"Self Portrait" is reprinted from Ghost Manor #20 [1974], a 6-page story written by Joe Gill, hosted by Mr. Bones. Gargoyles and sculptors feature in quite a few stories Ditko drew, and both of them are in here, as we get the tale of an artist in Renaissance era France, reknowned for his hideous creatures. Pushed to ever more horrible creations by a nobleman, he reveals the source for his work is an actual pit into Hell.
I love the ominous shading that Ditko used when drawing these kinds of creatures.
"Self Portrait" D-6043
It's interesting to compare Ditko's work from this period to just 2 or 3 years earlier (such as the Ghostly Tales page you have up). His art is less detailed and pencil line not as fine, as can be seen in the characters, but he could still deliver,as seen in the last two panels.
ReplyDeleteNick Caputo