Thinking Out Loud: The Ditko Effect

More and more I've noticed that Steve Ditko's name is on a lot of films and television, especially those put out by Marvel. Mostly this takes the form of little credits like "Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko", and mostly this is a good thing, with many creators having been denied credit for their work in the past; even if they're dead, like Ditko, they deserve to be known for what they did. There is something about Steve Ditko getting more and more press however, that gets my hackles up. Firstly, I love Ditko's work, I have plenty of Silver Age Spider-Man, The Question and Doctor Strange in my collection and have even tracked down some Mr A here and there, so I'm not knocking his contribution to the medium or saying he's not entitled to the posthumous accolades he's been belatedly awarded. What I'm having more and more issue with, is the Dikto apologists and the impact, deliberate or no, that they are having on the discourse around superheroes. Sorry, this is another politics one, see most of you next week. 

That Steve Ditko was an Objectivist is no secret, and should not shock anyone with more than a passing knowledge of Comics history. For the uninitiated, Objectivism is sect of hardcore, right-wing, Libertarian thought, pioneered by the terrible novels of Ayn Rand and still a popular school of "thought" among conservatives. Put briefly, Objectivism posits that the bulk of human society should support the work of the extraordinary individuals among us and place no restrictions on their unbridled genius. Not a terrible idea on the surface, but if you dig down you find that every proponent of this idea thinks they're the special ones, and we have enough trouble with keeping the powerful to any ethical code already. Yes, I'm pretty far astray from Objectivism on the political spectrum, so call this sour grapes if you will, but touting Ditko's genius without also pointing out the unfortunate elements of his thinking can be pretty dangerous. You see, whilst Objectivist thinking isn't inherently bigoted, it is very attractive to those looking to justify their already racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic/bigoted worldview. 

Was Ditko himself a bigoted person? Well, the evidence is mixed there, and a lot of publications offer contrary opinions, but at best, he was difficult to work and live with, often treating people around him, especially fans of his, poorly. Ditko's beliefs, however, are pretty plain to see in a lot of his work, from unbridled scientific research in Spider-Man through to The Question literally vanquishing opponents with his righteous dedication to the truth. Yes, in Silver Age issues of The Question, he "eviscerates" his foes with "facts and logic". To my mind, if these works were allowed to stand on their own, there wouldn't be too much of an issue, as I trust readers to be discerning and only a handful of morons will get their philosophical and political beliefs from superhero comics. Due to Ditko's legendary status in the industry, however, a comment on an online forum or in a crowded comic store along the lines of "I love classic Doctor Strange comics, but Ditko's politics kind of grate after a while", is an invitation to be dog-piled. 

So what am I asking for here? Basically, I'd like us to treat Steve Ditko the same way we started treating Stan Lee before his death; like a human with flaws. Lee has copped a lot of blame, some of it fair, for the way many artists and writers had credit stolen from their work in the Silver Age by publishers and he had to account for that publicly and professionally. As Ditko never really chased the spotlight, he didn't have that same period of accountability for his less admirable traits, and since his death, people, especially fans, don't wish to speak ill of a great talent. All I'm asking is, can we admit that Ditko had some toxic beliefs? Don't throw away his comics, don't stop reading his work and don't stop showing it to the next generations of fans, but as you do so, point out what's wrong and why. Hell, I like to assume we're already doing that with some of racism, sexism and other assorted bigotry of classic comics, so just add in something about "Ayn Rand was a moron, don't take this seriously" as you go. Oh, and read some Mr A, it's a fucking trip.