Steve Ditko had left behind his co-creation of Spider-Man and found at DC under editor Dick Giordano, at least momentarily, a haven where he could produce the kinds of politically sensitive stories he craved to present. His Beware The Creeper showcased his long-standing complaint against personal cowardice in the news media and here we see his take on the war debate. He didn't last long on the book, producing only the first three issues (one the Showcase debut issue). Gil Kane with writer Steve Skeates picked up the reins and later Kane himself wrote the stories. The duo also made a guest-starring appearance in the Teen Titans by Neal Adams and Nick Cardy. This led to more appearances in later years and the brothers Hall were considered members of a sort.
The collection is highly recommended and sits on the very tip top of my reading stack.
The United States is undergoing the greatest stress to its character since those now seemingly far-off days of the Vietnam War. A pirate has swindled and lied his way into the White House and he and his minions seem intent on not just lining their own pockets, but they are breaking the peace of the world to do it. The struggle for the soul of America is far from over. The current powers of the opposition have not fully grokked the nature of the threat, or they hide cowardice and timidity behind parliamentary procedure. New leaders are rising even now, and again it's among the young. The inevitable success of that struggle might well not end in my lifetime, or it might end more quickly than we imagine. These are unprecedented and troubled waters we sail on today.
DC threw a lot of talent in developing this series. Back in those times, we used the term "relevant" for these and other books tapping into social and geopolitical issues. Some worked, some didn't. This one surely put a unique spin on reflecting the times.
ReplyDeleteDC's attempts to tap the "relevant" market of socially aware younger people were mixed at best, and even the best such as the Green Lantern stories still have a stiffness to them.
DeleteMaybe a note that a return of a childhood illness forced Ditko to curtail his production and he chose to continue on The Creeper (for a while) rather than The Hawk and The Dove in 1968, and that accounted for his short tenure on Hawk and Dove. - - D.D.Degg
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the information on Ditko. I don't recall hearing this before in connection to Hawk and Dove.
DeleteA timely post! Every morning I see some new disgrace to the best ideals of America coming from the now soiled White House. Having been a teen during the latter half of the 1960s, I thought that was a dangerous time for the survival of those ideals, but this seems much worse now. There were actually enough Republicans with a sense of moral responsibility then - but the few who remain today are outcasts from the current corruption of their party. I honestly fear for the survival of the USA these days.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that more and more people have given up on the current structure of the U.S. and wait for after the meltdown which seems ever more likely, to grab hold and rebuild it better for a modern era, casting out the parts that have seen much better days. This is slow fire that's been building for half a century and we're going to have to let it burn itself out.
DeleteI was aware of the Hawk and the Dove book but I didn't realise that Ditkos version ( at least) was so politically motivated, I will need to check this one out. I do wonder how Steve Ditko would have addressed the current situation in the U.S. I suspect he may not have been as outraged at this than I might wish.
ReplyDeleteDitko was a Libertarian with those Ayn Rand ideas rattling around, and I think he'd have been fine with some but enraged by others. The restrictions on human rights would have rubbed him the wrong way, unless he'd have been convinced those constituted a crime. I don't think that would have happened.
Delete