Eisner Nominated. Illustrated with color scans of Ditko original art.

From the publisher:

The first in depth biography of comics-legend Steve Ditko, in his own works -- taken from years of correspondence with author David Currie and endorsed by the Ditko family with a Foreword by Mark S. Ditko.

In his Foreword Mark S. Ditko writes: "...this is a really great book. David, and his correspondence with my uncle and others, uncovered and documented things that would otherwise have been left unknown or subject to complete speculation …if ever even considered."

Steve Ditko was the last of a generation of American comic book artists who produced iconic, modern day mythology and was among the most influential and original creators of the 20th Century, a prime architect, together with Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, of a universe of heroic characters that took Marvel Comics from an underdog New York publisher in the 1960s to the world-recognized brand of comic book superheroes and multi-million-dollar movies of today.

Ditko co-created Spider-Man but walked away from the character he designed over 50 years ago, never to return to the enduring superhero, and retreating completely from the public eye thereafter.

Utilizing a decade-long correspondence between Steve Ditko and the author, the history of the formative years of American comic books and the rise of Marvel Comics is revealed, illuminated further by interviews with many other comic book creators from all periods. It's an intrigue-filled story of heroes and villains, both fictional and real; visionary artists on zero-hour contracts and one man's artistically productive and diligently uncompromising life.