The Charlton Package!

Wahooo!!!

I've been wanting Steve Ditko's 160-Page Package featuring some of his choice work with Joe Gill for Charlton, forever! I finally got off my behind and ordered it along with The Lonely One a collection of Konga stories by Gill and Ditko from Robin Snyder.

The package showed up yesterday, overflowing in my meager mailbox. I ripped it open and found two pristine books, both rich with Ditko B&W goodness. I'm eager to read through them.

Snyder was a real peach and sent along a couple of neat extras, specifically a vintage Hulk comic with some typically outstanding Herb Trimpe artwork and the Archie TV movie adaptation To Riverdale and Back Again with some great work by Dan DeCarlo and Gene Colan.

But it's the Ditko that gleams so very brightly, and it's the Ditko-Gill stuff I yearn to tear into. Ditko's work is so very excellent in B&W, that despite the fact I might own a few of these stories already in the original, it's a great treat to see them anew sans color. Ditko's designs really show up when the color goes away.

He had a great way of blending the Charlton Ghost Hosts into the story. There are stories here narrated by Mr.Dedd, Dr.Graves, Mr.Bones, and Winnie the Witch. All of the stories seem to have the hosts appear throughout, making for some very clever panel layouts.The packag feature some glowing tributes from Joe Gill to Steve Ditko and vice versa.

The Konga stories are older Ditko, less muscular design, but no less intriguing. There are five Konga stories from various issues along with some smaller bits of buisness from cartoonist Henry Boltinoff. Pat Boyette does a tasteful introduction to the collection praising his colleagues Ditko and Gill.

All I can say is yummy.

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