The Steve Ditko Omnibus Volume 2.

The Steve Ditko Omnibus #2

by Steve Ditko

Steve Ditko is the co-creator of Spiderman and he is recognised as one of the comic greats. This volume stars superheroes and villains, including Batman, The Hawk, Starman and many more.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Fiction, Anthologies

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko was an American comic book artist and writer best known as the co-creator of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.

He was inducted into the comics industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990, and into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994.

Reviews

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really good Ditko stories here. His handful of Hawk and Dove stories, his run on Paul Levitz's Starman from Adventure Comics, some Legion stuff, Man-Bat and Demon, as well as Black Lightning, Spectre, and Darkseid.

The Hawk and Dove issues are really interesting, as they give a window into the struggles between the hawks and doves of the late 60s. Written by Steve Skeates, brothers Don and Hank Hall, children of a moralist judge who comes right out of an Ayn Rand novel, get caught up in some shenanigans and end up getting super powers through some mysterious means. There's just a couple or three issues here, but certainly the highlight of the book.

Ditko next did an issue of Man-Bat, and we get to see Ditko's version of Batman. The Man-Bat story spills over into some Demon backups, starring the same bad guy. Ditko's art here is outstanding and never deviates from his standard style.

Next up is the Starman series Ditko did with Paul Levitz over a dozen or so issues of Adventure Comics. Ditko only drew one cover, the first issue starring Starman, and it is included here. Inking Ditko on these stories was Romeo Tanghal, who was also doing good work over George Perez's pencils in New Teen Titans. Levitz's Starman isn't particularly ground breaking, but it's a pretty good space opera story and Ditko does some great work here with the sci-fi setting. These are 8-10 pages stories, as Starman shared Adventure with Plastic Man and then also Aquaman. The wrap up to the story, though came in DC Comics Presents. Jim Starlin drew that, so it's not included in this volume (but can be found in the BW Showcase Presents).

Next up are the infamous Legion stories that Ditko drew. These stories happened at a nadir of the Legion, in between Levitz's first run and the second, very successful run with Keith Giffen. WRitten by JM DeMatteis, Gerry Conway, and Roy Thomas, we have a short story telling how the Legion got their flight rings, the truly awful Dr Mayavale story, the issue where Blok joined the Legion, part of the Ultra Boy is Dead story line, and then an issue set in 20th Century Smallviile, as Superboy was reintegrated into the Legion. Ditko doesn't ink any of these, and it's a damn shame. Dave Hunt does an ok job, smoothing out Ditko's work, but inkers Bob Wiacek and Frank Chriramonte, who do most of the rest, are just awful. They destroy Ditko's art and make it scratchy and blotchy and it's just awful. AWFUL!. The last story is inked by Bruce Patterson, and it looks wonderful.

Interestingly, none of these Legion stories have covers by Ditko by they are included in this volume. (George Perez and Rich Buckler drew them.) Also, Ditko was not on the title continuously, meaning we don't get the full story of what's going on with Ultra Boy and Superboy (this is the Reflecto Saga).

The last three tales are a Black Lightning short from Outsiders (the first series), inked by Jerry Ordway. a Spectre story inked by Kevin Nowland, and a Darkseid story inked by someone I can't remember. All of these inkers add a lot to Ditko, although Nowland almost takes the art into something non-Ditkoesque. Ordway's inks are fantastic, and the Darkseid story is fun because it's just neat seeing Ditko on Jack Kirby's creations.

Overall, enjoyed this a good bit, even the terrible Legion stories. Steve Ditko is not everyone's cup of tea, but I generally enjoy his work. I also liked the first volume, and have the Creeper by Steve Ditko on my shelf waiting for the right moment to be read. Very glad DC collected these.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are no sacred cows in my mind. No artist, especially one as prolific as Ditko, is exempt from critical analysis of their work. I understand that he had to eat and many of the issues compiled in this book were Ditko cashing a check and nothing more, but that has no bearing on how I as a fan feel about this material.

The classic The Hawk And The Dove finally sees a collected edition. This concept was pure Ditko and very much of it's time. Two brothers are given powers by some strange “Voice”, and their powers are amplified versions of their personalities. The Dove is a hippie, all peace and believing the best of humanity, i.e. that criminals can be rehabilitated, while The Hawk is a pro-establishment, might makes right, pro-war kind of guy. Their methods of fighting are as different as their philosophies. This is a fascinating read with some superb artwork by Ditko. Unfortunately the rest of the series remains uncollected to this day.

