Steve Ditko definitely broke new ground with the cover to Haunted #1. If I had a background in fine arts, I'd be able to say something very profound and academic about his technique of using the smaller vignettes to for the features of the larger face. As I don't, I'll just say one thing: it's freakin' awesome. This comic must have leapt out readers perusing spinner racks back in the day. There was nothing else like it. This cover simply oozes Ditko cool. I don't think I saw Steve experiment with this technique again, which is too bad because it's really cool. Perhaps that's what happens when you hit a home run in your first trip to the plate - you move on to new challenges.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Haunted #1
Steve Ditko definitely broke new ground with the cover to Haunted #1. If I had a background in fine arts, I'd be able to say something very profound and academic about his technique of using the smaller vignettes to for the features of the larger face. As I don't, I'll just say one thing: it's freakin' awesome. This comic must have leapt out readers perusing spinner racks back in the day. There was nothing else like it. This cover simply oozes Ditko cool. I don't think I saw Steve experiment with this technique again, which is too bad because it's really cool. Perhaps that's what happens when you hit a home run in your first trip to the plate - you move on to new challenges.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Geez. That's just awesome.
Alot of Ditko's early work is awsome. Early on he put in alot of illustrative detail into his work. His Warren stuff is incredible.
But as they mature, many artists take the "less is more" approach to story telling.
I think Ditko stripped down his early illustration technique and went for the simple line approach.
Which is fine.
But me, I like the artsy fartsy cross-hatching and crazy layouts.
I vividly remember buying this one off the stands! It is a sensational cover, and Ditko produced all the interior stories as well. Ditko's line in this period was fine and fluid, unlike his later work which often looked sparse and sloppy.
Nick C.
What really makes this cover work is what Ditko didn't put on it. All that white space is unusual on any publication, but especially a comic book cover. It really allows the rest of the colour to fly off the cover. For sure this would have stood out in the spinner rack.
Post a Comment