 |
| Image copyright MARVEL COMICS |
SPEEDBALL, The MASKED MARVEL was created by TOM DeFALCO and STEVE DITKO, and first appeared in The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #22 in 1988, shortly thereafter being awarded his own magazine, which lasted for ten issues. Ditko had left MARVEL in 1966 and returned in 1979, but like JACK KIRBY before him, never managed to attain the success of his earlier tenure there with STAN LEE.
10 comments:
I recall reading Ditko's final Spidey strip in Spiderman Comics Weekly, issue 32 or 34 I think, and being left with level of dissatisfaction that seemed inexplicable. I only got round to reading the original Amazing Spiderman strip last week, with the benefit of insight into events surrounding the strip, the reason for that dissatisfaction became painfully apparent. Stan's embellishments to the script are a fairly transparent dig at Ditko and illustrate more than a little bitterness in the relationship. As for Ditko's part in the story, well that's a little harder to read into. Obviously it's likely Stan obscured anything that might vindicate Ditko but honestly: Just a Guy Named Joe, the story of a no talent individual being elevated to success by serendipity, I think there may be room for speculation there.
There's always room for speculation I suppose, DSE, but getting to the heart of the matter is always a difficult task.
I loved that Spidey story I had no idea it may have meant more than just being great comic book. Ditko is one of my all time favourite artists/creator (top 5) but "Speedball" was not great , like Kirby by this time (imho) he was looking dated - for me his last great art was in the early 70s at Warren and Atlas comics (with the odd great piece now and then)- Although Ditkos spidey was comics at its their very best I do have to say John Romita's (another all time favourite of mine) version was amazing and moved the character on to new audiences and heights once he got into the flow of things, I would have liked to have seen more Ditko on Spidey all the same - his work on Dr Strange is my favourite - amazing stuff,
As far as Speedball goes, McS, the pencils I've seen were not as good as the inked pages, so Jackson Guice (and perhaps others, I forget) deserve a lot of credit for improving Ditko's loose art. A while back I bought the first two softcover Marvel Masterworks of Doctor Strange and they're well worth having. I'm surprised there hasn't been (as far as I know anyway) an Omnibus edition of all-Ditko Doctor Strange stories - I'd but it.
I picked up some Ditko Dr Strange via one of those (ihmo) great "Marvel: Ultimate graphic novel collection books (they do some great 60s/70s collections for £9.99)- I agree an Omnibus edition would be great I'd buy that as well.
If that's the new series of books that Marvel are doing, they're too tightly bound to see the page properly at the spine. They need to give the pages a wider margin in that area, I'd say. The DC Omnibus books have the same problem.
They've been out for a few years but I thin that's tHem (the do 2 series the older reprints and new one very similar) year that is a fair point they are bound pretty tight but are good value if trying to get some older stuff quickly with no fuss -I saw the TV advert for DC version will consider picking tHem up if they reprint old stuff only.
Ah, I've got you now, McS. That's not the ones I'm thinking of; Marvel are now doing softcover books which contain about 20 issues in full colour of classic tales. They're intended to replace the softcover Masterworks books. Take a look at them the next time you're in FP. When you open them, the left-hand side of a page runs into the right-hand side of the next page, with no margin between them because of the tight binding. They can probably be opened wider, but not without cracking the spine, I'd imagine. Apart from that, they'r good value for money.
Fondly remember buying this one in Forbidden Planet in Glasgow back in the days when the first time you heard of a new title was often just seeing it on the shelf. I have a softspot for the Speedball series, not Ditko's finest hour but even average Ditko is still fascinating to me. I liked the format of some of the later issues wherethere were often 2 or 3 short stories in one issue, and it gave us one of my favourite ever names for a supervillain: the Bug-Eyed Voice!
I bought my copies mail order from various places a couple of years or more after the series had finished - I think. I bought them purely because it was Ditko, but the series was pretty unremarkable.
Post a Comment