Catcher in the wry

Artist and writer Steve Ditko is the JD Salinger of superhero comics: he became a star thanks to his co-creation with Stan Lee of Spider Man in 1962, producing a celebrated and hugely influential four-year run, before abruptly quitting Marvel and abandoning public life completely. His subsequent comics were infused with a strident devotion to Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism (best expressed in 1967's Mr A) through their unnervingly surrealistic artwork that’s rich with mysticism and anxiety. Blake Bell's lavishly illustrated critical retrospective may not truly get to the core of the man (unsurprisingly, given his utter impenetrability) but it does amply showcase his profound effect on modern comics.

Danny Graydon