For those of us who came of age during the Silver Age of Comics, there are few iconic creators, still working in the business that can grab our attention as well as Steve Ditko, who (among his many other accolades), is perhaps best known for two of his own Iconic creations, Dr. Strange, and Spider-Man. Well, even though Ditko has only worked sporadically in mainstream comics since his very public split with Marvel back in the ’60s he has remained active in the field (creating characters like Mr. A. and Static). Well, now, Ditko, along with his longtime editor and collaborator Robin Snyder are celebrating 26 years of publishing with the planned release of #9 Teen, a new comic from the legendary creator. They just need a little more help on Kickstarter.
While details about the 32-page comic are sparse, Snyder reveals it includes another installment of Ditko’s Madman serial, “This new comic book contains another story in the ongoing series of Madman. Plus a unique variety of some of the most original characters in the comics and more.” This marks the duo’s third Kickstarter project, but the first to feature new material. According to the Steve Ditko Comics fan blog, #9 Teen will be the 19th 32-page comic that Snyder and the 86-year-old Ditko have released since 2008.
Snyder, who was Ditko’s editor over at Charlton Comics, Archie Comics, and Renegade Press, states on the Kickstarter page that there’s just one editorial page left before the comic is complete. With just days left in the campaign, they’ve raised over $4,000 — well in excess of their $2,100 goal, show just how anticipated this comic is in the community.
Yes. After publishing two reprints, they now have another, new title nearly ready to go, #9 Teen, and according to Snyder once they have received pledges from backers, they will add those fans names to the Introduction and send the book to the printer. “Like Duke Ellington, we don't get around much anymore. Neither one of us has attended a convention or sat still for an interview in more than 10 years. However, we have been active. We have been productive. We have been hard at work. Steve Ditko and I together have published more than 30 books, hundreds of articles and essays, the first-person history, The Comics! and our new publication, The Four-Page Series from 1988 to date. Sharon Levine and Gavin Callaghan, among other readers, have asked about our early produced material, how we got together, where have we been, how did we begin self-publishing and so forth.”
This project will be funded on Sun, Mar 30 2014.
Robert J. Sodaro has been reviewing comicbooks for some 30 years. During that time, his reviews and articles have appeared in numerous print publications, as well as on the web. Subscribe to receive regular comicbook articles and reviews.