Where Creatures Roam #2 [1970]

 The lead story on this issue is "I Spent Midnight With The Monster On Bald Mountain", a 5-page reprint from TALES TO ASTONISH #7 [1960], though originally titled "I Spent Midnight With The Thing On Bald Mountain". I guess by 1970 "The Thing" had a different connotation when printed on a Marvel comic (pre-hero reprints using "hulk" had similar changes).

In this story, an acclaimed sculptor retreats to a mountain-top castle to work on his greatest creation, a sculpture called "Good Versus Evil", two battling giants, one made from earth taken from sacred ground, the other from places of infamy, and built from the skeleton out. Somehow a lightning strike brings Evil to life, and on a rampage, but some unknown also brings Good to life, in time to rescue the sculptor and battle his rival, sending them both plunging off Bald Mountain to their doom.

I assume Ditko really liked these kinds of stories, given how often he returned to similar themes and visual motifs (allegorical sculptures and the like) in his later work that he wrote himself. I especially love the panel in this story of the artist first building the skeletons of the figures.

You know, I never considered it before, but given how often sculptors figure into Ditko's work, I wonder if he ever tried his hand at the form?

The cover is a Kirby piece for the story, inked by Ditko, also from TtA #7.

Monsters on the Prowl #9 [1971]

Ditko very rarely inked the work of other pencillers. The major exception to this is Jack Kirby (I know of under a half-dozen non-Kirby examples), whose work he inked on a few dozen stories and covers at Marvel between 1959 and 1963, including several monster stories and a few scattered super-hero stories. It's a pretty pleasing combination, not how I'd want to see all Kirby stuff inked, but usually enjoyable, and very well suited to Kirby's style at the time.

Two of the stories, both 7-pagers, are reprinted in this 1971 comic. "I Discovered Gorgilla", from TALES TO ASTONISH #12 (1960) is a classic of the giant monster genre, taking more than a few cues from KING KONG as a group of scientists travel to Borneo to find the remains of a "missing link" between man and ape, only to discover native traditions of a living intelligent ape-man in a fenced off area. They find Gorgilla, who rescues them from a dinosaur, and decide to leave him be in gratitude, rather than cart him off to New York (but there's still a sequel to come, although without Ditko).

"Kraggoom", from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #78 (1962) is more suited to Ditko's inks, being a moody science-fiction drama about a creature lurking in space, waiting for mankind to venture beyond the Earth so it can possess and control someone and conquer the world. Unfortunately for Kraggoom, the man chosen for the mission is an unqualified spoiled rich jerk, who bought and cheated his way to the mission. He panics just as Kraggoom possesses him, effectively forgetting everything and trapping Kraggoom. A close call for mankind. A lot to like in this one, Ditko's inks bring out the menace of the shapeless lurking creature nicely, as well as the arrogance of the astronaut.

Journey Into Mystery #59 [1960]

Before the super-heroes took over, Ditko spent years at Marvel doing fantasy stories, several hundred of them, most 5-pages long, such as "The Revenge Of The Wooden Woman".

It starts with a wonderful splash of a boat breaking against rocks while, in the background, the head of a woman with wood textures is seen. The only problem is that this page shows the abysmal state of comic colouring/printing at the time. Put any sort of light on this, and the piece is destroyed by ugly splotches of colour (which is why I like b&w reprints of Ditko's Charlton work of the era). The story is simple. An old man, owns a ship with a female figurehead named Valkyrie, which he talks to. One day, the ship is attacked by pirates, the crew is left in the lifeboat with hardly any supplies. The pirates can't control the ship, it crashes, leaving the pirates stranded. They even comment on the irony that the are "left with no hope, even as our victims were". Always good when pirates understand irony. Meanwhile, Valkyrie floats before another ship, and leads them to the lifeboat. We also find out the Valkyrie's features are fashioned after the captain's late wife. As the men are rescued, they see the wooden woman sink beneath the waves, now with a smile on her face.

The story is your basic, somewhat predictable, sailor's folktale. What makes it special is Ditko. From the nice splash, to the typical Ditko weathered old man. Many of the panels are all coloured in just plain shades of blue (to indicate fog), and make me wish the whole thing was like that, or better, in b&w. Ditko faces always show emotion, even when made of wood. Ditko figures are always in motion. And now I know he can do pretty good boats, too. Is there nothing this man could not do?

Ditko also inks the cover, over Jack Kirby pencils, a great giant monster attacking a village with fleeing people in the foreground.

"The Revenge Of The Wooden Woman" T-717