Steve Ditko’s comics were WEIRD, man. I mean, none of the comics he drew belonged in the mainstream, and I think that’s why so many of them blew up.
Spider-Man. Doctor Strange. The Creeper. Hawk and Dove. The second Blue Beetle. The Question. Captain Atom.
All of the characters above are either super popular or have massive cult appeal. That’s a pretty good track record for a creator. Hell, Spider-Man alone is arguably the single greatest creation to come out of the superhero genre. (I said arguably, before you get your fan knickers in a bunch.) I don’t need to point out that the Marvel characters are both headlining their own movies, although I probably should point out that Hawk and Dove will be appearing on the new Titans show on DC Universe.
I don’t know that I was a Steve Ditko FAN. I respect his place in history, and I dig his weirdness, but his wasn’t a style that necessarily called out to me. Certainly, his Ayn Randian philosophies were generally not my cup of tea.
But the man co-created Spider-Man. He’s earned his place in the pantheon.
Rest in peace, honored elder.