First part of the JOnathan Ross BBC special above; links to the next five parts:
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six

30 COMMENTS

  2. After watching this I came to three realizations:

    1. I did not appreciate Ditko as much as I should have.

    2. Stan Lee is looking REALLY old

    3. I could watch Alan Moore speak for hours on end

  3. This is great Heidi, I was wondering how I was going to see it. I haven’t watch it yet, but I can’t only wonder how it’s going to turn out, I’ve met Steve a hand full of times and he isn’t one for interviews, or signing books. And the few stories about him I heard of when I worked at marvel WHEW. Thanks I can’t wait to watch it.

    Wilson Ramos Jr.
    Section 8 Comics.
    http://www.the8spot.com

  7. Wow, Thanks again Heidi, this was great to watch, I only wish we can see programming like that over here in the states. Not only was it a look into the comics days of old, it treated our industry with respect. I’m sorry to say that most documentaries about comics makes more fun about us then anything else. I’m not surprise of the outcome and that we don’t get to hear or see Steve, but part of me was on the edge of my seat when they got to Steve’s office. I’m happy to say I’ve met him in person, and I’m happy to see that there are people out there who still find and treat his work with the respect that it really deserves.

    Best.
    Wilson Ramos Jr.
    Section 8 Comics
    http://www.the8spot.com

  10. What a great piece Heidi. It was great to see Millar speak of Ditko with such reverence (as I love his work), and I agree with earlier comment that it was a pleasure to see a comics documentary handle the medium with such reverance. Bravo!

  11. I just went and watched the other 6 parts of the documentary and they were quite interesting. Now if I can only get Neil Gaiman as a trusty sidekick..

  13. American TV sucks. The only letdown to this was the end. The best bit was the Stan Lee segment where we got to see some real personality and not just people spouting off about how wonderful the subject was. Loved the entire program.

  14. Hopefully, this will get put out on dvd (the whole series, not just Ditko).

    Also, I lovd Moore’s Mr A/Sister Ray song and his fab delivery. if only The NMindscape of Alan Moore had been able to capture more of this kind of material.

    I wonder if Ross and Gaiman will tell their “We Met Ditko” story years hence, when the great Ditko has moved on to greener pastures. Would LOVE to hear that story…

    One thing I was curious about: what is Ditko’s personality like? We get a profile of his work, his philosophy/politics, his work ethic, but we never hear what he was like…

  15. Neil Gaiman is adorable. Granted, this is not news.

    Also, someone needs to code an Alan Moore voice simulator, so that he can read me all of my pdfs.

  16. I haven’t gotten through the whole thing yet, but what I’ve seen has been very interesting. Of course, I fundamentally disagree with the documentary’s entire premise, that Ditko alone created Spider-Man and Stan Lee was just some sort of incidental figure. This “either/or” mentality when it comes to the creation of Marvel’s Silver Age pantheon is a bit juvenile and, ultimately, something that can never be fully established either way (as to the precise percentages of creative input).

    I’m happy to see Ditko get some much-deserved attention, but it’s a pity it’s through the boring old argument of who created what and when.

    Still, it’s great to see Alan Moore on camera talking about ANYTHING.

  18. I actually had tears in my eyes at the very last line.

    Until you do it, you have no idea at the blood and sweat and piss you go through to bring life to characters by drawing.

    I thought the end was very appropriate and respectful and not at all a letdown.

    Thanks again, Heidi.

  19. That was a fascinating piece. And after all these years, I finally know how to pronounce “yronwode.”

    Also, Mark Engblom: I hope you sat through the rest of it. I felt Jonathan Ross made it pretty clear that he does not consider Stan Lee an incidental character.

  20. Also, one thing I wish Jonathan Ross had done, if he really does respect Mr. Ditko’s privacy, is to blur out the address of his office.

  21. “the documentary’s entire premise, that Ditko alone created Spider-Man and Stan Lee was just some sort of incidental figure.”

    That’s not what he said. That’s not what anybody said. Not even in that small-press strip Ditko did (see it at Journalista).

    CO-creator, he said.

    //Oo/\

  25. Just go to youtube and do a search; last I checked, there are still copies that haven’t been caught, it’s just the specific one linked in all the comics blogs that’s gone.
    And, yeah, Mark E., that whole “Stan wasn’t even the co-creator, and it’s all-or-nothing” thing you’re ranting about is to be found absolutely fricking NOWHERE in the documentary and, as far as I can tell, has been pulled whole cloth from the terminal end of your digestive system.

  28. That documentary just about brought me to tears. That was f!#%$ awsome. I’d give anything to just shake his hand and thank him for the pleasure ive gotten from his body of work.

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