Release Date: September 16th, 2007 (UK)
Directed by: Peter Boyd Maclean
Cast: Jonathan Ross (host), Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Mark Millar, John Romita Sr.
Hot Sauce, BBC, 59 Minutes
Review:
In Search of Steve Ditko was a one hour documentary special hosted by Jonathan Ross in 2007. It aired on one of the BBC channels but I’m not sure which one. I’ve had a DVD-R of it for a decade though and I figured I should revisit it, especially since Ditko passed, earlier this year.
Also, it’s on YouTube, so anyone can watch it if they want to.
The purpose of this documentary was two fold.
First, Ross wanted to do a biography piece on Ditko and interviewed a lot of other iconic creators to talk about him.
Second, Ross wanted to track down Ditko and meet him, possibly for an interview, but mostly to express his love of the man’s work.
While Ross does get to meet his hero, it happens off camera and we don’t get to see the reclusive Ditko appear. I’m fine with that even if others may be let down, as I believe in respecting the man’s privacy. And if you love Ditko, this is still a fine retrospective on his career and his influence on the comic book medium.
There are some great interviews here with Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Mark Millar, John Romita Sr. and even Stan Lee, who discusses who should get the credit for creating Spider-Man.
All in all, this was a good watch and for fans of Ditko, this is a nice, quick rundown of the importance of his work in comics.
Rating: 7/10
Pairs well with: other comic book documentaries like The Image Revolution and Chris Claremont’s X-Men.
Talking Pulp 