Legendary comic artist Steve Ditko has passed away at the age of 90. The New York Police Department confirmed that the late comic creator was found dead in his apartment on June 29, but more than likely died about two days prior. No cause of death has been provided at this time. He has no known survivors and has never been married.
Ditko is most known for co-creating Spider-Man with Stan Lee in 1962, who debuted in “Amazing Fantasy” #15. Ditko is responsible for most of the iconography of the character, including the red and blue design of the costume, along with the web shooters. His other most famous addition to the Marvel canon is Doctor Strange, who he also co-created with Lee in 1963 for “Strange Tales” #110. Some of his other creations and co-creations include Squirrel Girl, Mr. A, Captain Atom, Hawk and Dove, and the Creeper. Mr. A, in particular, was a creator-owned character was intended as a representation of Ditko’s Objectivist beliefs, and his subsequent creation the Question was designed as a Comics Code-friendly version of the character.
Ditko was semi-reclusive. He rarely gave interviews or spoke in public after his early years in comics. Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson referred to him as the (infamously reclusive author) J.D. Salinger of comics during press tours for the film. Ditko kept creating until his death, collaborating with former Charlton editor Robin Snyder on various Kickstarter projects. He maintained a studio in Manhattan for his work.
Steve Ditko was born in 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He gained an interest in comics from his father, who loved “Prince Valiant.” As a teenager, Ditko found inspiration from “Batman” and “The Spirit.” He served in the army in post-war Germany where he drew for a military paper. After being discharged, he moved to New York in 1950 and studied under Jerry Robinson (“Batman”). Ditko started getting professional comics work in 1953. Before retiring from mainstream comics in 1998, he worked for Marvel, DC, Charlton, and many other smaller publishers.
Marvel and DC have both released statements on Ditko’s passing.
