February 28, 2014

--Link-- Ditko #9 TEEN Kickstarter

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Robin Snyder has a currently running Kickstarter for the next new Steve Ditko comic, #9 TEEN, which as you'd expect is the nineteenth release in the series of 32-page comics they've released since 2008. Covers and titles of the previous issues of the series and other Snyder/Ditko publications over here.

This new one looks to feature The Madman, who has previously appeared in 8-page stories in:

DITKO PRESENTS [2009]
A DITKO ACT TWO [2010]
DITKO NO. 5 - FIVE ACT [2010]
ACT 8, MAKING LUCKY 13, THIRTEEN DITKO'S 32S [2011]
NO. 16 - SIXTEEN [2012]

Plus a few other recurring features from the last few years.

February 23, 2014

Upcoming Ditko - Wood's WITZEND reprint

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As previously mentioned, the Wallace Wood Estate has made arrangements with Fantagraphics to reprint the complete run of Wood's WITZEND, which included substantial contributions from Steve Ditko, including the first two Mr. A stories (not reprinted since 1985), the original version of "Avenging World" and some humourous single page comics, 37 pages in all.

It's scheduled for May of this year, the list price would seem to range from  $95 to $125 depending on the source.  The ISBN is 978-1606997444, you can order it from Amazon and for comic shops the order code from Diamond will be MAR141164.


WITZEND HC BOX SET WALLY WOOD
(W) Wallace Wood & Various (A) Steve Ditko
WHERE THE MAINSTREAM MET THE UNDERGROUND
When the formulaic constraints, censorious nature, and onerous lack of creator's rights in mainstream comics got to be too much for the brilliant cartoonist Wallace Wood in 1966, he struck out on his own with the self-published witzend. It became a haven for Wood and his fellow professional cartoonist friends where they could produce the kind of personal work that they wanted to do, without regard to commercial demands - and with friends like Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Reed Crandall, Ralph Reese, Archie Goodwin, Angelo Torres, Steve Ditko, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Art Spiegelman, Don Martin, Vaughn Bodé, Jim Steranko, Jeff Jones, Howard Chaykin, Trina Robbins, Bernie Wrightson, and literally dozens more, it was bound to be a great ride! Now, Fantagraphics presents the complete run of witzend in this beautiful slipcased two-volume set with a special introduction by Bill Pearson and a history by Patrick Rosenkrantz.

February 12, 2014

New Ditko - DITKOMANIA #92

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Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Unless I've missed something, there hasn't been any new Ditko published work since the last update.  There have been the usual steady stream of reprints from other publishers, I've updated those I know about over here.

But just received in the mail, the latest issue of DITKOMANIA from Rob Imes. Among the usual mix of fan art and articles, Mort Todd writes about some of his work with Ditko, in particular Skyman for ACE Comics. Which I didn't realize had just been reprinted in a print-on-demand edition featuring Ditko's pencils, see details over here. There are also lengthy discussions about LASZLO'S HAMMER by Rodney Schroeter and Dave Sim and more.

Order info over here, as well as pdf copies of a few DITKOMANIA back issues.

December 31, 2013

Ditko in 2013 wrapup

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Snyder/Ditko publications

The Four-Page Series #2-#4
Ate Tea N 18
Ditko Public Service Package, 2nd Edition
Laszlo's Hammer new edition

Fanzines

Ditkomania #90-#91 

ACE Comics

Skyman Pencil Portfolio 

Archie

New Crusaders - Legacy 

Dark Horse

Creepy Presents Steve Ditko HC 

IDW

Thunder Agents Classics Vol. 2 

Valiant

Valiant Masters - Shadowman v1 

Plus various reprints from Marvel and various collections of public domain material.

September 16, 2013

New Ditko - LASZLO'S HAMMER

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The new edition of Ditko's LASZLO'S HAMMER is now available, Kickstarter backers should be getting it from Robin Snyder directly soon.  For those who didn't back the funding campaign, ordering information is at the usual spot, and sellers who order from Snyder should have copies soon if they don't already. Like right here. Retailers interested should contact Snyder for bulk rates on the entire library of Ditko/Snyder co-publications.

The title feature of course is the 27-page comic format essay from 1992 (as revised in 2002, to correct the spelling of "Laszlo" from "Lazlo") on the opposing topics of creation and destruction, starting with the example of Laszlo Toth's 1972 damage to Michelangelo's The Pieta using the same type of tool Michelangelo used to create the sculpture. Ditko explores the issue in a variety of ways, from the allegorical to the abstract to the concrete (including some amusing scenes on the creation and "editing" of comic books). It's one of the crucial texts in Ditko's independent work.

Also included are the single page "It's Either... Or" (first seen in the fanzine GUTS #5 [1969], and I believe the earliest example of one of Ditko's signature constructs, reducing characters down basic forms to make a universal point) and the 4-page "In Principle : The Unchecked Premise" (first printed in STEVE DITKO'S STATIC [1988], and one of his most fully realized allegorical pieces). Robin Snyder provides some introductory notes and a list of Kickstarter backers.

September 6, 2013

New Ditko - FOUR-PAGE SERIES #4

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Now available from Robin Snyder, Ditko's THE FOUR-PAGE SERIES #4, with five new essays:

“#19: Action/Reaction And The Self-Claimed, Self-Creators”
“#14: Labels And Labelers”
“#21: How Dare He!”
“#29: Too Late”
“#27: The Movers And The Freezers”

In addition, THE FOUR-PAGE SERIES #1, previously available as a section in an issue of THE COMICS newsletter, is now available as a standalone reprint.



August 24, 2013

Upcoming Ditko - THE FOUR-PAGE SERIES #4

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Robin Snyder advises that THE FOUR-PAGE SERIES #4 is on the way, and there's a new printing of #1 now available for those who missed it. Ordering info here.

Here's a preview of one of the essays in #4:

#14: LABELS AND LABELERS
© 2013 S. Ditko

As usual with fan comments—labels, smears—about me, they have more “emotional” truth than any factual substance.

These fan labelers, abusers, insulters, have no real interest in, concern with, facts, truth, 1st hand experience, knowledge.

Their “truth” is subjective, emotional or intrinsic, some “authority” is believed, parroted.

Did I “retire” or is it that comic book editors didn’t want my work anymore?

Is that relevant to anything?

Can these so-concerned fans explain why, outside of my Marvel work on S-M and DS, all other comic book titles, characters, I worked on at Marvel and DC soon failed.

Where was my claimed, believed, huge fan support or were my “fans” some overblown hype?

Isn’t it that ALL—or most—fans are emotionally selective fans?

Fans, like all of us, are turned on or off by specific subject material.

Any artist has X number of fans (sales) for his mystery, his fantasy, his war, science fiction, specific super hero...

August 18, 2013

Upcoming Ditko - WITZEND reprint

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According to the Wallace Wood Estate there will be a complete reprint of the magazine WITZEND in 2014. The magazine was founded and edited by Wallace Wood in 1966, later continued by Bill Pearson until #13 published in 1985. Steve Ditko appears in 8 issues with a total of 37 pages.

#1 - spot illustration of smoking invisible man with an iron mask
#2 - comedic 1-page story "Midnight Special"
#3 - first Mr. A story - "Angel"
#4 - second Mr. A story - "Money"
#6  - "The Avenging World - Part 1"
#7 - "The Avenging World - Part 2" (AW added to extensively for 1973 collection and subsequent reprints, but WITZEND version has a few pages not seen again until the 2002 AVENGING WORLD book)
#8 - comedic 1-page story "The Break-Out"
#12 - comedic 1-page story "The Booby Trap"

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