Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Tales of Suspense #2

This is another fine example of what Ditko can do when he really wants to hit the ball out of the park. It's a very strange yet effective combination of atmosphere and detail. At first the main figure doesn't seem menacing, especially since he appears to be slow moving, but then you notice that he's robot (do all robots actually have the word 'robot' on them?). It kind of creeps up on you, like a good assassin. The window in the background is such a 'Ditko window'. My memory fails me, but Blake Bell would be able to tell us from whom Ditko swiped that design. The background is quite extraordinary, and Ditko would eventually abandon this level of detail. That unfortunate, because I think it's all quite important to establishing the setting. Everything from the spaceships to the Pegasus statue really helps create a world. Another one of Sturdy Steve's Strange and Stranger Worlds. Great stuff.