Steve Ditko, a Johnstown native and one of the co-creators of Spider-Man, has died at the age of 90, writes Andy Webster for The New York Times.

Along with artist Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee, Ditko was a central player at 1960s Marvel. He also helped with the early development of other signature Marvel characters, but his definitive character was Spider-Man.

Ditko was noted among fans and other professionals for his cinematic storytelling, and his philosophical convictions colored his work quite often.

The initial visual conception of Spider-Man came from Kirby, but was scrapped due to its similarities to the Fly. From there, the character’s origin was revamped and the character was given to Ditko to flesh out.

Ditko ran with the character and soon Spider-Man became so popular that it got its own comic, which Ditcko ended up inking and largely plotting from 1963 to 1966. He also helped create some of the publishing giant’s most famous villains, including the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus.

He was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990, as well as the Will Eisner Hall of Fame four years later.

Read more about Steve Ditko in The New York Times by clicking here.

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