Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Cheyenne Kid #10

Ditko drawing a western? It happened, true believer and it looked good. Most of us associate Ditko's work as existing exclusively in the Super-Hero and Horror genres, but early in his career he tackled a wide variety of genres. This cover to Cheyenne Kid #10 (a book I'd love to track down one day) shows that Ditko had a good feel for what makes a western cover work. This wonderful portrayal of Custer's Last Stand may not be on par with the Paxson painting, but it's pretty impressive. Lots of great action, interesting perspective and you really see the dignity and desperation of the central figures.

It's too bad that Stan Lee didn't ask Ditko to contribute some covers during the Mighty Marvel Western period. There were some great Kirby covers to be sure, but I would have loved to see what Ditko would have done with characters like Rawhide Kid, Iron Mask or the Fat Man. I'd be interested in knowing whether or not Steve enjoyed drawing westerns or if, like many artists, he found drawing horses to be a pain in the saddle.