My Ditko letter story!

Towards the end of 2016 I decided to write to Steve Ditko, thanking him for all the years of pleasure his work had given me. I no longer have a copy of the letter I sent him, though I have somehow managed to retain my first draft which read:

"Dear Steve

First off, apologies for the imposition of this letter. I’m sure that you regularly receive ‘fan mail’ and could no doubt do without it. Basically, I just wanted to write and thank you for all the many years of pleasure your work has given me.

I’m 59 years of age and first encountered your comic-strips in the early 1960s (American comicbooks featured heavily in the newsagents of my home town of Liverpool, here in the UK).

The Amazing Spider-man, as co-created, plotted and illustrated by you, was always a big favourite with me. I know you moved on and prefer not to dwell on past glories, remaining focused on current work, but it would be difficult for me not to mention my heavy appreciation of strips that meant a lot to me throughout my life (so I hope you’ll understand).

More than any other Marvel Comics series, Spider-man fired on all cylinders, with a perfect balance of the hero’s personal life juxtaposed against the heroic exploits of his alter-ego. I can think of no other Marvel book where the private lives of the human identities became equally as entertaining (frequently more so) than the adventures of the superhero side. The array of characters, and their interaction with one another, made for riveting reading/beautiful storytelling.

The illustrations were first class, combining a terrific blend of cartooning and illustration. Characters, including incidental members of the public within the strip, were fully fleshed-out with each having a unique look and identity. The city backdrop (New York) was also an integral part of the strip, atmospheric and full of character.

I remember being deeply saddened when you departed the strip and the magic (for me) was gone. John Romita was a very capable artist, as your replacement, but was an illustrator, not a creator (making a big difference). The conclusion of the Green Goblin saga provided Stan Lee with the sensational climax he wanted, but was written in such a way that made it near-impossible to bring back the villain for later issues with any credibility. Lee and Romita seemed to deconstruct all the elements that made the strip work so well under your tenure and it was never the same again for me.

Your other long-running Marvel creation, Dr Strange, was another high-point from the 1960s, totally unlike anything else the company was publishing at the time. Totally unique.

Aside from Marvel, I also followed Captain Atom at Charlton (and any other ‘Steve Ditko’ works I could locate at local newsagents). Blue Beetle was another big favourite with me, as was the Question. The Creeper, for DC, started off brilliantly for its initial short-run, but suffered from the lack of pure Ditko art for its later issues. Shade, the Changing Man, was another exciting and refreshing concept (beautifully illustrated) within an array of monthly titles dominated by super-hero types.

I could go on, citing other exciting strips within the Steve Ditko canon, but the above are highlights that I feel compelled to enthuse about.

Thank you, again, for all those long years of wonderful creativity. My life has been enriched by exposure to your work.

Best regards

Terry Doyle"


Several weeks after posting my letter off to America I received an air-mailed response that, to my amazement and delight, had been sent to me from Mr Ditko.


I carefully opened the envelope and was taken aback to discover it contained NO LETTER.


After a few seconds I began to chuckle to myself. Steve was acknowledging my letter but seeing that I hadn't asked any questions of him decided no reply was needed . . . and I totally got that!