Speedball: The Masked Marvel

Few creators have left their mark like the inimitable Steve Ditko. His unmistakable creative vision brought the world the Amazing Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and, in 1988, Speedball! Together with writers Roger Stern, Tom DeFalco and Jo Duffy, Ditko crafted the adventures of Robbie Baldwin, a high school student with strange other-dimensional powers that create an energetic kinetic field that turn him into Speedball! In the classic Ditko style, Baldwin's life is complicated -- his father is a district attorney with no love for costumed vigilantes and there is serious marital strife between Robbie's parents. This Complete Collection brings together every Steve Ditko tale of the New Warrior-to-be for the very first time.

COLLECTING: SPEEDBALL (1988) #1-10 and Material from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL (1964) #22, MARVEL AGE ANNUAL (1985) #4, MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #14 and #56, and MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (1990) #1-2 and #5-6

Tom DeFalco is a former editor-in-chief of Marvel, well known for his celebrated stints writing the Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, and the Fantastic Four. He is also the author of several graphic novels, three novels, and six children's books, as well as the best-selling Spider-Man:The Ultimate Guide. Tom is the co-creator of the New Warriors, Thunderstrike, Spider-Girl and -- of course -- Speedball.

Steve Ditko was a great creative talent whose earliest comics work appeared in various horror comics from publishers such as Charlton, Prize and Farrell. In 1962, he earned his place in comics history with the first appearance of Spider-Man, a character created by Ditko and writer/editor Stan Lee. Ditko also co-created Doctor Strange, Speedball and Squirrel Girl for Marvel, and created The Creeper, Shade the Changing Man, and Hawk & Dove for DC Comics.  

Roger Stern has written for radio, television, the stage,and the Internet, creating scripts for everything from sketch comedy to flash-animation. For ten years, he was the senior writer of the SUPERMAN series, and has written hundreds of stories about such diverse characters as Green Lantern, Supergirl, Starman, and the Justice League for DC Comics; and Spider-Man, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, and the Avengers for Marvel. His first prose novel, The Death and Life of Superman, was a New York Times bestseller.

Jo Duffy worked on many Marvel Comics as an editor, before rising to the position of Managing Editor on Epic Illustrated. She wrote a long run of Marvel's Star Wars comics, becoming the title's regular writer with issue #70 and continuing on through the end of the series. Jo's other writing work included Power Man andI ron Fist, Conan the Barbarian, Wolverine, and Fallen Angels. She has also written Catwoman for DC Comics, Bloodpool and Glory for Image Comics, and her own self-published Nestrobber.