Fantagraphics Books will release a hard cover retrospective June 2008, of iconic artist/writer Steve Ditko, co-creator and first artist of Marvel Comics' "Amazing Spider-Man" and "Doctor Strange", timed to coincide with Ditko's 80th birthday.
"Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko", by Blake Bell, is a 220-page hardcover, showcasing rare, unpublished Ditko artwork.The book covers the artist's humble beginnings in Johnstown Pennsylvania, to the dizzying heights of co-creating "Spider-Man", to the determination in bringing his personal, philosophical vision to a recalcitrant audience.
"There's a fantastic, dramatic storyline running through Ditko's career, " said Bell.
"The artist walked away from the 'Spider-Man' franchise and the billions it was to generate as it was reaching the height of its popularity."
