"Secret History Of Marvel Comics" are in da (my) house!

Co-Authors Blake Bell and Dr. Michael J. Vassallo give man-birth to a weighty tome.

Okay, they are in Michael's house, here in upstate New York City, but it's not often in life when you have that opportunity to hold a book, for the first time, that you've written. Last night was one of those, to date, nine times with the arrival of advance copies of our "The Secret History Of Marvel Comics". (Today, I get to hold a copy of "Impossible Tales: The Steve Ditko Archives vol. 4".)

I'm down here in NYC for "The Secret History Of Marvel Comics" Official Book Release Event in New York City (tonight at 7pm, hosted by the Society Of Illustrators, at 128 E 63rd St., between Park and Lexington Ave). I'll also have a very limited number of copies available of the Ditko Archives vol. 4 for sale at the event. This will be your first chance to get signed copies of both books, weeks before they hit stores.

Other reasons why you should come out to the event tonight:

1) We'll be joined by artists Al Jaffee and Stan Goldberg to discuss their memories of working for Martin Goodman during the halcyon days of Marvel Comics in the 1940s and 50s!

2) Attendees will receive a signed, limited edition, tipped-in plate for the book.

3) Come and see the unveiling of the "Martin Goodman Exhibit!" Get a first hand look at all those Martin Goodman publications, from the 1930s to the 1950s, up close and personal!

4) The cost of admission also gives you access to an exclusive signing session and catered reception afterwards (with cash bar).

"The Secret History Of Marvel Comics" also has a YouTube channel featuring me and Michael J. Vassallo discussing the secrets behind the book in a 10-part video series. Plus, we'll continue to add more videos throughout the next two months.

"Secret History Of Marvel Comics" 1st Look!

We're back for the third time in a week; this time with news on the release of my third book coming out this fall: "The Secret History Of Marvel Comics". The publisher, Fantagraphics, has received some promo copies, and we've got three teaser images to whet your appetite! (Click to enlarge)

If you want a crack at getting your copy first, you can click HERE to pre-order the book right from the Fantagraphics website. The book is on target for a mid-to-late October release (right after my Bill Everett Archives vol. 2 book, and my Steve Ditko Archives vol. 4 book, also out in early October).


Marvel Comics would probably prefer that their origins go unremembered, but myself and early Marvel historian, Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, trace Marvel's roots in the sordid, exploitative pulp publishing empire of Martin Goodman. You'll also be treated to a bounty of rare, never-before-reprinted artwork by such comics legends as Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, Alex Schomburg, Bill Everett, Al Jaffee, and Dan DeCarlo, plus top-tier pulp artists, including Norman Saunders, John Walter Scott, Hans Wesso, and L.F. Bjorklund.

Half price on all my books at my NYC Event!

For those who have been following the new Secret History Of Marvel Comics Book Blog, you'll know that I am going to be in New York City this coming Wednesday at 7pm for a pre-release event at the Society Of Illustrators. We've given people lots of reasons to attend: 1) a special, limited edition, tipped-in plate only available in NYC; 2) discount tickets if you pre-order the book from Fantagraphics; 3) author Danny Fingeroth interviewing me and co-author, Dr. Michael J. Vassallo about the making of the book; 4) a first-look preview slide show of the book's contents, including works by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Alex Schomburg, Bill Everett and many more; 5) an audience Q&A; 6) a special book signing event after the show. And now we give you one more reason to attend!

50% of all my books
For the book signing event after the show, I'll be making the special offer of selling my books at half off the cover price. That's right; all my $40 books will be available (to also be signed by me) at only $20 per copy. The books included are:

• Strange & Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko
• Unexplored Worlds: The Steve Ditko Archives vol. 2
• Mysterious Traveler: The Steve Ditko Archives vol. 3
• Fire & Water: Bill Everett...
• Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives vol. 1

I only have a certain number of each books left, so if you'd like to reserve copies, you can send the $20 via Paypal to ditko37@rogers.com, and I'll make sure you have a copy waiting for you.

* If you can't make the event, but still want to take advantage of the offer, contact me at the above email address, we can work out the cost of shipping, and I'll send off whatever is available after the event. (Remember, I will be in the U.S. during this time, so shipping will be much cheaper than sending from my hometown of Toronto, Canada.)

We're hoping to see everyone at the event as we unveil a first peek at the contents of the Secret History of Marvel Comics, available in stores by November of 2013 from Fantagraphics Books, Inc.!

