL

desarrollar una idea o un momento del relato y hacerlo de manera clara para que el lector esté siempre bien situado y en esto Meskin puntúa muy alto. Nadie que lea una historia dibujada por él se sentirá confuso respecto a lo que pasa.” 4

Participó con él en la aventura de los cómics en tres dimensiones. Captain 3-D estaba dibujado por Simon y Kirby.Ditko: “Me llamaron para entintar el primer número con Mort y él empezó a dibujar el segundo que se suponía que yo entintaría solo. Pero la serie no despegó.” 5 Robinson y Meskin compartían estudio con Simon y Kirby y a través de ellos consiguió otros encargos de Prize. En Black Magic nº 3 publicó un cómic con retoques de Kirby que tenía lugar “a 90 Km. de Madrid!” y en el nº 4 “Buried Alive!”, una historia expresionista, con gran-des efectos de iluminación, sombras que anula-ban algunas líneas de contorno y una animada estructura de viñetas.Realizó un western para el nº 1 de Blazing Western (Ene. 1954), un episodio un poco enre-vesado donde no faltaron las sorpresas narrati-vas y demostró su capacidad para crear perso-najes peculiares y diferenciados, como el villano protagonista.Ditko: “Más tarde, en 1953 me convertí en cola-borador habitual de Charlton Press, trabajando en su línea de cómics de fantasía, incluyendo Thing y This Mag Is Haunted.” 6

No era una editorial con buena reputación. Sus reducidas tarifas obligaban a los artistas a pro-ducir muchas planchas si querían obtener un sueldo digno. A cambio, no había ninguna inter-ferencia, la calidad no tenía importancia. Pero Ditko no pensaba así y facturó un estupendo conjunto de historias en su primera estancia en Charlton. Llegó a tiempo de participar en la última ola de humor negro, descuartizamien-tos y vampiras sexies, justo antes de que todos esos asuntos se considerasen perniciosos para la juventud. “Cinderella”, en The Thing! nº 12 (Feb. 1954), era tan histérica como brutal. El frenesí sangriento

story and he should do it clearly so a reader knows what is going on and in this Meskin ranks very high. No one who reads a Meskin-drawn story is ever in a fog as to what is happening.” 4

Ditko joined Meskin in the incursion into 3-D com-ics. Captain 3-D was drawn by Simon and Kirby.Ditko: “I was called in to ink the first issue with Mort and Mort started to pencil the second issue that I was supposed to ink myself, but the book never took off.” 5

Robinson and Meskin shared a studio with Simon and Kirby and, through them, Ditko was commis-sioned with other jobs for Prize. He did a comic story for issue #3 of Black Magic, retouched by Kirby, which took place “90 km from Madrid!” and another Expressionist one, “Buried Alive!”, was featured in issue #4 of the same magazine, with a dynamic panel structure, compelling light-ing effects, and shadows that blurred some of the outlines.He did a western for issue #1 of Blazing Western (Jan. 1954): a rather convoluted episode with no lack of narrative surprises where he demon-strated his capacity to create weirdly distinctive characters, like the villain.Ditko: “Later in 1953, I became a regular art-ist for CHARLTON PRESS, working in their line of fantasy books including THING and THIS MAG IS HAUNTED.” 6

It was not a publisher with a good reputation. Due to the low rates that Charlton paid, art-ists were forced to produce many pages if they wanted to earn a decent wage. In exchange, there was no interference and quality was unimport-ant. Ditko, however, did not think like that, and he drew a superb series of stories during his first stage at Charlton. He arrived just in time to col-laborate in its final stage of black humor, dis-membered bodies and sexy vampires, before all of them were deemed harmful to young people.“Cinderella,” in issue #12 of The Thing! (Feb. 1954), was hysterically bloodthirsty. The blood-curdling frenzy worsened in issue #13 with “Avery and the Goblins” (April 1954). There were much more than just macabre jokes during this

4  Ditko, Steve. “Why Steve Ditko Likes Mort Meskin” in From Shadow to Light. The Life and Art of Mort Meskin. Fantagraphics Books, 2010.

5  Brower, Steven. From Shadow to Light. The Life and Art of Mort Meskin. Fantagraphics Books, 2010.

6  The Reader #42. Derrill Rothermich, Oct. 1965.

The Thing! #14 Charlton, 1954. “Rumpelstiltskin.” Panel from page 4.

Black Magic Vol. IV #4 (28) Prize Group, 1954. “Buried Alive!” Page 6.

Black Magic Vol. IV #3 (27) Prize Group, 1953. “A Hole in His Head.” Page 5. Retouched by Jack Kirby. A strange story about paradoxes related to time, with a claustrophobic storytelling. Con retoques de Jack Kirby. Extraña historia de paradojas temporales y narrativa claustrofóbica.

Racket Squad in Action #12 Charlton, 1954. Cover. A bomb exploded, destroying two characters, seen frozen in mid-air. One was a young boy. Una bomba destrozaba a dos personajes que parecían detenidos en el aire. Uno de ellos era un niño.