Before Spider-Man, the legendary comic-book artist Steve Ditko drew horror comics that were not yet hobbled by the Comics Code Authority (adopted in Oct. '54). These graphic stories featured bloodshed, dismemberment and the ugly ends of the lives of the twisted inhabitants of Steve Ditko's imagination. Following up on Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko, Blake Bell's 2008 best-selling critical retrospective of Ditko's career, The Best of Steve Ditko Vol. 1 will, for the first time, feature spectacular full-color reprints of every story from those first two years of his career. Beginning with Ditko's very first story, readers will see the initial works of an artist already at a level of craftsmanship that exceeded most of his peers'. The book will also feature editor Bell's insightful historical notes.