Artist Steve Ditko, co-creator of Marvel superheroes “Spider-Man” and “Doctor Strange,” has passed away, according to reports.
Ditko was found dead in his apartment on June 29 and was believed to have died about two days earlier, according to American magazines The Hollywood Reporter and Variety upon confirmation with the New York Police Department.
Jim Lee, publisher and chief creative officer of Marvel rival DC Comics, said while Ditko was best known for co-creating Spider-Man, he also “ushered in a slew of unique, very personal and eclectic characters for DC such as the Question, Blue Beetle, Hawk and Dove and more.”
Lee described Ditko as a “polite and unassuming” man who “never sought attention or the limelight but in many ways represented the hidden hero he saw in all of us.”
Author Neil Gaiman shared snippets of Ditko’s work on Twitter, remembering him as one who was “true to his own ideals.”
“He saw things his own way, and he gave us ways of seeing that were unique. Often copied. Never equaled. I know I’m a different person because he was in the world,” he wrote.
“Baby Driver” director-writer Edgar Wright also took to Twitter to send his condolences, calling Ditko “beyond influential on countless planes of existence”
“He never truly profited from his comic creations that have lasted for decades, but his work will never be forgotten,” he wrote. (AFP)
