{"id":34049,"date":"2025-10-17T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T08:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=34049"},"modified":"2025-10-16T17:51:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T17:51:52","slug":"steve-ditko-archives-volume-2-unexplored-worlds-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/10\/17\/steve-ditko-archives-volume-2-unexplored-worlds-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Ditko Archives volume 2: Unexplored Worlds"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Steve Ditko<\/strong>, Joe Gill & various, edited by Blake Bell<\/strong> (Fantagraphics Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-60699-289-0 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Immaculate Yarn-Spinning… 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times. It also has Discriminatory Content<\/strong> included for comedic and satirical effect.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once upon a time the anthological title of short stand-alone stories was the sole staple of the comicbook profession, where the plan was to deliver as much variety as possible to the reader. Sadly, that particular vehicle of expression seems all but lost to us today…<\/p>\n

Despite his death Steve Ditko remains one of our industry\u2019s greatest talents and one of America\u2019s least lauded. His fervent desire to just get on with his job and to tell stories the best way he can – whilst the noblest of aspirations – had always been a minor consideration or even stumbling block for the commercial interests which for so long controlled all comics production and still exert an overwhelming influence upon the mainstream bulk of comic book output. Before his time at Marvel, young Ditko perfected his craft creating short sharp yarns for a variety of companies and it\u2019s an undeniable joy today to be able to look at this work from such an innocent time when he was just breaking into the industry: tirelessly honing his craft with genre tales for whichever publisher would have him, utterly free from the interference of intrusive editors.<\/p>\n

A superb full-colour series of hardback collections reprinted those early efforts (all of them here are from 1956-1957) with material produced after the draconian, self-inflicted Comics Code Authority sanitised the industry following Senate Hearings and a public witch-hunt.<\/p>\n

Most are wonderfully baroque bizarre supernatural or science fantasy stories, but there are also examples of Westerns, Crime and Humour: cunningly presented in the order he completed and sold them rather than the more logical but far-less-revealing chronological release dates. Moreover, they\u2019re all helpfully annotated with a purchase number to indicate approximately when they were actually drawn – even the brace of tales done for Stan Lee\u2019s pre-Marvel Atlas company.<\/p>\n

Sadly, there\u2019s no indication of how many (if any) were actually written by the moody master…<\/p>\n

This second sublime selection reprints more heaping helpings of his increasingly impressive works: most courtesy of the surprisingly liberal (at least in its trust of its employees\u2019 creative instincts) sweat-shop publisher Charlton Comics.<\/p>\n

And whilst we\u2019re being technically accurate, it\u2019s also important to reiterate that those cited publication dates have very little to do with when Ditko crafted them: as Charlton paid so little, the cheap, anthologically astute outfit had no problem in buying material it could leave on a shelf for months – occasionally years! – until the right moment arrived to print. The work is assembled and runs here in the order Ditko submitted it, rather than when it reached our grubby sweaty paws…<\/p>\n

Following an historically informative Introduction and passionate advocacy by Blake Bell, concentrating on Ditko\u2019s near-death experience in 1954 (when the artist contracted tuberculosis) and subsequent recovery, the evocatively eccentric excursions open with a monochrome meander into the realms of satire with the faux fable – now we\u2019d call it a mockumentary – \u2018Starlight Starbright\u2019<\/em> as first seen in From Here to Insanity<\/strong> (volume 3 #1 April 1956) before \u201cnormal\u201d service resumes with financial fable \u2018They\u2019ll Be Some Changes Made\u2019<\/em> (scripted by Carl Wessler from Atlas\u2019 Journey Into Mystery<\/strong> #33, April 1956).
\n\"\"
\nHere a petty-minded pauper builds a time machine to steal the fortune his ancestors squandered, after which a crook seeking to exploit a mystic pool finds himself the victim of fate\u2019s justice in \u2018Those Who Vanish\u2019<\/em> (Journey Into Mystery<\/strong> #38, September 1956) again scripted by Wessler.<\/p>\n

Almost – if not all – the Charlton material was scripted by astoundingly prolific Joe Gill at this time, and records are spotty at best, so let\u2019s assume his collaboration on all the material here begins with \u2018The Man Who Could Never Be Killed\u2019<\/em> (Strange Suspense Stories<\/strong> #31, published in February 1957). This yarn of a circus performer with an incredible ethereal secret segues into \u2018Adrift in Space\u2019<\/em> (Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds<\/strong> #8 June 1958) as a veteran starship captain pushes his weary crew over the edge, whereas \u2018The King of Planetoid X\u2019 <\/em>from the previous MoUW<\/strong> (February) details a crisis of conscience for a benevolent and ultimately wise potentate…<\/p>\n

