Steve Ditko was the last of a sturdy generation ofAmerican comic book artists who produced iconic, modern day mythology and wasamong the most influential and original creators of the 20th Century. A primearchitect, together with Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, of a universe of heroiccharacters that took Marvel Comics from an underdog New York publisher in the1960s to the world-recognized brand of comic book superheroes andmulti-million-dollar movies of today, Ditko co-created Spider-Man but walkedaway from the character he designed over 50 years ago, to never again return tothe enduring superhero and retreating completely from the public eye thereafter.Seeking his own individualistic paths for creative and personal expression wouldlead to condemnation from some, restricted work opportunities from others and areclusive life peppered with memories of interfering editors; original artworkthat had been stolen from him and a life-long adherence to his Objectivistconvictions.

With the book sourcing a decade-long correspondence between SteveDitko and its author David Currie, the history of the formative years ofAmerican comic books and the rise of Marvel Comics is revealed, illuminatedfurther by interviews with many other comic book creators from all periods.

It''san intrigue-filled story of heroes and villains, both fictional and real;visionary artists on zero-hour contracts and one man''s artistically productiveand diligently uncompromising life.