Exit Ditko, Enter Romita

Reading through Steve Ditko's final year on The Amazing Spider-Man and the first of John Romita Sr.
00:00 - Intro
00:32 - Steve Ditko's Last Hurrah
12:51 - How Romita Was My Writer
22:32 - New Era Begins
28:05 - My Love
Music Used:
Woodshedder - Quincas Moreira
Lazy Laura - Quincas Moreira
Los Encinos - Quincas Moreira
Lotus Pond - Aakash Gandhi
I Wonder Whose Kissing Her Now - Freedom Trail Studio

[@richborn6700]

Romita had such an iconic look it was the main design used in two decades of Spider-Man merchandise

[@davidbjacobs3598]

6:16 Stromm is in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man! He's the other scientist that Norman kills in the beginning. "Back to formula" guy.

[@davidbjacobs3598]

Also, 35:00 -- I never considered the Shocker bank fight a trope, but now that you mention it... They also fight in a bank in the Raimi movie games, and in Spectacular (joined by Ricochet and Ox). Feels weirdly specific, but I guess robbing banks is just Shocker's deal. A bank fight in general is certainly a trope, and Shocker is a villain that fits easily into that and hasn't really outgrown it over the years the way someone like Ock or Sandman have.

[@popman1997]

As absolutely phenomenal as the Ditko era is (despite the VERY small handful of weaker stories), The Romita era is when I feel like the Amazing Spider-Man comics really lived up to their name. It's one outstanding issue after another. Can't wait to see you cover more.

[@jawbone78]

Yep. All due respect to Ditko, but Romita was the superior artist and the storytelling improved radically when he came onboard. It's the best run Spider-Man ever had.

[@jgnogueira]

The Romita era was also when Peter stopped describing everything that was happening and when they started using visual storytelling far more.

[@monsterguyx6322]

Ditko's work was more expressive, and possibly better suited to the original "Strange Tales" stories, but Romita's naturalistic and confident draftsmanship easily became the defining look of Spider-Man.

[@darrylwiggins4799]

Romita did what Ditko couldn't.That is giving the scenes clean and clear lines.I love Ditko's work but John Romita was a worthy successor.

[@proudspartan313]

Stumbled onto these retrospectives, and they have a nice casual vibe discussing the appeal of these old comics even in today's world. You often hit what made these stories appealing while tossing in what parts future writers improved

[@maverickslb80]

As a huge Spider-Man fan, I consider Ditko to be a genius and his work was epic. But Romita Sr is the best ever to do it. The best Spider-Man artist of all time and in comics, in my opinion.

[@garywright3523]

The best one two punch of back to back artistic talent on a title.

[@davebooshty299]

These way older Comics are always going to be way better then anything out today , Just my opinion.

[@freebretth]

I'm having trouble imagining what "BUTTOOOP" actually sounds like

[@GribbleGob]

Goblin finding out who Peter is just makes me think "now this is what I call a pro goblin move.."

[@MythwrightWorkshop]

Ohhhh yeaaaaah...

[@fad23]

Folks often ask about How Green was my Goblin. It's a spoof on the recent Oscar winning film How Green was my Valley.

[@seantaylor424]

Unfortunately, I know it better by its Futurama parody, How Beige Was My Jacket?

[@elcorvo4108]

I'm reading ASM and currently on issue 28 and I'm so excited to get to Romita's to get to the really classic stuff like college and MJ, Harry and Gwen

[@PatrolOfficer161]

I missed Ditko. More than that, I was very disappointed that Romita Sr. left the Daredevil book.

[@animationunlimited2958]

Fun fact: the Goblins coloring of boots and trick bag in Romitas run is the same as the one in the 60's cartoon.

[@HarlanEllisonlives]

Ditko wanted the goblin to be a nobody stan wanted him to be Osborne.

[@Bandinthesky]

idk how you dont have more subs. I just know your channel is gonna blow up. This is a fantastic video

[@michaelhughes432]

My least favorite Lee/Ditko Spider-man Comic when I first read it was Issue # 38, "Just A Guy Named Joe!" But when I reread it later, I liked it. It was kind of bittersweet, since it was the last Spider-man Comic that Lee and Ditko did together. I also liked Lee and Ditko's run on Dr. Strange, and the Steve's various artwork on the monster, horror and fantasy comics he did @ Marvel and at other comic book companies.

