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Brian Hughes
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Joined: 15 June 2015
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Posted: 21 February 2025 at 3:54pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

I recently came across the covers for Doctor Strange Classics. In discussing the covers, I came across people that refused to believe it was not Ditko's work until I showed them your name along with Al Migrom's name at the bottom of the second issue cover.

Do you recall much about making these? 
Was there direction to make the covers Ditko-esque?
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John Byrne
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Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 21 February 2025 at 5:06pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

The decision to mimic Ditko was mine, as was hiring Al, who was a deft hand with his own imitation of Steve’s line.
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Brian Hughes
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Posted: 21 February 2025 at 5:27pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Thank you.

Some people really wanted to argue that it was Ditko's work.
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Michael Penn
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Posted: 21 February 2025 at 6:03pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Never seen those covers before -- love them! What a terrific homage to Mr. Ditko!
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Gundars Berzins
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Posted: 21 February 2025 at 6:30pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

I had seen those covers but didn't even realize it was JB. Great stuff.
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 21 February 2025 at 10:01pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

JB has a special knack at mimicking other artists' style. He has done so with Jack Kirby's style a number of times, particularly with the Fantastic Four Special and Fantastic Four #271.
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Robert Bradley
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Posted: 21 February 2025 at 10:32pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

Ron Frenz is another classic artist who could pull off a pretty good Ditko, as his early work in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN looked like a Ditko tribute.

And while we've seen a good number of Kirby-influenced artists we see fewer that are obvious Ditko fans.  Paul Smith is another that comes to mind, his DOCTOR STRANGE run in particular.

JB - I enjoyed your inks of Ditkos pencils (breakdowns?) in AVENGERS ANNUAL #13, was the working arrangement on ROM #74 similar?  Did you do any other work with Ditko?

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Josh Goldberg
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Posted: 22 February 2025 at 2:25am | IP Logged | 8 post reply

I love the way JB drew Doctor Strange when he appeared in his FF run.
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Doug Centers
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Posted: 22 February 2025 at 11:15am | IP Logged | 9 post reply

" Did you do any other work with Ditko?"

...

Ditko inked over JB's pencils on the cover of Machine Man #14.

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John Byrne
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Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 22 February 2025 at 4:53pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

I love the way JB drew Doctor Strange when he appeared in his FF run.

**

Leaning there into my "casting" of Richard Boone as Strange.

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Brennan Voboril
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Posted: 22 February 2025 at 6:49pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

Equally liked the Namor Doctor Strange as well - maybe more.  I loved all the little details in Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum.

Edited by Brennan Voboril on 22 February 2025 at 6:49pm
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 22 February 2025 at 6:58pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

The earliest example of JB working on a Ditko drawn story was a Captain Atom feature from "Charlton Bullseye" #2 (1975). 

There's a page from that story at the following blog page (with unfortunately snide commentary by the person writing that blog about the art that I disagree with):

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