I've done the cover for the new issue of DITKOMANIA, the zine devoted to the work of comics legend Steve Ditko.
DITKOMANIA was relaunched in 2008 by Rob Imes, after obtaining permission from original DITKOMANIA creator Bill Hall (who published the zine from 1983-1999). This issue's theme deals with Ditko's SPEEDBALL comic for Marvel, and the cover I drew features an assortment of Ditko's bouncing characters! (Clockwise from top: Speedball, The Screamer, Killjoy, Mr. Quiver and The Creeper).
Rob, as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, has continued to take DITKOMANIA to greater heights, and the new issue, #91, marks his first full-color cover. Ordering info for DITKOMANIA can be found on the DITKO FEVER website.
I've been contributing artwork and articles to DITKOMANIA for a couple of years now, and I'm very proud to have produced my first cover for the zine. Originally, I had asked another Ditko fan, Fester Faceplant, to color the cover, but there were some technical issues with his saved digital file so I recolored it using Fester's original as a guide. Fester, by the way, runs a prolific blog on Charlton Comics called THE CHARLTON COMICS READING LIBRARY, and is currently in the process of starting his own zine, The Charlton Arrow, due shortly.
Cartoonist Steve Ditko first started working in the industry in 1953. In 1962, he and writer/editor Stan Lee created Spider-Man for Marvel, followed by Dr. Strange. For DC Comics, Ditko created The Creeper and Hawk & Dove. Among his many other creations are The Question, Static and Mr. A. Even today, Ditko continues creating, including a series of 32 page comics released several times a year:
You can order Ditko's creator-owned work through his publisher Robin Snyder. Visit their page at THE DITKO COMICS WEBLOG for pricing and availability.
By the way, I'll soon have copies of DITKOMANIA #91 for purchase here on my site and at conventions, available signed and with an original character drawing of a Steve Ditko character by me.
The new issue of the DITKOMANIA zine is now available, and I've contributed some artwork.
DITKOMANIA is long-running fanzine devoted to the work of comic creator Steve Ditko. Issue #74 covers Ditko's 1970s work at DC Comics, such as his art duties on MAN-BAT #1 (which features the only instance ever of Ditko drawing Batman!), among several other features. My friend Michael Aushenker, himself a cartoonist of great skill, writes a regular column for the zine called DITKOTOMY. His entry for this issue comments on Ditko bringing his unique and peculiar take on characters and how they differed from the established DC characters. Michael asked me to contribute some artwork to accompany his column and suggested a juxtaposition of some sort between Ditko's heroes and the 'old guard'. This is what I came up with:
Batman and Shade the Changing Man © 2009 DC Comics
Shade the Changing Man (created by Ditko) vs. Batman! My take on Batman actually came out Ditkoesque, I'm pleased to say. A little dazzle with a Photoshop effect I think gives this piece just the right look of Ditko surrealism.
I also contributed two other pieces, one being the Creeper. The other piece, Hawk & Dove, couldn't be fit in for space, but will appear in a future issue. Thanks to editor/publisher Rob Imes for having me in the issue, and thanks to my pal Michael for asking me in the first place. I plan to contribute some art in the future, and have even pitched a story idea as well.
Ordering info for the DITKOMANIA zine is right here. It's a great publication dedicated to a particularly unique comic creator. Rob has a done a tremendous job of putting out a quality publication, even though DITKOMANIA is a true fanzine in every sense of the word. It just happens to have great production value for it's reasonable price, and there is always interesting content provided by various writers and artists. I'm glad that Rob includes a letters page, because there are always very strong opinions from the readers regarding the content. That's what fandom should be. Not just a place where fans come together in appreciation for a particular subject or creator, but dissenting voices of opinion.
Here's a color version of my Creeper artwork, reprinted in b&w for the zine.
The Creeper © 2009 DC Comics
If you're interested in the work of Steve Ditko, check out an issue of this well-crafted zine. You can't beat the price, that's for sure! Tell Rob that Javier sent ya'!
