In Search of Steve Ditko

In Search of Steve Ditko
Created by	Hot Sauce
Starring	Jonathan Ross
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	1
Production
Running time	60 Minutes
Original release
Network	BBC Four
Release	16 September 2007 (2007-09-16)

In Search of Steve Ditko is a BBC Four documentary. It was first shown on Sunday 16 September 2007.

The documentary is part of the Comics Britannia season and follows Jonathan Ross' attempts to track down comics artist Steve Ditko (known for Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Mr. A etc.).

Overview

The programme featured interviews with comics creators, editors and others including Jerry Robinson, John Romita Sr., Neil Gaiman, Joe Quesada, Ralph Macchio (comics), Flo Steinberg, Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Stan Lee, and Cat Yronwode.

Ross, accompanied by Gaiman, met Steve Ditko at his New York City office but he declined to be photographed or interviewed for the show. He did however give the two a selection of some of his old comic books. At the end of the show Ross said he had since spoken to Ditko on the telephone and was now on first name terms with him.

Reception

Comics historian Peter Sanderson said of the documentary:

A knowledgeable comics aficionado, Ross infuses the documentary with his passion for Ditko and American Silver Age comics. The show has an amazing roster of interviewees ... Wittily and intelligently written, without a trace of condescension towards comics, this program is a model of what documentaries about comics should be like.

External links

• In Search of Steve Ditko at BBC Online
• In Search of Steve Ditko at IMDb
• Jonathan Ross in Search of Steve Ditko at BBC Online
• The unsung hero behind Spider-Man, by Jonathan Ross, The Guardian, 14 September 2007
• BBC to screen history of comics, The Guardian, 10 August 2007