[@TheMajorDisaster]

Spider-man has always been my favorite comic book character... even with all the ups and downs of the stories over the years. I think Stan Lee wrote the book for the first 100 issues or more. He did give plotting or co-plotting accolades to many of the artists back in those days. I remember an article were Stan had mentioned the "If this be my destiny" store arc in which he said that he gave Steve notes on the story, and then Ditko would draw up the panels... then Stan would write the dialogue for the pages. There was the rumor why Steve Ditko left the book was because of an argument over Green Goblins identity... which I'm not sure if it is true or not. I know that when Ditko drew the Green Goblin getting out of costume his face was always blocked... kind of like the mystery of Mary Jane looks. I loved Ditko's rendition of Spider-man... the action scenes seemed to almost come off the pages. John Romita is also a great Spider-man artist (I've seen shirts in stores to this day still using his Spider-man art). It was said that when he started his run on Spider-man that he tried to mimic Ditko to make the transition easier for the fans back then... I never saw it, the two styles are very different, but they are my 2 favorite Spider-man artists. I also like John Romita Jr.'s Spider-man art... he started out very close to his father rendition, but later on it became a very good style of his own.

[@markboyd9275]

👍

[@DanTheMeek]

2:25 Recently read through the first 50 or so issues and I didn't care for the looter. He might have been fine, even iconic, if he'd been introduced earlier in the series, but by the time he's introduced we've had like 5 of the last 6 villians "power" be super strength. That alien gas could have given him literally ANY power, its the sort of power source that's a blank check to a writers imagination, but instead its just super strength for the 6th time almost entirely in a row. His motivations also make no sense, he's worried his powers will wear off so he needs more meteors to "refill" despite the fact its never worn off, and enough time has passed since he got the powers that if it was going to wear off, it almost certainly would have by then. I guess you could argue thats what makes him unique, no other villian or hero worries about their powers wearing off during this early run, but the concern doesn't feel justified, it really needed it to ACTUALLY wear off, him get a second source, and then become obsessed with getting more and more. 3:55 I appreciated the new secondary perspective Gwen gave us. Up until this arc I feel like we almost exclusively saw through the eyes of peter and the villians. A handful of times we briefly saw through Flash's eyes (which I also appreciated) during the Ditko run, but he also was usually an antagonist so it was for the same purpose of letting us know what trouble Peter was walking into. But Gwen's character perspective doesn't really serve that purpose, instead she seems to serve for the viewer, at least initially, as a look into how a normal unrelated third party sees Peter. Eventually it evolves into a will they won't they thing, but thats quite a few issues out from her first appearance when her point of view is mostly just trying to figure out what the deal is with this Peter Parker guy who appears to have no friends, yet doesn't seem to care, and in fact always seem to have his mind on other things whenever she or anyone else trys to offer him an olive branch of friendship. It also shows, I think, some level of humbling she endures, as some one who was always the popular girl in school, with the early issues having her get pissed off at him just for not thanking his lucky stars whenever she gives him, a 7 to her 10, any attention. Initially it seems like, per usual, Peter's second life is harming a chance to get with a girl he finds very attractive, but because we see her side it could be argued spider man is the reason Gwen stays so interested in Peter, what makes him stand out to her and makes her keep coming back to him rather then just playing with him and then moving on as it seems like she intended early in the series. 7:33 There is something hilarious and fitting that Ditko's final issue was yet another new villian whose sole power, which again came from a source which could have given him ANY power, just gives him super strength. Like I LOVED the Ditko run, and this is arguably more on Stan Lee then Ditko depending on if you believe Lee that he was coming up with all the characters and stories, but whether it was Ditko or Lee, it really felt like there was a mental block that had been hit villian power wise that perhaps the fresh perspective of Romita aided in over coming. In fact there's an argument to be made Joe was the LEAST creative "villian" they'd ever added, since he was basically just the Hulk minus the green skin, thin white dude who gets super strength but loses his mind whenever he gets angry. That said, I did still like Joe's story more then Looters if only for the sympathetic angle, but it still felt like one of Ditko's weakest stories (for the reasons you noted in the video). Anyway, glad I found your channel, from what I've watched so far you're making great videos, can't wait for more.

[@PinoyPhill]

Nice video, I subbed. I think this channel will get pretty big if you keep at it man.

[@manueldonohue3487]

Da Vinci, or Picasso. Now Steve ditko, or John romita what's the difference to both phenomenal artists make the Old Masters remind me in Deadpool are gold and silver age comics it's like the old Masters they both taught me how to read as a child Leonardo da Vinci or Pablo Picasso didn't but I still like their art get grateful

[@michaelhughes432]

@FinnSuto II. There was one time Prof. Stromm did return to menace Spider-man, in an issue of "Spectacular Spider-man" sometime in the 1980's. At the time of his death, he somehow had three robots activated from his mind, and they fought Spider-man in Stromm's former lab. Spidey, of course defeated all 3 of Stromm's robots. I liked Steve Ditko's artwork on Spider-man, but I believe John Romita, Sr. was a worthy successor to Ditko. and some Spider-man fans may not agree, but I also felt that Gil Kane and John Romita, Sr. made a good Spider-man art team. Also, Jack Kirby doing the art and Ditko inking the Spider-man Comic. And other later Spider-man artists I liked were Don Heck, John & Sal Buscema, Ross Andru and in the 1980's Ron Frenz. And I agree that the late John Romita, Sr. was THE BEST Spider-man artist, but I like Steve Ditko too. At first, I didn't like when Romita too over as the new artist on the Spider-man Comic, I liked Ditko better. But later on, I began to like Romita too!

