Why (Some of) Ditko's Underlying Philosophy Appeals to Me

Most of the underlying philosophy of Steve Ditko's work is, to me, abhorrent. I interpret it as nothing more than a form of Fascism. That point has been argued artfully by many and more eloquently than I could argue, so I leave that as self evident.

However, there is something almost hideously attractive about parts of Ditko's message. I would struggle to wonder just what it was. Because while I found myself drawn to the stories and that message, I was always repelled by the totality of it. What is there that keeps me coming back?

And, finally, I realized that it's Ditko's interpretation of the world at large as being either black, or white. That is, one can make choices that--for all practical and philosophical reasons--are either good, or evil.

To an extent, I do like that reasoning.

When one is going to argue a point or be swayed by an argument, there is a right and a wrong. I do believe that. So Ditko's persuasion that to be on the wrong side is bad and the right side is good appeals to me. My parting of ways with Ditko and his company of Ayn Rand slaves is that I think that he is solidly on the wrong side. That is, I find his arguments and conclusions to be evil rather than good.

In the sub-culture defined by comic book fans, Ditko has attracted the neo-Fascist crowd who look to him almost as a kind of messianic figure who stands in these days for the departed Ayn Rand. I find these people--absolutely without exception--to be an execrable lot. So I doubly owe Mr. Ditko a debt of gratitude for giving these sorry excuses for quasi-humanity a central place to gather. It's always good to know the bad guys are huddled in one poisonous spot.

I've written briefly before of the few bits of Ditko's form of logic that I do find worthwhile, so I won't belabor those strands again. For now I choose to acknowledge that Ditko's characters do appeal to me for their take on the basic ideas of good and evil. The irony being, of course, that I find Steve Ditko and his fans to be on the very wrong side of the good/evil equation.