Most people who know me know that I’m a big Spidey fan. And while I’m also a big fan of Stan Lee, John Romita, and Jack Kirby, there’s only one man that could have made Spider-Man work if you ask me: Steve Ditko. Spider-Man stood out right away in the Marvel universe, because he was so different than all the other characters–he was this nerdy teenager who dressed up in a weird spider costume and fought crime, meanwhile juggling school, girls, and all the other pressures teenagers face. I love Jack Kirby–some stories suggest that Jack Kirby had a lot to do with the initial idea of a “spider man”–but can you imagine Kirby doing a book like that? Steve Ditko brought the kind of energy and imagination to Spider-Man that only he could, not only in the look of Spider-Man, but often in the plotting of the book, and many people say, most of the creation of the character. Only Steve Ditko could make something as crazy sounding as “a teenage crimefighter with the proportionate strength of a spider” not only work, but become an overnight sensation. Steve Ditko only did 38 issues of what many consider the greatest comic ever, but he’s still hailed as one of the greatest comics artists of all time to this very day.