From Spider-Man to Ayn Rand: A Closer Look at Steve Ditko

We’ve always thought of artist and writer Steve Ditko as the Brit Hadden to Stan Lee‘s Henry Luce. Now a new book spotlights the reclusive co-creator of Spider-Man who abandoned Spidey, Doctor Strange, and mainstream success to chronicle the adventures of such characters as Mr. A, an Ayn Rand-inspired character of his own creation. Blake Bell‘s Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko (Fantagraphics) is a coffee table book retrospective of Ditko’s career in 14 chapters, from his youth in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and 1950 arrival in New York City through his time at Marvel and subsequent fallings out with both Marvel and DC Comics and ultimate dedication to work fueled by Objectivism.