Marvel relaunched Jack Kirby's Machine Man after a hiatus of nearly a year with Steve Ditko taking over the art chores. It may some like heresy to Kirby fans, but I think it was a major improvement. The flexibility and fluidity that Ditko gave to Machine Man really makes the character work for me - you need a bit of whimsy in a series about a robot. The cover to Machine Man #11 is pure bliss for a Ditko fan. It is so simple, and yet so powerful. He's playing around with perspective here - the right arms seems to be reaching out to the reader for help as the left arm disappears into nothingness. This creates a real sense of vertigo. It still astonishes me that DC and Marvel would often have someone other than Ditko provide the cover for his books. This man knew how to design a cover - and Machine Man #11 is one the finest he did in the late 70s.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Machine Man #11
Marvel relaunched Jack Kirby's Machine Man after a hiatus of nearly a year with Steve Ditko taking over the art chores. It may some like heresy to Kirby fans, but I think it was a major improvement. The flexibility and fluidity that Ditko gave to Machine Man really makes the character work for me - you need a bit of whimsy in a series about a robot. The cover to Machine Man #11 is pure bliss for a Ditko fan. It is so simple, and yet so powerful. He's playing around with perspective here - the right arms seems to be reaching out to the reader for help as the left arm disappears into nothingness. This creates a real sense of vertigo. It still astonishes me that DC and Marvel would often have someone other than Ditko provide the cover for his books. This man knew how to design a cover - and Machine Man #11 is one the finest he did in the late 70s.
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