ALONG CAME A RADIOACTIVE SPIDER

Spider-Man soars thanks to an unconventional illustrator.

Steve Ditko (1927-2018) loved comics as a kid growing up during the Depression. Unsurprisingly, his passion became his profession. His unusual artistic style, featuring grotesque creatures, appealed to Stan Lee, head of Marvel Comics. Lee hired Steve, assigning him to illustrate a new comic, “Spiderman.” Like other Marvel figures, Spiderman was written as a muscular adult, but Steve thought differently. He envisioned this new character as strange, too, i.e., a lithe, slender personality who employed intellect, not brawn. Steve developed the idea of the human character—bookish teenage Peter Parker—being transformed by a radioactive spider bite and added a hyphen to his alter-ego name. Spider-Man became an overnight sensation; soon, Steve was both illustrating and writing the series—a first in comic-book history. Spider-Man’s popularity turned Steve into a star, but, more committed to art than celebrity, he shunned the spotlight. After four years and 38 issues, Steve left Marvel and Spider-Man behind, going on to create Doctor Strange, though never again achieving similar mainstream success. This is a succinct, tongue-in-cheek, slightly snarky examination of Ditko’s career and Spider-Man’s origins, but Spidey fans may be disappointed more isn’t made of his exploits. The muted mixed-media illustrations are dynamic, but some pages look busy and cluttered; they aren’t formatted in comic-book style, though typically onomatopoeic words (“WA-WHOP!”) are sprinkled throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Die-hard comics aficionados will appreciate getting tangled up in this diverting web.