Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Ditko article in the New York Post

The reboot of the movie franchise, the Amazing Spider-Man, opens today across North America. If you're going to the movie under the impression that its co-creator and original artist, Steve Ditko, is reaping some financial benefit from either this movie, or the original three (starring Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man), well, Steve Ditko puts that myth to rest in today's New York Post.

(Click HERE to read the article.)

Reed Tucker, the author of the piece, went right to Ditko's studio and got a couple of quotes from Ditko for the piece. Many people have passed around the rumour in the past decade that Ditko accepted a big chunk of money when the first movie came out a decade ago, but Ditko confirms this as a falsehood. Other than the pittance he receives when Marvel reprints his old run on Spider-Man, there has never been a single, confirmed report that Steve Ditko has received a penny from the entire, billion dollar Spider-Man franchise since he walked away from it in 1965 over concerns about Marvel's editorial direction and promised royalties (the only thing I would have changed about Reed's piece - for which I was interviewed for almost an hour - is that emphasis, but I think it does come through indirectly in the rest of the piece.)

Kinda makes that whole "Before Watchmen" debate look like kids arguing over lunch money in comparison, doesn't it?

5 comments:

  1. Wonder if "fans" will rake Ditko over the coals, like they did Alan Moore for his concerns re: Watchmen? Or maybe not, because Ditko doesn't come across as "complaining" about it. Yes, THAT should be the distinction in all matters related to creators' rights...right? Whether you make me feel bad about me supporting product that promotes the disembowelment of creators' rghts. And hey, we support these icons when it doesn't inconvenience our whim-based desires (to paraphrase Ditko), right?

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  2. John Romita Sr. has never gotten a penny either, but he accepts it as he knew sveryone at Marvel drawing comics were working as WORK FOR HIRE. It's sad these older creators don't get squat from the companies they helped to build, Like the great Steve Ditko!

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  3. Wish someone could get Steve's original art from ASM #1-4 returned to him before Koch can sell them. Steve would have had all of the original art from his ASM's returned to him had Koch not stolen them out of the warehouse. "Liberated" my arse. These pages have been sold for what amounts to millions of dollars that rightfully belonged to Steve. Koch isn't going to fess up to all of the ASM's that he stole but at least he should give Steve the original art for issues #1-4 before he is able to sell them too.

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  4. Ditko isn't interested in owning or acquiring his original art. All that is important is that it sees print.

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  5. Anon July5 12:36- Given that what original art Ditko retains from ASM has been known to get re-used by Ditko as cutting board and thus basically destroyed... I can't say that I'm super upset that the art from 1-4 is being handled by people who will at least take care of it. Yes, Ditko's got the right to do what he will with his own art, but GOOD LORD, can we not at least agree that his work is of historic value and thus should be preserved? If Ditko's not going to do that, then the fact that someone else is going to doesn't bother me (well, the amount of money changing hands between people who had nothing to do with the creation of that art bugs me, but then, Steve could easily be making that kind of money by doing what they're doing, but refuses. So, there we are).

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