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Space Wars
This collection of artist Steve Ditko's finest comics includes a wealth of sci-fi work done prior to his world-shaking creation with Stan Lee, Spider-Man. Ditko's eclectic, sometimes surrealistic art proves both futuristic and retro as he takes readers into the cosmos to find star-crossed lovers in the backstabbing debacle, "Dead Reckoning." Then, the deadliest space ship in the galaxy hovers menacingly over readers while invaders demand complete surrender in "The Conquered Earth!" These, plus "The Creature from Corpus Ill" and "The Juggernauts of Jupiter," are just a sampling of the pulse-pounding tales featured in this book.
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2004
23 people want to read
About the author
Steve Ditko
1,262 books142 followersStephen 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 26, 2025
Space Wars is a vibrant, kinetic showcase of Ditko’s mid-period sensibilities—a collection where cosmic conflict becomes a stage for visual experimentation.
The stories revolve around grand confrontations, but the heart of the book is not war; it is the choreography of motion, energy, and philosophical duality. Ditko treats every cosmic beam and energy blast as an opportunity for design.
The narratives themselves are straightforward, often archetypal: good versus evil, order versus chaos, and ambition versus consequence. But Ditko disrupts these simplicities with his restless linework. Battles explode into cubist fragmentation, machinery folds into abstract geometry, and faces are carved with moral certainty.
There is an operatic sincerity in these tales, a belief that the cosmos is a moral battlefield and that every action has metaphysical weight.
At times the writing feels dated, but Ditko’s art transcends its pulp origins. Space Wars becomes a study of contrast: dense black shadows against sharp whites, rigid machinery against fluid motion, cosmic vistas against tight psychological close-ups.
A book not just to read but to look at—closely, and more than once.
The stories revolve around grand confrontations, but the heart of the book is not war; it is the choreography of motion, energy, and philosophical duality. Ditko treats every cosmic beam and energy blast as an opportunity for design.
The narratives themselves are straightforward, often archetypal: good versus evil, order versus chaos, and ambition versus consequence. But Ditko disrupts these simplicities with his restless linework. Battles explode into cubist fragmentation, machinery folds into abstract geometry, and faces are carved with moral certainty.
There is an operatic sincerity in these tales, a belief that the cosmos is a moral battlefield and that every action has metaphysical weight.
At times the writing feels dated, but Ditko’s art transcends its pulp origins. Space Wars becomes a study of contrast: dense black shadows against sharp whites, rigid machinery against fluid motion, cosmic vistas against tight psychological close-ups.
A book not just to read but to look at—closely, and more than once.
February 5, 2019
A fun collection of early Steve Ditko science fiction comics printed in black and white. These are weird and wonderful short stories from various non-Marvel titles that showcase Ditko's evolving artistic sensibilities in the late 50's/early 60's. The stark black and white allows the reader to really examine Ditko's line work.
January 18, 2016
The co- creator of " The Amazing Spider-man and Doctor Strange, master of the mystic
arts", struts his early rendition of masterful storytelling. Here is the foundation for his
later work that most of us love and know.
November 30, 2012
A nice collection of Ditko's mostly forgettable, occasionally brilliant sci-fi pieces from the 50's and early 60's. Edited with charming, enthusiastic ineptitude by J. David Spurlock.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews