Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Out of This World #4

Every Ditko fan knows that if you want to see some really great work by Ditko, you’ve got to check out Charlton. Some of Charlton’s 50s titles are not really on the fanboy radar screen, which is too bad because there’s some great stuff in there. Out of this World is definitely one of the coolest of Charlton’s late 50s offerings. I’ve found these books to be very tough to track down and often command high prices.

The whole series features awesome Ditko covers, and among the best is issue #4. It is the mixture of concept and execution that makes it a real attention grabber. The black and white right side of the cover may have come across as dull, if not for feeling of ‘motion’ that Ditko infuses. Our victim’s body language is superb as he is at that moment of confusion (just before fear) when he does not understand what it happening. Ditko adds a really nice touch with the hat falling off, as we don’t know in which dimension it will land. I also love the street sign – the kind of thing that Bob Powell did all of the time. The Out of This World cover gallery is a perfect example of how to draw effective covers, but this one really connects with me and I’d love to track down a copy.