Number 2477: Ditko times 4

In the late '50s and early '60s my friend Ron and I read (and often scoffed at) what we called the monster books from the pre-Marvel monster comics of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck. We thought the big monsters of Jack Kirby were funny. We were kids. I am way past my snarky teen years, and I still think they are fun to read, and the monsters still make me laugh.

Steve Ditko usually contributed at least one 5- page story per issue, which as far as stories go, were fairly lightweight, but wow, that artwork of his. Kirby and Ditko were artists with distinctive, yet different styles. I still admire the artwork of both of those now-deceased gentlemen, and I can't admire one over the other.

The stories are shown in order by issue numbers. They appeared in Tales of Suspense #6, (1959), #13, #15, #18, (1961).

 

Number 903


"I've just seen another Face..."


Friday's Face posting segues into today's story, "The Face," drawn by Steve Ditko, which appeared in Tales Of Suspense #26, in 1961. I downloaded the scans of the original art some years ago from Heritage Auctions, then encountered the story recently when I found it reprinted in Fear #8 from 1972.

I'm posting both so you can look at a really well-designed story without color, then with. The art is not packed with details. Ditko's minimalist design choices might have had more to do with how much work was on his schedule, but I find it exceptionally attractive. I also think the full-page splash is a classic.