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July 10th, 2018 
TWO Classic Steve Ditko Stories in an ANCIENT HISTORY “Double Feature”
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| It’s time, True Believers, for another installment of ANCIENT HISTORY with Paint Monk’s Library blogger John Jack |
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Paint Monk’s Library welcomes a feature from blogger John Jack that has appeared in the past on various blogs. If you want to have a classic comic book reviewed, let him know in the comments section below! This is the 15th installment of Ancient History.)
Welcome to Ancient History #15! This is the regular blog event where I take some time to tell all you True Believers out there about some books that are near and dear to my heart! Make sure you stick around until the end, as this article is a bonus “double feature” to honor the man behind it all – Steve Ditko.
Today’s selections are Amazing Spider-Man #32 and the Doctor Strange “B” story from Strange Tales #146, “Man on a Rampage” and “The End – At Last!” The latter features the cataclysmic clash between the dreaded Dormammu and the endless Eternity!
It is with a heavy heart that I write about the loss of a legend in the comic industry, Friday July 6th it was announced that Steve Ditko had passed of a heart attack at the age of 90. Ditko played a large part in my formative years when I read his Spider-man run via the Marvel Essential series, volume 2 (issues 21-43 with annuals 2 and 3) is a personal favorite, and is largely responsible for my love of comic books, Spider-man and cemented my tastes in silver age comics early on.
In 1962, Stan Lee went to Jack Kirby to ask him to create a new character. Unsatisfied with the late comic giant’s work, he took the problem to Steve Ditko. Ditko created the character we know and love and had a spectacular run on the Amazing Spider-Man, often doing more than just art. With issue #28, Steve convinced Stan to turn over the writing credit as well, and is slyly credited as writer for his last ten issues of the comic!
This issue of Spider-Man takes place in an interesting era. Peter has recently graduated from Midtown High and is now off to college, where we are introduced to classmates Harry Osborne and Gwen Stacey as well as old standbys, like soon-to-be war hero Flash Thompson. Betty Brant and Peter are beginning to drift apart, with Peter pushing her away due to her hatred of Spider-Man. To top off all the woes of a 19-year-old superhero could possibly comprehend, Aunt May’s health is failing and she has been hospitalized, as tests are being run to determine what is wrong.
Synopsis: Amazing Spider-Man #32
The story begins with the infamous Dr. Otto Octavius talking to himself as he works. His goals are soon madly apparent – he is trying to harness radioactivity to become even more powerful under the guise of the Master Planner. He orders his men to search for any and all atomic material they can find.
Elsewhere, we run into Peter Parker running into Betty Brant (see what I did ther?) Peter gives her the cold shoulder until he sees Ned Leeds. Peter decides to act the heel in true 1960s romance fashion in order to push her away, even going so far as to shove Leeds. Luckily, this is NOT a romance magazine, and Peter moves on to a talk with the famed flat top himself, J. Jonah Jameson! In hard-nosed publisher fashion, Jonah says Pete’s pictures are unusable and turns him away, no money for Aunt May’s hospital bills from him!
Peter arrives at the hospital and is taken aside by Dr. Bromwell, who delivers some shocking news. Aunt May has been poisoned by an atomic particle that was introduced into her system. Peter is blown way – to paraphrase Spaceballs, unbenownst to Dr. Bromwell but knownst to Peter, Aunt May is dying because of Peter’s radioactive blood. It’s the same blood she received in a transfusion. Peter makes it home and is understandably upset.
Pete suddently realizes he knows someone who can help – Dr. Curt Connors (aka the Lizard to my fellow Spidey-philes). Spidey tracks down Connors, snagging a sample of Aunt May’s blood on the way. Connors takes a look and assures Peter he can help. All he needs is a sample of a rare isotope called ISO-36. Spidey tells him to order it, he needs to find some money. Peter runs home and grabs everything he owns, running to the pawn shop he sells everything he can, desperate to save Aunt May.