[@michaelhughes432]

@FinnSuto II. Just for the record, I should also mention that I didn't like when Stan Lee changed the line-up of the Original Avengers in Issue #16, to three "former villains", Hawkeye the Archer, Quicksilver & the Scarlet Witch. I liked the original line-up better. Later on I got to like them. Speaking of The Avengers Comic, at first I didn't like when John Buscema took over as the artist from Jack Kirby and Don Heck. But later I got to like HIS artwork. Also, I didn't like when Gene Colon took over as the artist on the Iron Man Comic from Don Heck, starting with Tales of Suspense #73. But I later on got to like his art style too. The trouble with me was when I started reading Superhero Comics, both Marvel & DC in 1962/63, I would unwisely start reading the story without reading the credits first. Also, for a brief time, from 1965-1966, I unwisely stopped reading comic books. That is why the artwork looked differently to me. And as I looked back, it was "narrow mindedness," on my part!

[@seantaylor424]

As a lifelong Shocker fan, I've always known the guy to be smart, but he knows he's not Doc Ock or Green Goblin, so he tempers his expectations and tries to be more professional than most other villains...His first issue is not humble, though, and it doesn't seem like he gets that way for a while. Unfortunately, my comics heyday is the 2000's and my knowledge before that is limited to the Avengers Celestial Madona storyline, Secret Wars, Infinity Gauntlet and then mostly encyclopedias on the characters. My knowledge of Shocker isn't as complete as I once thought, but my 2000's issues of him check out, so hopefully I'm not completely off-base.

[@trollheyman2703]

I will say reading the comments, people that dislike ditko are just people that dont like his art style and think stan lee invented everything. Complete casuals that dont know jack about comics.

[@GabyGeorge1996]

I think they also dislike Ditko because he was a Randian shill

[@trollheyman2703]

@@GabyGeorge1996 now explain what a "randian shill" is.

[@randyryry6656]

Bro really snuck a yo momma joke in 💀

[@vitus.verdegast]

The first comic I ever bought was Spiderman #39,Romita's debut issue, because I liked the art. Before that, Ditko's art looked quirky and interesting but kind of amateurish to me.

[@DeansCartoons]

This is so underrated

[@robertonline6543]

How come Peter's spidey sense 🤔 kick in when goblin was following 🤔 him?

[@vasp99]

The more that's revealed about Steve Ditko the less there is to like about him. He was deeply troubled and dependent on a cult to justify whatever it was he spent his entire life hiding . Too many "fans" enjoy in the sad fad of slandering Stan Lee but the fact is that Stan guided comics into the modern era and would have done so with or without prima donnas like Kirby and Ditko .

[@trollheyman2703]

Are you stupid?

[@trollheyman2703]

Every marvel character you know was created by kirby or ditko. Stan lee was a used car salesman. Name me one creation stan Lee invented before kirby or ditko worked for marvel you clown.

[@cha5]

Stan was just about ready to leave comics altogether at that time as well being that he had felt at multiple times that he was in a dead end career towards the end of the fifties and the start of the sixties, and without Kirby and Ditko things might have been very different insofar as the Marvel era of comics goes. Not to mention the fact that both artists among others ranging from Wally Wood to Jim Steranko had a hand in co writing their comics. Inspite of some “fans” who seem to have this idea that Stan created everything over at Marvel all on his own.

[@DT25659]

After Ditko left, that era was kinda mid ngl, there is like a story where he fights an evil conservative after captain Stacy died and that was like the most boring comic I have ever read. the he fights a politician who was bipolar and dies at the end. I think Ditko understood his characters more. People hate on Ditko cause of his politic and because of that Nerd Sync video. Romita had some good stories but a lot of it felt like filler to the point I took a break from his run, his stuff doesn't get good till way later on and the creative team after that was imo a more worthy successor.

[@trollheyman2703]

People just like romita because they think his art was pretty. The romita run story wise was mid because he wasn't a creative, even romita admits himself that he was just an illustrator not a creator. Guys like kirby and ditko were really good storytellers along with great artists. Most casuals dont realize how good ditko was.

[@DT25659]

@@trollheyman2703 you know Ditko was good when a character that was supposed to parody and insult one of creation ended up being a fan favorite against the authors wishes. The guy made Marvel cosmology move further than what it was before with his Doctor Strange books and Co created Marvel's most popular character and his Mr.A creation inspired other popular characters. For someone who did not like interviews, he really did make his work speak for itself.