Steve Ditko, Spider-Man co-creator, dies at age 90

NEW YORK—Steve Ditko, the Marvel Comics artist who gave the world the woven webs and soaring red-and-blue shape of Spider-Man and the other-worldly shimmer of Doctor Strange, has died, authorities said Friday. He was 90.

Ditko was found June 29 in his Manhattan apartment and was pronounced dead at the scene, police Lt. Paul Ng said. No further details were immediately available.

Ditko, along with writer Stan Lee, introduced the world to Peter Parker and his alter-ego Spider-Man in 1962 in an issue of “Amazing Fantasy.” A year later, Ditko introduced the world to surgeon-turned-metaphysical superhero Doctor Strange.

Spider-Man would go on to become arguably the most indispensable and recognizable character in the Marvel universe, and Doctor Strange a member of its permanent pantheon. The adventures of both have been turned into blockbuster films, and both had essential roles in the recent “Avengers: Infinity War.”

“Today, the Marvel family mourns the loss of Steve Ditko,” said Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Entertainment. “Steve transformed the industry and the Marvel Universe, and his legacy will never be forgotten.”

While Lee embraced his status as a creative god among comics fans, appearing at conventions and in constant cameos in Marvel’s films, Ditko was a recluse who won the worship of the most hardcore comic-book geeks.

They were quick to praise him and the massive influence he had on art, film and culture Friday.

“Thank you Steve Ditko, for making my childhood weirder,” fantasy author and graphic novel author Neil Gaiman said in a series of tweets to his 2.7 million followers. “He saw things his own way, and he gave us ways of seeing that were unique. Often copied. Never equalled. I know I’m a different person because he was in the world.”