 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #9 splash page February 1964 Steve Ditko original artist |
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I also do reinterpretations of splash pages hereabouts. For the uninitiated, a splash page is a full-page piece of art usually (but not always) found on the first page of a story. Sometimes it's merely part of the tale's continuity, but often, especially in days gone by, it was used to symbolically showcase upcoming story elements as a way of whetting the reader's taste for the thrills he had in store. This splash panel from the earliest appearance of long-time Spidey foe Electro is obviously one of these, and a wonderful example of one at that. |
| It's all there--the characters Peter Parker and his costumed alter ego will encounter over the next twenty pages, the emotions they'll elicit, and the challenges our hero will face. And it's all beautifully designed and drawn by the original Spider-Man artist--and my absolute favorite cartoonist--Steve Ditko. Using a simple symmetrical concept, he wrings more drama out of the piece than you'd ever think possible, brilliantly utilizing a web motif and the trademark half Spidey/half Parker he was famous for. Sometimes I redraw these things for the sheer personal pleasure of it, and folks, this here's a prime example of that notion. Ditko. Spider-Man. Sigh. Doesn't get any better than that. | |