Next is the story from Man-Bat #1, which is fantastic. It makes me wish that someone would have given Ditko a shot at the Caped Crusader, as his version of Batman is great. No cover is provided for that issue. If DC's collected editions that are artist centric do not feature artwork not by that artist, that would be one thing. If DC held true to that I might be able to at least understand that, but they throw in the non-Ditko drawn covers to Legion of Super-Heroes #268, 272, 274, 276, 281. The next story has Ditko's rendering of The Demon, a real treat since this was a Jack Kirby creation. Kirby and Ditko are like The Beatles and The Stones for comic fans. While I love both everyone tends to pick a side.

The title of this book makes it sound like The Hawk And The Dove get the lion's share of the book, but this is false. Starman's co-headlining strip from Adventure Comics #467-478 take up 102 pages to H&D's 73 pages. This could also be because Starman totally sucks balls, with my will to live decreasing with each passing page. I was a Marvel zombie in the very traditional sense of the term. You couldn't pay me to read a DC comic between 1979-1990, as they seemed stupid and cheesy with lame writing and even lamer artwork. I know this to be false today but such was my perspective at that time. Comics like this make a poor argument for DC, though. Ditko's work was mutilated by hack inker Romeo Tanghal. Making matters worse was Paul Levitz's embarrassing writing. I am serious, if you enjoy this abysmal dreck then you need your taste buds checked. Of course DC only provided the cover to #467.

Things go from bad to much, much, much worse with Legion of Super-Heroes. They say that if you can't say anything nice then you should not say anything at all. I disagree. If you pay money and something sucks ass like these comics do, shout it from the rooftops of the Internet. It is your right as a consumer and your duty as a comic book connoisseur to dissuade folks from buying bad books. The LoSH also get more pages than the book's headliner, with 109 to H&D's 73. DC has misled you not once but twice. Oh, and the assclowns omitted the cover to #267.

There are three random back-up stories from 1986, 1998, and 2008. The first is a Black Lightning one, which is lame. The next is a Spectre one, which makes me wish that Ditko got a shot at the character when he was in his prime, and finally, an Apokolips story which sucks. So out of the 400 pages, more than half of this book sucks. There were parts that I liked but will never, ever reread Starman or Legion of Super-Losers again for as long as I live.

[Zack! Empire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely more what I wanted the first book to be, Ditko actually drawing stories with established characters from the DC universe. I never thought I would see a Ditko drawn Superboy, Darksied, or Batman (?!?!), but now I have, and they are Glorious! Probably the biggest problem with the book is that like most of these creator centered books, you only get what the creator worked on. Story lines with Starman, the Legion, and others are left half done, or you come along after the story has already started. Really what you are looking for with this kind of book is the focus on Steve's art though, so, as long as you can live with that minor hiccup, you will be ok.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun revisiting old stories. My only complaint is that some stores were continued.

Hawk and Dove by far were the best stories.

[Robert Garrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last of three volumes collecting Steve Ditko’s DC work (THE STEVE DITKO OMNIBUS, VOLUME 1 and THE CREEPER are the previous two.). Whereas the first omnibus contained SHADE, THE CHANGING MAN, along with various science fiction, fantasy and horror stories, this second one consists solely of super hero fare. Unfortunately, it’s also the most uneven volume, in terms of quality.

The volume leads off with Ditko’s three Hawk and the Dove issues. The Hawk and the Dove is an interesting and somewhat daring concept. Two teenage brothers - one a pacifist and the other belligerent - gain super powers. Both heroes are portrayed as too extremist in their thinking. Dove is virtually a coward in some scenes, while Hawk is often an unthinking bully who shoots first and asks questions later. The series' moral center is not the super heroes, but rather their father, who works as a judge and often chastises his sons for their knee-jerk opinions.

Ditko plotted the first two Hawk and the Dove stories, while Steve Skeates plotted the third and scripted all three. Afterwards, Ditko left the series, and it was cancelled after three more issues.

Frankly, I don’t think it would have lasted long, in any case. The two main heroes are a little too unlikable, and if they were to mature too much in the thinking, then the series would have no reason to exist. What kid in any decade would want to read a series about two super heroes who need to listen to their father? The Hawk and the Dove was an interesting experiment, but personally, I don’t think it was an entirely successful one. On the plus side, it likely would spark some interesting debates, and any comic that makes you think can’t be entirely bad.

