Ditko, Steve - Amazing Spider-Man, issue 37, page 15 (Jun 1966)

Issue 37 of ASM told the story of “Once Upon a Time, There Was a Robot…!” The page features a civilian Norman Osborn being defended by Spidey from one of Professor Stromm’s robots. The life lesson – if you don’t want to be attacked by killer robots, don’t cheat Professor Stromm out of his inventions! Wondering how Spidey knew to come to the rescue? Note the Spidey Tracer on the robot's backside!

Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko (born 1927) is best known as the artist and co-creator, with Stan Lee, of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. After studying under Batman artist Jerry Robinson at the Cartoonist and Illustrators School in New York City, he began his professional career in 1953 as an inker in the studio of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. During this time, he also began his long association with Charlton Comics (beginning with the cover of The Thing #12 in February 1954), where he would co-create Captain Atom, with writer Joe Gill, in Space Adventures #33 (March 1960).

Ditko then drew for Atlas Comics, the 1950’s forerunner of Marvel Comics. He made significant contributions to Marvel, but none greater than co-creating Spider-Man, who would become the company's flagship character. Spider-Man would debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962), the final issue of the science-fiction/fantasy anthology series that had derived from Amazing Adventures (Ditko had contributed many stories to the Amazing Adventure series, which was re-launched as Amazing Adult Fantasy #7 in December 1961). When Amazing Fantasy #15 proved to be a top seller, Spider-Man was given his own series, The Amazing Spider-Man.

After Stan Lee obtained permission from publisher Martin Goodman to create a new "ordinary teen" superhero named "Spider-Man", Lee originally approached his leading artist, Jack Kirby. Kirby told Lee about his own 1950’s character conceptions, variously called the Silver Spider and Spiderman, in which an orphaned boy finds a magic ring that gives him superpowers. Lee directed Kirby to flesh out the character and draw some pages, but Lee was not pleased with the result, which he deemed ‘too heroic’. Lee turned to Ditko, who developed a visual look and feel to the character that Lee found satisfactory (although Lee would later replace Ditko's original cover with one penciled by Kirby). In an interview with Gary Martin published in Comic Fan #2 (Summer 1965), Ditko described his and Lee's contributions as follows - "Stan Lee thought the name up. I did costume, web gimmick on wrist & spider signal". In 1966, after being the exclusive artist on The Amazing Spider-Man for its first 38 issues, Ditko left Marvel for reasons never specified.

In addition to his work on Spider-Man, Ditko created the supernatural hero Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #110 (July 1963). Ditko and Lee shortly thereafter re-launched a Hulk series as a short feature in the anthology Tales to Astonish, beginning with issue #60 (October 1964). Ditko, inked by George Roussos, penciled the feature through #67 (May 1965) - with the exception of issue #65 (March 1965), which was inked by Dick Ayers and issue #66, which was inked by Vince Coletta. Ditko would also make important contributions to Iron Man.

Ditko then worked for Charlton and DC Comics, making major contributions, including a revamp of long-running character Blue Beetle, and creating the Question, the Creeper, Shade the Changing Man and Hawk & Dove. Ditko also began contributing to small independent publishers, where he created Mr. A, a hero reflecting the influence of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism.

Ditko was inducted into the comics industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990, and into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994.

Special thanks to Roger Clark. The enjoyment factor of the hobby is always heightened when dealing with friends.