As the pair await the crucial ingredient in their serum, Spidey and Connors chat. Curt mentions how handy Spider-Man is with lab equipment, asking if he’s a scientist in his down time. Suddenly, Connors phone rings – the ISO-36 has been stolen by the Master Planner’s men! It’s up to SPidey to get it back, and he’s gonna tear the city apart!
You’ll have to discover the rest of this issue for yourself – the ending is ICONIC!
CAPSULE REVIEW: This issue, written and pencilled by Steve Ditko, is one of the can’t miss Spider-Man issues of the era, smack dab in the middle of the Master Planner arc, one of Ditko’s best stories ever. The devotion Peter shows to Aunt May is inspiring. The way he sells everything he has without a second thought to help her is almost enough to make you cry.
The incredible montage sequence of Spider-Man streaking across the city looking for Master Planner is great; there are a couple of fantastic fight scenes later in the issue.
The end of this tale, as I said, is positively iconic. The next issue seriously makes me tear up every time. I can’t believe how much I enjoy this decades after the first time I read it. Fantastic!
I adore this issue and have since childhood. Admittedly, I am biased but it gets a 10 out of 10 from me. Single copies go for $40-80 depending on condition, with one CGC-graded 8.0 copy selling for $200. The issue is available in The Essential Spider-Man Vol. 2 and countless trades (including at least one omnibus I can’t find right now. I assume every eBay seller just ran out to mark up every Ditko book in their collection.)
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| THE CREATIVE TEAM FOR AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #32. |
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Not unlike Spider-Man, Steve Ditko forged new ground with the creation of Doctor Stephen Strange, an egotistical neurosurgeon who is injured in a car wreck and becomes unable to work. In Strange’s efforts to find a cure, he instead discovers magic and himself.
Doctor Strange is an interesting character for Ditko to have created, the introverted and “square” Ditko was as far divested from the liberated and psychedelic man fans of the book envisioned as possible. Despite the character being referenced by bands like Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd, Ditko didn’t put any stock in their way of life, instead opting to seek out another revolutionary, Ayn Rand.
This issue, Savage Tales #146, finds the illustrious doc confronting the demonic Dormammu in his own realm after several issues of build-up. This is arguably the most famous Marvel issue of Strange Tales, in which Dormammu fights Eternity. It seemed like the best example to me of Ditko’s Marvel work.
Synopsis: Strange Tales #146 (Dr. Strange Story)
Dormammu is fuming in his timeless realm; he has been forbidden from attacking Strange on Earth, but if there’s one thing pandimensional beings hate, it’s the embarrassment of failure and defeat! Dormammu resolves to trick Strange into coming to the dimension of Eternity, where he can be freely destroyed.
Dormammu reaches out, bypassing the demigod Eternity in the process, reaching out to Strange in his own dimension, pleading for help in a voice Strange knows. The sorcerer is forced to comply! The second Strange is through the portal, he’s instantly assaulted by Dormammu.
The demon reveals he has trapped the living galaxy Eternity so that he may not help Strange (not that Eternity can help anyway) but the effort to contain him infuriates Eternity, and he chastises Dormammu for overstepping his bounds. Enraged Dormammu isn’t mindful of who he’s speaking to and opts to attack the immortal!
Discover this epic battle and the end of the issue for yourself!
CAPSULE REVIEW: It’s not hard to see how “hippies” in the 1960s might see the psychedelic visuals portrayed in issues like this one and assume they were drawn by a fellow “free thinker.” I will say that the pacing in this story is a bif off, with the jump between Dormammu binding Eternity and them fighting being somewhat rushed. It’s a 12-page story, so perhaps the tale needed to be condensed.
The art ini this issue is the obvious draw, with it arguably being one of Ditko’s best of the decade. The strange take on alternate dimensions, usually relegated to the less rigid Jack Kirby, are amazing and unbelieveable. What an issue!
Despite the narrative jump I mentioned earlier, this is a pretty solid issue. On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate it an 8.
This issue was widely available online with prices ranging from $15-80 dollars depending on condition. One issue graded at CGC 7.5 was available for $120.
Join me next week for another edition of ANCIENT HISTORY – I plan to take a look at some of Ditko’s Charlton work.
– John Jack
