Comic, Film Industry Mourn Steve Ditko

Legendary comic book creator Steve Ditko has passed away at age 90, and condolences are coming from his many heirs in the superhero industry.

Born November 2, 1927, Steve Ditko later went on to create or adapt many characters during his comic book career. He also had a style that was very different than other artists of the time, which was cartoony and detailed.

He is perhaps most famous for his work at Marvel Comics, where he co-created Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, but his brief time at DC Comics (as well as the now-defunct Charlton, whose properties were later bought by DC) also gave birth to the Creeper, Hawk and Dove, Blue Beetle and the Question.

With such a big impact on the industry, it not surprising that both of the Big Two commented on his passing. “It’s impossible to put into words the impact that Steve Ditko had not just on comics, but on modern pop culture. […] Ditko didn’t just create characters – he built worlds,” said C.B. Cebulsky, Marvel Comics’ editor-in-chief.

Executive Editor Nick Lowe, who is in charge of the company’s Spider-Man books, added that Ditko helped create “the best character in all of fiction.”

Also speaking up on behalf of the webslinger was Tom Holland, who portrays him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “He made so many people happy and changed so many lives—most of all mine!” he tweeted. James Gunn and Scott Derrickson, who respectively directed Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange, likewise shared their condolences on social media.

DC Entertainment Publisher Dan DiDio, concurred with the assessment of his Marvel counterparts. “Aside from his deceptively simple art style—which was uniquely Ditko’s—he was a master at plotting and filling his stories with energy,” he said.

For his part, Ditko was a bit of a reclusive artists, especially in his later years; indeed, we do not even know the date of his death, as he lived alone (having never married) and was found a few days after dying.

It is known that he kept working on independent comics in his later years, and seemed unhappy with the prospect of being remembered for his earlier work. As these condolences show, that fear seems to have come true, though hopefully he would take some comfort realizing just how much that material meant to so many of his fans.