Ditko: Graphella One

By Jim McCarthy

The last one slumped forward in the chair, drooling. Headset still attached to his vacated brain and mind. A scenario repeated everywhere across the Serfdom.

This is the stark reality, of the United Serfdom, aka Kingdom. Luminal Labs have won the Southern UK franchise. Systematically gene splicing and trans-editing the human populace in droves. The mass of humanity had deteriorated by ongoing, biochemical forms of engineering. First came the constant spraying up into the stratosphere. Sub-micronics and nano-particulate matter, known in the old world as Chem-Trails. Constantly sprayed to soften up the hordes. Resulting manifold illness and physical breakdown became the norm. A massed reset through virtual reality masks and headgear became the final portal. The colossal dumbing down of the public had begun. Transmitted by micro-bots, entering through the pupils of transfixed viewers. A populace addicted to virtual sex apps. Luminal Laboratories in Folkestone Kent, carried out the specific edit and splice programs. Attempting to reach necessary deadlines, along with the other franchise owners.  

Number 33- 54- 46 was a genetics edit worker on the third level at Luminal.  The last part of the trans treatment at Luminal Labs. He goes about his daily ascribed duties. So far, he has escaped the final DNA spliced mutation treatment. This will convert him into a mass of mindless, mulched cells.

A sudden explosion blows him through and out of the laboratory. He falls to the sodden ground and starts running towards the nearby coast. He stumbles into a refuge near Folkestone. A Martello tower in which an unidentified young boy was hiding in abject fear. They begin to establish mutual trust. Number 33-54-46 and the boy change their names. Finding an old Spiderman comic, they decide to forge new identities. Inspired by this tattered old-world magazine.They both discover they lost their parents and a sister. in separate occult rituals, carried out by the demoniacs…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jim McCarthy
• Release date: May 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201548919

Jim McCarthy

Hallo -- I'm Jim McCarthy, a British writer/illustrator/ comic strip artist My career began in London creating for 2000AD; for whom I created comic characters Bad Company, Bix Barton, The GrudgeFather, Judge Dredd etc. My first book was published by Hal Leonard in the USA called Voices Of Latin Rock. The first book to examine Santana, Latin Rock culture.This resulted in a series of music concerts in San Francisco and has featured Carlos Santana, Booker T, Los Lobos, Sly Stone, Doobie Brothers among others. I am also engaged in writing published graphic novels.The most recent published are Bob Marley, Keith Moon, Living For Kicks: Mods, also Neverland; Michael Jackson. Others include Metallica, Guns and Roses, Kurt Cobain, Tupac Shakur, Eminem and The Ramones. As an artist, I have liaised and collaborated with other highly rated authors (Pete Milligan, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar), Jim's clients have included Hal Leonard Publishers, Omnibus Books, Sony/Legacy New York, Egmont, Rebellion Developments, Future Publishing, Fleetway Publications plus...

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DITKO - Graphella One

DITKO: Graphella One

Jim McCarthy

Published by Jim McCarthy, 2022.

to Steve Ditko - the best of the best...

DITKO - Graphella One

DARK TRIAD

JIM MCCARTHY

Macasso Books

Copyright © 2022

by Jim McCarthy

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Dedication

to Steve Ditko 1927 - 2018

Graphella One.

102 PAGES LENGTH / ARTWORKS MARC OLIVENT/JIM MCCARTHY

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DITKO - Graphella One

frontispiece DITKO one

DITKO One - Macasso Books

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Introduction

principalities

My initial ideas for this Sci-Fi (for want of a better title) three part Graphella (c) arrived from a very particular surname? As well as some other spiritual themes. I think are, occurring in the world right now. I always loved the actual surnames of Marvel and D.C. comic artists (and writers). When I first saw this fresh, exciting artwork, at the age of nine years old. It was a stone revelation, to my young, agog eyes. Some of the creator’s names threw me for a six.

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I’ll name some …

Carmine Infantino, Jack Kirby, Jim Steranko, Steve Ditko, Wally Wood, Gil Kane, Johnny Romita, Bob Kane, Milton Caniff, Alex Toth, Brian Azzerello, Mort Drucker, Mignola, Walt Simonson, Frank Frazetta, Curt Swan, Lou Fine, Reed Crandall, Will Eisner, Joe Kubert and so many, many more.

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They all sounded like they had pen names, or nom-de-plumes. But even better! Their artwork was off the dial. It was totally amazing, to enter the world of mass produced and visually induced stories. There was so much to enjoy and to explore. At the very first - Steve Ditko’s work, completely captured my imagination. His weird (yet suburban 1950s feel and style) was familiar but odd. In his first wave of great work, he excelled. He started with Marvel, Charlton and earlier on with Atlas. He landed, seemingly ready - formed. With the page layouts, the heavy black shadows and the contoured features and poses, he became famous for. Ditko himself was an ardent admirer of Mort Meskin’s comic work.

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Ditko’s work on the first thirty eight Spiderman comics for me was some of the best. I have seen, then or since. He imbued in me, a love of strong line artwork and the use of black. Simple but powerful.

His other notable work on Dr Strange is amazingly psychedelic, yet Ditko was a very strait laced individual. His further work (painted in washes, added over his line art) for Creepy and Eerie, both published by Warren, was exemplary. He was both very private and diligent. My brother Brendan, had written to him in New York. Brendan had done a Ditkoesque Spiderman comic for Marvel. He duly received back, a few letter replies. Written in Ditko’s sturdy pencilled hand. Always polite and always interested in the art of others.

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Steve Ditko died on the 29th of June 2018. He was still apparently working up to the end or very near, from his Manhattan studio. And finally, there is something about that name. DITKO itself, that has a nice symmetry. Five letters, an odd and possibly bizarre name. But it had always appealed to me. On a very deep level.

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And so here it is, a form of respect. A form of