Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange & more, dies at 90

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

If you know comics, you absolutely know the work of Steve Ditko. The immensely talented artist and writer was responsible, along with Stan Lee, for creating iconic Marvel characters such as Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. The New York City Police Department has confirmed that Steve Ditko has passed away at the age of 90. He was found dead in his apartment on June 29th and is believed to have died about two days earlier.

Stephen J. Ditko was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on November 2, 1927. His father was a talented master carpenter at a steel mill and his mother was a homemaker. His interest in comics began after noticing his father's love of newspaper comic strips such as Prince Valiant, and Ditko was further moved upon the introduction of Batman and The Spirit. After enlisting in the U.S. Army, Ditko drew comics for an Army newspaper while doing military service in post-war Germany. Upon his discharge, Steve Ditko learned that Batman artist Jerry Robinson was teaching at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School in New York, and later enrolled there under the G.I. Bill. Jerry Robinson invited artists and editors to speak during his classes, and one of those who spoke was Stan Lee, who was editor of Atlas Comics at the time. "I think that was when Stan first saw Steve's work," Robinson said.

Steve Ditko's most famous creation wasn't even his, at first. When Stan Lee first came up with the idea for Spider-Man, he naturally approached Jack Kirby to collaborate on the creation of the character, but after finding himself hating what Kirby had came up with, went with Ditko. The rest, as they say, is history. Steve Ditko had been largely retired from mainstream comics for some time, but he did keep a Manhattan studio where he continued to write and draw up until his death. You gave us so much and served as an inspiration for countless people around the world. Thank you, Mr. Ditko.