Ditko's Shorts!

Ditko's Shorts appealed to me from the moment I first saw this oddball collection of teensy tales from the pages of (mostly) vintage Charlton comics.

As the volume testifies, Ditko had a singular charm to compose an effective and memorable tale (often written by Joe Gill) in a few pages. These tiny stories were useful to editors when trying to fit out a full-sized comic for publication and were tucked in alongside longer yarns which often didn't resonate half so effectively.

The late 50's which produced truckloads of comics trying to evoke the feeling of science fiction mystery and horror proved an ideal time and subject for little shockers, vignettes which were crafted to leave a singular impression.

I have read most all of these before, but it was especially nice to see some of the later Ditko tales from issues of Ghostly Haunts, Scary Tales, and elsewhere being included. All too often Ditko's work from this period, which I regard as some of his most muscular and mature, gets ignored in favor of his early softer style.

I did think the asking price for this volume was a tad steep for the density of the package, and I'd have preferred to have gotten a discount on it (which I wasn't able to wrangle) but I'm not terribly disappointed. It's a typically fun tome from YOe Books, and forwards by both Craig Yoe and Charlton fan Fester Flaceplant.

Below are a few examples of the kind of tiny tales you'll find. These are two of my favorites. 

(from Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #12)

(from Konga #3)

I can't recommend this one for any save the Ditko devotee, but for them it's a must have.

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