I appreciated so much the wise words of Steve Ditko
regarding the five pages Jack Kirby drew of a rejected Spider-Man tale. The only
witnesses to these pages seem to be Mr. Ditko, Joe Simon and Stan Lee. I have not commented on this, nor have my
informed friends because we have never seen these pages. Never having seen these pages has apparently
not stopped many Kirby advocates who seem to know all about these pages.
Perhaps that springs from a Jack Kirby interview with Howard Zimmerman in 1981
when he said, “I did a mess of things.
The only book I didn’t work on was Spider-Man,
which Steve Ditko did. But Spider-Man
was my creation.”
These
advocates seem to feel that coming up with a title to a character, and a
rejected sketch of him, is a complete creation.
Let’s look that that. Since the
beginning of the 20th century, the term, “spider-man” was slang for a cat burglar who climbed up walls and
into the windows of homes. As far back as 1934, Ed Wheelen’s comic strip
entitled “Minute Movies” had a “spider-man.”
character.” Captain Marvel fought one in “Whiz Comics” #87 (1947); “Startling
Comics” had one in 1945; and “Beyond Comics” in 1954. There were many more, in
fact, Marvel had a few of them in the 1950s, “Uncanny Tales” #26 and “Journey into
Mystery” #64. “Anansi, The Spider-Man” was a popular Caribbean
Folk Tale of the 1950s.
Stephen King once said, “Your
job isn’t to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.” I
believe Stan Lee when he said he got an idea one morning to do a super-hero named
“Spider-Man,” I just don’t think the
name came completely out of the blue. The Jack Kirby drew five pages that were
rejected. Much to my chagrin, and with some fatigue, at this point I must
remind people that I am a huge Kirby fan. However, many Kirby advocates feel
that you are either all in or all out; there is no middle ground for your
admiration of him. Kirby did so much,
just not for Spider-Man. Perhaps his
biggest contribution here was showing Lee and Ditko what not to do. Jack Kirby
drew five pages that were rejected. It would be like giving Derek Jeter an
assist after he struck out and Arod hit a homer.
There
are aspects to a comic’s popularity, both artistic and commercial, that are
just not analyzed enough by those outside the field. We are not just discussing
the look of a character but the reasons for its success. To imply that just
coming up with a name, or even a costume, made a series so successful is ridiculous.
Ditko just didn’t create a new, unique looking Spider-Man; he created all the important elements that lead to its
success.
Let
us look at what Steve Ditko, with Stan Lee, gave us:
The Character of Spider-Man: Steve
Ditko gave us a great costume, of course, but he also gave us the unique look
and movement and poses of the character. And the Spider-Signal!
The Characters of Spider-Man: Where
else in comic book history, do you get so many interesting and well defined
characters in 25 issues?
A
hero’s secret identity is always the first supporting character. This is
because he is always someone who is different from the hero. Clark Kent was
different from Superman and Bruce Wayne was different from Batman. Peter Parker was shy and quiet; he was a
“wallflower” and a “bookworm.” Spider-Man
was none of those things. Lee and Ditko
developed Aunt May, J.J.J., Betty, Ned, Flash, Liz, Frederick Foswell,
Mrs. Watson, and Almost Mary Jane. Then toss in Curt Connors and Professor Smythe.
Where else do you get that in two dozen issues of any comic? And each one could
be and often was a centerpiece of any story.
Dr. Strange had the Ancient
one, and Peter had the older Aunt May. Both elders wanted their younger charges
to confide and take advice from them.
What a contrast, Dr. Strange
did and Peter didn’t.
Mood and Environment. Mr. Ditko set the
mood of these stories from the very beginning.
Although the stories took place in New York, this was NOT the same New
York that the Fantastic Four lived
in. Ditko’s was often dark and moody; it often was raining or looked like it
just had been. Kirby’s city was bright and shining, Ditko’s was often dark and mysterious,
like a film noir movie.
Of course the
Villains: Where else do you get Doc Ock, The Vulture, the Molten
Man, The Green Goblin, Mysterio, The Molten Man, The Enforcers, The Big Man, The
Sandman, The Spidey-Slayer (robot) and the Lizard in 25 issues? Even Mysterio,
not one of the most powerful villains, is drawn so spectacularly that he fits
in perfectly. The concepts and personalities of these villains were priceless
and their illustrations were timeless.
Last but not least, the actual stories:
Using the elements mentioned above, Lee and Ditko wove together the various
elements and gave us a tapestry of stories that were compelling, unique and
addictive. And issues #26 and #27, “The Man
in the Crime Master’s Mask!” were even startling.
So just coming up with a character is not enough. Let me
give an example: In his comics, Kirby
externalized the quest for knowledge, Ditko internalize it. On a journey to the
Infinite Kirby took us to the outer reaches of the universe. On a journey to
find Eternity Ditko took us into the minds of the Ancient One and Dr. Strange. With the Incredible Hulk Lee and Kirby created a creature that turned from man to
“monster” by peripheral events: A bomb blast, the sun setting and finally a
gamma ray machine. It failed after six issues. It was Steve Ditko who
internalized the situation and gave Banner an anger management problem. Now
Banner, himself, was the cause of the change. This is what made the Hulk and iconic character. While Kirby
look outward to cause the change, Ditko looked inside the person and made him a
successful and unforgettable character. This unique insight has made all the
difference, for all of Ditko’s characters. It’s not just the costume.
.
Certainly
Lee and Kirby created Sgt. Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra and Baron Strucker. In
Strange Tales #135, Lee and Kirby placed Nick
Fury, a blue collar fish out of water, into his leadership at S.H.I.E.L.D.
Yet it was Jim Steranko who mixed up these ingredients and gave us the sophisticated,
man of the world, Nick Fury that is still around even today. Steranko also elevated Hydra, formally a “villainous group”
used just to introduce S.H.I.E.L.D, and gave it a Nazi past and a great
future by making it so technically advanced. It was Steranko’s Hydra that we saw in so many Marvel Comics and
the Captain America movie.
