Hm, that looks familiar...

Coming soon

New Ditko - Mr. A, 2nd Edition

Now in hand is the new printing of MR. A, a reprint of the 1973 issue. Looks even better than I expected, at a larger size (8.25x10.5) and with whiter paper than the other recent Ditko/Snyder publications.

Available from Robin Snyder, details here. For as long as I have copies you can order them from me (click the link in the sidebar), or I'll have a few copies on Ebay, as will others I'm sure. Your local comic retailer might also have them (retailers interested should contact Robin Snyder, you may be eligible for higher discounts than Diamond offers for similar independent publications with low minimum orders and better service).

A

Unusual Tales - The Man Who Could Never Be Killed

"Unusual Tales", a series presenting Steve Ditko's comics from 1957 to 1959 that are in the public domain.  Earlier stories in "It Stalks the Public Domain".

STRANGE SUSPENSE STORIES #31 [1957] is the source for the 6-page "The Man Who Could Never Be Killed". A cute little story about a reporter trying to figure out the secret behind a circus performer with the unwieldy name "Invulnerno" who walks through fire and is befriended by wild animals.  The working theory is that he's from outer space. I was guessing something different, and the ending is even stranger than my theory. Let's just say they seemed to be working hard to welcome their Comics Code overlords.

The circus animals in a few panels are nice, as usual, and Invulnerno's face is a nice Ditko type.

Some links to check out:
Buy Ditko's creator-owned work
MR. A due any day 
Find out about the fanzine DITKOMANIA
Bi-monthly Ditko in your mailbox
Check out new and upcoming Ditko publications
Seriously, WHAT IF CLASSIC?? Volume 6???
Download public domain comics, likely including the one this story is from
(scans in this series generally adapted to my weird personal tastes from those copies)

Click images to big-up.

 

There is white and there is black...

While a lot of Steve Ditko's most well known work has been in colour comics, he's been working in black and white for a long time, and has quite a body of work designed and published for that kind of printing. And of course, the major theme of some of his work involves the whole black and white thing.

The slideshow below presents various images, 82 of them (for obvious reasons), most of them drawn specifically for black and white reproduction, a few of them published as such more as an accident of history. Quite a variety with humour, drama, science fiction and fantasy, with a variety of artistic techniques spread out over more than 50 years (but presented in random order, because that's the kind of guy I am).

If it doesn't show up in your browser, try this link.  If you're curious about any of them, feel free to ask. While some of them are long out of print and hard to find, many are readily available (or will be soon). And you should still be able to check out this selection of splash pages from a year ago today. And just for something different, a YouTube version (annotations still in progress).

Scary Tales #7 [1976]

"Halloween Scene" is a 7-page Ditko story in this issue. There's an opening scene of a woman waking up in a locked department story on Halloween night, leading to a second page splash where she runs into a demonic beast, which then proceeds to chase her through the store.  Her attempts to get help don't work, as the people on the street just assume she's part of the store's Halloween display.  Then there's a weird twist at the end.

A really good short horror tale, with the leaping demon being a really good Ditko design, especially with a good three-panel zoom into its face in the climactic scene, and the chase through the store using the setting well.

By the way, that mannequin head on the bottom of the splash, displaying the host of the title Countess Von Bludd (I think, maybe "Baroness"?), doesn't really look like Ditko, does it? I'm thinking either drawn by Joe Staton or based on a drawing by him.

This issue also has a 2-page text story, "Moon Murderer", which re-uses some Ditko artwork for "The Last Bite" from GHOSTLY TALES #121 [1976] to make three illustrations for the story.

Trick or Treat

boo

Unusual Tales - Gavin's Stupid Mule

"Unusual Tales" is a series presenting Steve Ditko's comics from 1957 to 1959 that are in the public domain, starting with those never reprinted.

One of Ditko's few war stories for Charlton was the 5-page "Gavin's Stupid Mule" from FIGHTIN' ARMY #20 [1957].  Set in the Civil War, it features a young soldier named Gavin (or Garvin...) who gets assigned a mule he names Clarence, which unfortunately is also the name of his Captain.  The mule proves to be quite a bit more intelligent than it appears, or is just plain lucky.

It's an attractive story, Ditko does a good job with the characters (including the mule) and the uniforms. Unfortunately there are a few weaknesses in the storytelling, as there are a few instances where the captions describe what's going on that I think the art could have done a better job of showing.  It might have just been a lack of pages, as a few extra panels scattered throughout could have improved it immensely. Still, always good to see a Ditko entry in a more scarce genre (I should count up sometime if he did fewer pages in romance, western or war comics).

Some links to check out:
Buy Ditko's creator-owned work
Over 1000 pages available, more on the way
Find out about the fanzine DITKOMANIA
A bi-monthly dose of Ditko talk in your mailbox
Check out new and upcoming Ditko publications
Creeper hardcover to include "unpublished" story
Download public domain comics, likely including the one this story is from
See the other stories and the original ads with most scans

Click images to big-up.