{"product_id":"creepy-presents-steve-ditko-3","title":"CREEPY PRESENTS Steve Ditko","description":"\u003cp\u003eHyperbole aside, this is some of Ditko's most innovative and exciting work. Making a lasting mark on comics as the co-creator of \u003cem\u003eSpider-Man\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSteve Ditko\u003c\/strong\u003e veered away from the mainstream and into darker territories at the end of the sixties, especially with his work in \u003cem\u003eCreepy\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eEerie!\u003c\/em\u003e Warring wizards, paranoid goons, persistent heroes, and otherworldly domains dominate the diverse tales in this handsome hardcover collection—with fifteen of the sixteen stories written by fellow comics icon \u003cstrong\u003eArchie Goodwin\u003c\/strong\u003e.\n\nNo longer subject to the awful printing and coloring in the Charlton comics, here he was working in black and white for far better reproduction—and in total control of every brush stroke. It is obvious that he was really having some fun and doing a level of work that made him one of the best contributors to these hallowed Warren magazines, even considering the high level of his fellow artists, including EC alumni.\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eMark Evanier's\u003c\/strong\u003e introduction provides an excellent look into Ditko's last days at Marvel, his differences with Stan Lee, and how he walked away from the wildly popular \u003cem\u003eSpider-Man \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eDoctor Strange\u003c\/em\u003e in February 1966. He would not work again at Marvel until 1979, and never did these two strips again. But in the interim, he worked at nearly every other comics company: Charlton, Tower (\u003cem\u003eThunder Agents\u003c\/em\u003e), DC, and ACG.\n\nBut most of his post-Marvel work was at Warren, and it is among his finest. Here he could experiment with wash, for instance, adding a depth to the stories few other artists could match. And like the days of EC comics, Warren's stable included an all-star roster of creators, who all suddenly were freed of the restrictions of badly printed color comic books, not to mention the comics code regulations. The first issue that Ditko's work appeared in, \u003cem\u003eEerie #3, \u003c\/em\u003ealso featured work by Jack Davis, Angelo Torres, Al Williamson, Johnny Craig, Alex Toth, Gene Colan and... Frank Frazetta.\n\nThese guys inspired one another, and it shows even in Ditko's work here. It is some of his finest ever. It didn't hurt that the stories were written by the great Archie Goodwin, who was THE best writer at Warren and among the best in the comics field, period.\n\nIncludes the stories \u003cem\u003eBeast Man!, Where Sorcery Lives!, Thane: City of Doom!, Demon Sword, Warrior of Death\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Sands of Change—\u003c\/em\u003eall but one story written by Archie Goodwin. Introduction by \u003cstrong\u003eMark Evanier\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"vendor-unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59644003746078,"sku":"CRESD","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0999\/0684\/7006\/files\/cresd-creepy-presents-steve-ditko.jpg?v=1784524479","url":"https:\/\/shop.budsartbooks.com\/products\/creepy-presents-steve-ditko-3","provider":"Bud's Art Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}