The cover of Strange Suspense Stories<\/strong> #31 (February 1957) leads into \u2018The Gloomy One\u2019<\/em> as a misery-loving alien intruder is destroyed by simple human joy, before the cover to Out of This World<\/strong> #5 (September 1957) heralds that issue\u2019s \u2018The Man Who Stepped Out of a Cloud\u2019<\/em> and an alien whose abduction plans only seem sinister in intent. MoUW<\/strong> #5 (October 1957) tells the story of a young \u2018Stowaway\u2019<\/em> who finds fulfilment aboard a harshly-run space ship after which Out of This World<\/strong> #3\u2019s cover (March 1957) ushers us to an apparent alien paradise for weary star-men in \u2018What Happened?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Next up is a tale from one of Charlton\u2019s earliest star characters. The title came from a radio show that Charlton licensed the rights to, with the lead\/host\/narrator acting more as voyeur than active participant. The Mysterious Traveler <\/em>spoke directly to camera, asking readers for opinion and judgement as he shared a selection of funny, sad, scary and miraculous human-interest yarns, all tinged with a hint of the weird or supernatural. Whenever rendered by Ditko, whose storytelling mastery, page design and full, lavish brushwork were just beginning to come into its mature full range, the contents of Tales of the Mysterious Traveler<\/strong> were always exotic and esoteric and utterly beguiling.<\/p>\n

From issue #2 (February 1957), \u2018What Wilbur Saw\u2019<\/em> reveals the reward bestowed on a poverty-stricken country bumpkin who witnessed a modern-day miracle, after which Out of This World<\/strong> #3 covers a cautionary tale of atomic mutation in \u2018The Supermen\u2019<\/em> before the eerie cover to OoTW <\/strong>#4 (June 1957) signals a chilling encounter for two stranded sailors who briefly board the \u2018Flying Dutchman\u2019<\/em> whilst SSS <\/strong>#32\u2019s cover (May 1957) dabbles in magic art when a collector is victimised by a thief who foolishly stumbles into \u2018A World of His Own\u2019<\/em>.
\n\"\"
\nFrom the same issue comes a salutary parable concerning a rich practical joker who goes too far before succumbing to \u2018The Last Laugh\u2019<\/em>, after which \u2018Mystery Planet\u2019<\/em> (SSS<\/strong> #36, March 1958) offers a dash of interplanetary derring-do as valiant agent Bryan Bodine<\/em> and comely associate Nedra<\/em> confound intergalactic pirates piloting a planet-eating weapon against Earth!<\/p>\n

A similarly bold defender liberates \u2018The Conquered Earth\u2019<\/em> from alien subjugation (OoTW <\/strong>#4, June 1957) whilst in \u2018Assignment Treason\u2019<\/em> (Outer Space<\/strong> #18. August 1958) the clean-cut hero goes undercover to save Earth from the predatory Master of Space as OoTW <\/strong>#8 (May 1958) and \u2018The Secret of Capt. X\u2019<\/em> reveals the inimical alien tyrant threatening humanity is not what he seems…<\/p>\n

The cover to Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds<\/strong> #3 (April 1957) makes way for three fantastic thrillers, beginning with \u2018The Strange Guests of Tsaurus\u2019<\/em> as an alien paradise proves to be anything but, then \u2018A World Where I Was King\u2019<\/em> sees a clumsy janitor catapulted into a wondrous realm to win a kingdom he doesn\u2019t want. Diverting slightly, Fightin\u2019 Army<\/strong> #20 (May 1957) provides a comedic interlude as a civil war soldier finds himself constantly indebted to \u2018Gavin\u2019s Stupid Mule\u2019<\/em> before \u2018A Forgotten World\u2019<\/em> wraps up MoUW <\/strong>#3\u2019s contributions with a scary tale of invasion from the Earth\u2019s core. \u2018The Cheapest Steak in Nome\u2019<\/em> turns out to be defrosted from something that died millions of years ago in a light-hearted yarn from MoUW<\/strong> #7 (February 1958)…
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\nThe cover to MoUW<\/strong> #4 (July 1957) precedes more icy antediluvian preservations found in the \u2018Valley in the Mist\u2019<\/em> whilst the one for Strange Suspense Stories<\/strong> #33 (August 1957) leads into a bizarre corporate outreach project as the \u2018Director of the Board\u2019<\/em> attempts to go where no other exploitative capitalist has gone before. Next, it\u2019s back to MoUW <\/strong>#3 for a brush with the mythological in \u2018They Didn\u2019t Believe Him\u2019 <\/em>after which \u2018Forever and Ever\u2019<\/em> (SSS <\/strong>#33) reveals an unforeseen downside to immortality and Out of This World<\/strong> #3 sees a stranger share \u2018My Secret\u2019<\/em> with ordinary folk despite – or because of – a scurrilous blackmailer…<\/p>\n

