DC has released an official statement following the death of comics legend Steve Ditko, who created characters like The Creeper and Hawk and Dove for the publisher.
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“DC Entertainment mourns the loss of Steve Ditko, a true legend of the comic book industry. He will forever be remembered for co-creating Spider-Man, but that was just one of his many accomplishments,” DC wrote in a statement. “Steve Ditko’s career in comics spanned over 60 years, and he worked for many publishers. He is justly famous for his work during the 1960s at Marvel Comics, where he co-created Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Steve also had two stints at DC Comics.”
“A Ditko comic never looked like anyone else’s,” said DC Entertainment Publisher Dan DiDio. “Aside from his deceptively simple art style—which was uniquely Ditko’s—he was a master at plotting and filling his stories with energy.”
DC’s statement reminded fans that “Ditko first started contributing to DC in 1968. He only stayed a year, but he left his mark with several unconventional characters. His signature creation was the Creeper, a vigilante crime-fighter with a sinister appearance and a warped sense of humor. Equally unusual were The Hawk and the Dove, two bickering brothers on opposite sides of the political spectrum. The pair spent as much time fighting over liberal and conservative politics as they did battling their enemies.”
“Steve Ditko’s impact and achievements are legendary,” said DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee. “The work he created will live on for generations to come.”
Always an intensely private person, Ditko once said, “I never talk about myself. My work is me. I do my best, and if I like it, I hope somebody else likes it, too.”
Ditko is also worked at Charlton Comics, leaving an indellible mark on characters who would become property of DC when the company acquired Charlton. In addition to the beloved Marvel and DC characters he created, Ditko gave life to The Question, Captain Atom, and the Ted Kord version of Blue Beetle.
Without Ditko’s contributions to Charlton’s characters and publishing history, it is unlikely that Watchmen would ever have happened.
“Today we remember the accomplishments of a giant in the world of comics,” DC wrote.
