Steve Ditko, born November 2, 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a comic book artist and is credited with co-creating Spider-man and Dr. Strange. Growing up, Ditko's father sparked his interest in newspaper comic strips and when Steve served in the military, he drew comic strips for a military newspaper.
After his discharge, he enrolled in what is now the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1950, graduating in 1953. In 1955, he went to work for Atlas Comics, which is now Marvel Comics, illustrating stories written by Stan Lee.
In 1962, Spider-man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15, a collaboration between Ditko and Lee. But it seemed that Lee was getting most of the credit for the superhero instead of Ditko. This led to a years long feud between the two.
Lee eventually complied and gave Ditko credit for his contributions. Ditko also worked for DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Defiant Comics.
He was reclusive and rarely gave interviews. He never married or had children. He passed away in June 2018 from a heart attack.