Steve Ditko Archives goes Digital: More on "Strange Suspense"

Last Saturday, we posted the news that you can now order a digital version of my book, Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives vol. 1 via Comixology. This has jump-started us to take a deeper look at some stats from the original art that differ quite a bit from the published version of the story found in the volume. First, we looked at "Range War", and now we take a look at the stats of Ditko's 3rd professional solo job, "A Hole In His Head." The 6-page story is from 1953's Black Magic #27, done when Ditko briefly worked at the Joe Simon & Jack Kirby studio.

Really, this post and my last were inspired by Nick Caputo's examination of the two stories in question. Here's a link to his "Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and that old Black Magic" post that looks at the latter story for alterations to Ditko's artwork by Kirby.

The B&W stats show some different alterations to the production work on the first page but, most importantly, to the last panel of the story that was wiped out and replaced with an pimple ointment ad! Before that, though...

Still want a print copy?

I still have a few copies of the $39.99 hardcover of Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives vol. 1. If you'd still like a paper version, send me an email at ditko37@rogers.com. I am only asking for the cover price plus any shipping and handling costs to your location. (Correct, I'll charge you just exactly what it costs to bring it to your door, and no more.)

"A Hole In My Head"

Okay, Black Magic #27. Below is the published splash panel of the first page.

More Secrets from the History of Marvel Comics

We're rushing to the end of the production cycle of the Secret History of Marvel Comics, from myself and noted 1930s-50s historian Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, published by Fantagraphics Books, Inc.

Today, I'm adding to the captions list because, even after we submitted the design mock-up for the book back in late August, we're still coming up with potential new additions to our 300-page tome.

The book's all about the earliest days of Marvel Comics owner Martin Goodman and the Golden Age Marvel artists like Jack Kirby et al. who crossed over to do work in Goodman's other businesses. Since we thought we had closed the book on the design, we've uncovered two new pictures of Martin Goodman from the 1950s that are buried in his magazine line, including a nifty one with Charlton Heston from 1953.

This picture would have been taken just right after Heston's breakthrough role in The Greatest Show on Earth that won the Oscar for best picture of 1952. It was also three years before Heston played Moses in The Ten Commandments and six before he played Ben-Hur and won the Oscar for best actor. But, there he is, sitting with Goodman at Gogi La Rue's in New York City. The other picture has Goodman on a horse wearing a cowboy hat!

Our book won't make the Christmas rush, but that's what you get when you expand the scope of a book from 168 pages to 300! And we're still getting more artwork and Goodman magazines in that we never knew existed. (Finally nailed a copy of that Zippy mag with the Joe Simon cover, plus an Elvis magazine cover from 1957!) Just how many titles did that man produce? And you thought he flooded the market with his comics?

Sailor Jack Kirby

Fine tatooing. #Zippy #SecretHistoryOfMarvelComicsComingSoon

Dick Ayers, 88 Years Young Today!

Famed Marvel Comics artist Dick Ayers is 88 years young today! Dick is primarily known for his work on the Sgt Fury strip for Marvel (Fury set to appear in the Avengers movie, played by Samuel L. Jackson), as well as the go-to inker for many 1960s Marvel books drawn by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. But he started in comics in the late 1940s before first reaching Marvel's doors in 1952. Below is a brief selection of his work, including one of the first pieces of work he did, the cover to "Jimmy Durante Comics" in 1948.

He also "inked" Ditko on the first issue of Iron Man that featured Ditko's seminal redesign of Kirby's clunky armor into the version that still lives on (also in the Avengers movie, Iron Man played by Robert Downey Jr.) almost 50 years later. I put "inked" in quotation marks because Ditko would do very sketchy pencils, adding most of the details when he inked his work. Problem is that Stan Lee started using Ditko like he had being using Jack Kirby - get a new feature going, ensuring the strip was drawn "the Marvel Way" before another penciller/inker would finish it off. As you can see on the original art to Iron Man #48, Ayers whited out the part that suggests he only inked the issue, so that it read "Art by Steve Ditko and Dick Ayers". The issue is also known for having been "watered down" in that the name of the villain was originally called "Mr. Pain" but was changed to the less frightening "Mr. Doll".

I was blessed enough to get to know Dick and his wife, Lindy, in 2001 and interviewed them for my first book, "I Have To Live With This Guy!" A few years later, when Dick was doing his auto-biography in graphic novel form, he drew me into his book (yes, I am that dashing)...

Read more on Dick's career here and here, and scroll through the vast collection of original art and covers on the Heritage Auctions website archives. Happy Birthday, Darlin' Dick Ayers!


1st Row: original art to Tales of Suspense #48 (Dec '63); published version of TOS #48; original art to pg 17 of TOS #48 (all pencils by Ditko, inked by Ayers)
2nd Row: Jimmy Durante Comics #1 ('48); original art to Sgt. Fury #33 (Aug '66); pen & ink of "The Unknown Soldier, 2001 (owned by yours truly)