Monsters Attack #4 [1990]

MONSTERS ATTACK #4 [1990] features the 5-page Ditko written, drawn and lettered story "Illusion".

Some wild transformations in this story about Count Kcraz, a greedy man who uses powers of illusion to force people to sell him their land. The illusions are very well rendered, especially the fingers turning into snakes. Eventually Kcraz’s land-grab takes him to the home of the witch Zona, who scares off his underlings with ease. But Zona wisely realizes that she’ll need something more subtle to stop Kcraz, who won’t scare very easily.

An enjoyable little story with an unexpected ending and some very strong storytelling, always a pleasure to see Ditko’s renderings of magics and Eastern European locations.

This story is newly rendered in colour as the cover feature in the recent STEVE DITKO'S WEIRD COMICS #1.

New Ditko - STEVE DITKO'S WEIRD COMICS #1

Now available from Mort Todd's "Charlton Neo" imprint is STEVE DITKO'S WEIRD COMICS #1, a colour collection of the five short stories that Steve Ditko created for the Todd-edited MONSTERS ATTACK (see here for posts on some of those stories in their original black and white incarnation). A total of 27 pages of Ditko written and drawn stories (one inked by Mort Todd), reprinted and coloured with Ditko's permission. It's available as a print-on-demand comic from Amazon or a digital edition for the Kindle.

Note that if you prefer the stories in black and white the story "The Creator" is available in the recent TALES OF THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER #16 from Snyder/Ditko and Todd has announced plans for a more comprehensive collection of MONSTERS ATTACK stories (including work by John Severin, Gene Colan, Alex Toth, Pat Boyette and others) sometime in the future which will have the stories in their original form.

--Link-- Ditko MR. A. "#4" Kickstarter

Haven't been keeping up lately, so I almost missed plugging the latest Kickstarter from Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko, for a reprint of the 1975 MR. A. comic, featuring two 16-page Ditko stories, originally published by Bruce Hershenson. Just a day left to back it.

--Link-- Ditko #2oww3oww & Out Of This World Kickstarter

Now available for backing the next Snyder/Ditko Kickstarter, again for two books. The usual new issue is #2OWW3OWW, featuring Miss Eerie and The Cape, and there's also OUT OF THIS WORLD, a science fiction anthology with a mix of new and reprint material. The cover is the classic Ditko image first used in the 1965 fanzine ALL STARS #1 (as seen below), presumably in pure black and white. Don't know about the other material, but there's a lot of Ditko work that would fit the theme, like the QUESTAR stories.

Kickstarter open for pledges until April 2, 2015.

Upcoming Ditko - #23

Next up from Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko is #23 (or possibly #oww2oww3), featuring Miss Eerie, The Cape and others (including what seem to be Ditko Value Stamps on the cover). Presumably there'll be a Kickstarter page for it soon, I'll post the link when it starts or you can keep an eye on this page.

Other upcoming releases listed in the latest book are THE ALIEN, something about Blue Beetle in THE COMICS newsletter and the essay "Why I Quit" in the FOUR-PAGE SERIES. I'm not completely certain all of those are Ditko related, more info as I get it.

New Ditko - #22 and Traveler #16

 

Now available, Ditko's all new #22, featuring new stories about The Madman, The Outline and others, and TALES OF THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER #16, featuring a variety of reprints from the 1950s Charlton comics, MONSTERS ATTACK, WITZEND, MURDER and DITKO'S WORLD under an unused cover from the 1980s revival of the title.

Retailers that carry the books should have copies now or soon, or you can order direct from Robin Snyder, details here.

New Ditko - The Four-Page Series #7

The latest in Ditko's essay series, THE FOUR-PAGE SERIES #7, is now available.  Three new entries in the series:

“#43: The 1st New York City Comic Book Convention”
“#40: The Chosen Grey Mind”
“#41: A Cure Or The Actual Disease?”

We also get our first look at the cover of the upcoming TALES OF THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER #16, and this hint of things to come:

Ordering details for THE FOUR-PAGE SERIES #7 are as noted in the scan above, or as always you can check this page. Snyder informs me that several of the earlier FOUR-PAGE issues are currently out of print (3, 4, 5), as are several of their earlier books.

--Link-- Ditko Double-Take Kickstarter ending

Coming up on the end of the Ditko Double-Take Kickstarter for the next two Snyder/Ditko books, the all-new #22 of the on-going series and a 32-page "new and reprint" TALES OF THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER book.

Still no hint about exactly what that'll be, but I'll note that when Charlton briefly revived the title in the 1980s Ditko did do one new story in #15, an unused cover planned for a later issue that was shown in AMAZING HEROES and said to be slated for an issue of REVOLVER at Renegade, but not used there, although at least one other Traveler story did appear at Renegade.