The earliest published work by Ditko that i've been able to determine is actually a cover, oddly enough. Even back at his beginnings, they could see the value of his work. From October of 1952, the cover to Strange Fantasy #2 (not to be confused with the first issue, which was also labeled #2) -
Yes, he did interior work, too, and his art appeared regularly in the title over the next year.
At the end of that year, this odd little gem showed up. See if you can determine what made this Ditko tale from Black Magic #27 so strangely significant -
What made this tale stand out was the creature. This panel is the only one in which the creature is drawn by Steve Ditko:
The rest of them? Jack Kirby stepped in to redraw the creature in the other panels.
Man - teaming up with Jack Kirby in your first year working in comics? Not bad.
Lastly, for now - Ditko's first appearance in Space Adventures. He'd return to this book at the end of the decade to bring us Captain Atom before he launched into his own title. Back in 1954, it was science fiction, not superheroics, and emblazoned on the cover. And, again, that cover is by Ditko -
page art from Black Magic #27 (1953) and Space Adventures #10 (1954)
Although it's not really evident in these examples, there was a stage in Ditko's career where his art seemed heavily influenced by Joe Kubert. I may be mistaken, but I have a sense of once having read somewhere that he assisted Kubert at one time, which, if true, would perhaps explain the similarity.
ReplyDeleteI've also seen those Strange Fantasy books he started on listed as being done by the Iger Studios. Did he work with them, too? I should go back and read that article in Fantasy Advertiser. I seem to remember it did a nice job covering his early years, as much as was known about them, up until his withdrawal from public view. I've got a bunch of old issues of Ditkomania and things that might list more solid info, but i've been more focused on just enjoying his works.
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