Recently, the Disney organization announced this year's roster of "Disney Legend" inductees. They are, in no particular order: Kelly Ripa, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Joe Rohde, John Williams…and Steve Ditko. More than a few folks have written to ask me…
A lot of people seem to feel it's inappropriate for Steve Ditko to be named a Disney Legend. How do you feel about it?
I kinda feel if it makes his family happy — and I'm hearing it does — fine with me. True, he doesn't seem to have ever worked for Disney but that does not seem to be part of the criteria to be designated as a Disney Legend. You just have to have played a major role in something that made the corporation a lot of money or will. If them's the rules, he's qualified.
Would the notoriously fan-shy artist have welcomed the honor? Probably not. He probably would not even have liked people printing and circulating the few photos of him that are around but his most devoted fans ignore that. (I saw one of them on Facebook say that the Disney honor is wrong because Ditko always shunned awards. I have a hunch the person who said this expressed no displeasure when Mr. Ditko was named to The Hall of Fame and would have been outraged if the artist had been snubbed.)
Yes, Ditko shunned awards and interviews and after he attended one of the first comic book conventions, comic book conventions. He also was upset to the point of actually speaking out — well, writing a few angry letters — when his role as co-creator of Spider-Man was denied or ignored. I'm not pretending to be able to speak for him but since the Disney organization will probably own and exploit the hell outta Spider-Man and Dr. Strange for all eternity, it might help keep Ditko's name attached that they've now formally recognized his contribution.
