The only thing odder than the character of Spider-Man is the creator himself, Steve Ditko. The long and short of it is, Spider-Man was not your usual hero. He did not have bulging muscles, or super powers, other than that of a spider. His web slinging and wall climbing could be considered creepy. His alter ego was a teenager who tripped over books quicker than the Green Goblin could toss a pumpkin bomb. And I am saying Steve Ditko was odder than that?
Well if you do not believe me, read Along Came a Radioactive Spider: Strange Steve Ditko and the Creation of Spider-Man. The author, Annie Hunter Eriksen, gives us an introduction to Ditko’s life. He was a child of The Depression, passionate about comics, had a loving family, and knew there was a right and wrong way for him to do things. He would be considered the exact opposite of Stan Lee, yet Lee loved strange and Steve was strange (as one of his other famous characters, Dr. Strange).. And once you know that, nothing about the man really is strange. It was just a guy who knew what he wanted.
Each page gives you a little on how the Spider-Man character was made as well as we see a little of Ditko’s childhood and since he was mysterious, there is not a lot known about his departure from Marvel, his life in general, or even a lot of photographs. Interviews were practically unheard of. But what Eriksen knows, we get too. And what Lee Gatlin knows about illustrations we were given as well. Gatlin’s style seems to fit a bit of that classic 1960s style of artwork and comics. Though, it is their own style as well. Colors are not what you might expect, but they are interesting and move the image. However, the pages are crowded, almost messy at times, and that does make it hard to concentrate on things (or at least for me). The afterwards fills in a few things, but still leaves you wanting more! (Or again, it did for me.)