After this, we’re treated to a Man-Bat story and a three-part story featuring Jack Kirby’s Demon character. The Man-Bat and the Demon both face the same Dr. Strange-type villain, and Ditko is really in his element in these tales. All are wonderfully atmospheric and weird, with some famed Ditko magical, trippy dimensions. The Man-Bat story includes a guest appearance by Batman, whom Ditko draws with his face completely in shadow. It’s a nice effect, and it makes you wish that Ditko had drawn some Batman stories. Ditko receives no plotting credit for these tales, but he’s such a good fit for them that you wonder if he didn’t have input, regardless.

After the Man-Bat and Demon stories, the material becomes much weaker, and in all of them, Ditko seems to serve as artist only, with no story input. First, we have the Starman series that ran in ADVENTURE COMICS in 1979-1980. Written by Paul Levitz, it features a space-faring super hero in a empire that exists “in a galaxy far, far away.” It seems an obvious attempt to lure fans of both super heroes and Star Wars. The series isn’t bad and is, in fact, quite enjoyable for the most part, but it’s also a pretty “by the numbers” sci-fi adventure series - one neither particularly inspired nor memorable. Ditko fans will likely be disappointed by Romeo Tanghal’s heavy-handed inking, as Tanghal buries much of Ditko’s unique style and makes Starman look like virtually every other super hero series on the 1980s comic racks.

The volume follows Starman with some random Legion of Super –Heroes stories. These vary greatly in quality – both in terms of art and story. Artwise, Ditko is saddled with a number of different inkers, some of which are a good match for him and some of which, frankly aren’t. The worst is Bob Wiacek, who makes Ditko’s work look downright ugly, but on the plus side, Dave Hunt and Bruce Patterson both make Ditko shine. Since Ditko did, in fact, only draw random issues, there are some annoying gaps, and a few storylines aren’t concluded in the volume. Ditko completists will just be happy to have these stories, but others will be disappointed, and Legion fans will likely seek out more complete collections of Legion material.

Three short stories , featuring Black Lightning, the Spectre and Darkseid round out the volume. The Black Lightning story is strictly filler, but the other two aren’t bad. Once again, we see how different inkers work with Ditko’s pencils. In all three cases, the inkers seem a little overpowering, but some of the results are nice to behold, anyway. The Spectre story in particular, with inks by Kevin Nowlan, has a nice “pseudo-painted” look that I found quite pleasing.

While there is some good material in here, then, I can’t really recommend it to anyone but Ditko completists. It may be nice to have all Ditko’s DC work in three volumes, but I wish that DC had also offered separate collections of the most sought-after material, such as the Man-Bat, Demon, and the Hawk and the Dove stories. Then, fans would have had the option of skipping inferior works.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in DC Comics' many series of artist-specific hardcover reprints, the Steve Ditko Omnibus Vol. 2 covers a lot of near random stories between the sixties and the nineties done by the legendary creator of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange.

Included are all three of the Hawk and Dove stories that Ditko created, his fondly remembered Starman series from Adventure Comics with Paul Levitz, his work on Man-Bat and the Demon that featured the mystic villain Baron Tyme, several issues of Legion of Super-Heroes, and a couple of short features with Black Lightning and the Spectre.

Of everything in this one, the Starman stories are the best part of the book and most deserving of a proper hardcover reprinting. As with many reviewers, I think it's a shame that the final part of the story, in DC Comics Presents #36, wasn't included (it featured artwork by Jim Starlin). A similar problem is with the Demon stories, as the first chapter of that story arc was in Detective Comics and had Michael Golden handling the art chores, hence it isn't in this book.The story from Man-Bat #1 does feature the only time Ditko drew Batman in a regular story for DC, so that's a plus.

I enjoy these collections, but I think they're better when they are character or story-arc specific, rather than artist. Especially with someone like Steve Ditko, who's later years with DC (and Marvel) was primarily as a fill-in artist, the Starman series being a rare exception. This wasn't a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, though, as it shows Steve Ditko in great form with a variety of great artists inking his work. If you like Starman, Ditko, or DC Comics, you'll more than likely enjoy this Omnibus.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's classic Steve Ditko art. What's not to like?