\u2018A Dreamer\u2019s World\u2019<\/em> from Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds<\/strong> #5 (October 1957) follows the chilling cover thereof as a test pilot hits his aerial limit and discovers a whole new existence, whilst Unusual Tales<\/strong> #7 (May 1957) traces the tragic path of \u2018The Man Who Could See Tomorrow\u2019<\/em> before the cover of Tales of the Mysterious Traveler<\/strong> #4 (August 1957) opens a mini-feast of voyeur\u2019s voyages beginning with that issue\u2019s \u2018The Desert\u2019<\/em>: a saga of polar privation and survival.<\/p>\n

TotMT <\/strong>#3 (May 1957) shows the appropriate cover and a \u2018Secret Mission\u2019<\/em> for a spy parachuted into Prague, whilst #4 offers \u2018Escape\u2019<\/em> for an unemployed pilot dragged into a gun-running scam in a south American lost world; \u2018Test of a Man\u2019<\/em> sees a cruel animal trainer receive his just deserts and \u2018Operation Blacksnake\u2019<\/em> grittily exposes American venality in the ever-expanding Arabian oil trade. Returning to Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds<\/strong> #5, \u2018The Mirage\u2019<\/em> torments an escaped convict who thinks he\u2019s escaped his fate, whilst Texas Rangers in Action<\/strong> #8 (July 1957) sees a ruthless rancher crushed by the weight of his own wicked actions as \u2018The Only One\u2019<\/em>, after which stunning covers to Unusual Tales<\/strong> #6 and 7 (February and May 1957) lead into our final vignette – \u2018The Man Who Painted on Air\u2019<\/em>: exposing and thwarting a unique talent to preserve humanity and make a few bucks on the side…
\n\"\"
\nThis sturdily capacious volume has episodes that terrify, amaze, amuse and enthral: utter delights of fantasy fiction with lean, plots and stripped-down dialogue that let the art set the tone, push the emotions and tell the tale, from times when a story could end sadly as well as happily and only wonderment was on the agenda, hidden or otherwise.<\/p>\n

These stories display the sharp wit and contained comedic energy which made so many Spider-Man<\/strong>\/J. Jonah Jameson<\/em> confrontations an unforgettable treat half a decade later, and this is another cracking collection not only superb in its own right but as a telling tribute to the genius of one of the art-form\u2019s greatest stylists. This is something every serious comics fan would happily kill or die or be lost in time for…
\nUnexplored Worlds: The Steve Ditko Archive Vol. 2. This edition \u00a9 2010 Fantagraphics Books. Introduction \u00a9 2010 Blake Bell. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Today in 1914, Jerry Siegel<\/strong> was born. Don\u2019t make me have to finish this heads-up…<\/p>\n

In 1937 Huey, Dewey & Louie Duck<\/strong> debuted. Ditto.<\/p>\n

In 1959 The last issue of UK icon Comet<\/strong> was published and a decade later across the Pond Sidney Smith<\/strong>\u2019s The Gumps ended. It had begun in 1917 as you\u2019d know if read Sidney Smith\u2019s The Gumps<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Steve Ditko, Joe Gill & various, edited by Blake Bell (Fantagraphics Books) ISBN: 978-1-60699-289-0 (HB\/Digital edition) Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Immaculate Yarn-Spinning… 9\/10 This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. It also has Discriminatory Content included for comedic and satirical effect. Once upon a time the anthological title of short stand-alone … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Steve Ditko Archives volume 2: Unexplored Worlds”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,113,78,75,290,239,102,125,396,225,127,242,107,169,144,99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-comedy","category-comic-strip-classics","category-crime-comics","category-dinosaurs","category-drama","category-fantasy","category-humour","category-monsters","category-mystery","category-nostalgia","category-pirates","category-science-fiction","category-spy-stories","category-steve-ditko","category-westerns"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8Rb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34049"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34056,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34049\/revisions\/34056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}