In the 1970’s Steve Ditko planned to release a Mr.A story titled “Chapter Play” exclusively to a local school newspaper. For reasons unknown the deal fell through and Steve Ditko turned to The Comic Crusader – a worthy fanzine – to print the story. The Comic Crusader in the past had printed much of Steve Ditko’s art dating back as early as 1968 (including 4 other Mr.A features). This Mr. A differed much from past stories as it was seperated into 8 chapters, each with a different theme and circumstance for its young main character Ken. These themes ranged from Justice to force and even death. This is very much one of Steve Ditko’s most memorable Mr. A stories for its powerful raw subject matter and for its direct involvement with the reader. Was this the reason it failed to be printed at a school? Read the following highlight pages and decide; click to enlarge:
It seems very probable that actively promoting a suspicion of mercy would have been the major factor in the cancellation of the school contract.
As one of the many who considers Ayn Rand’s ideas to be full of exaggerated of half-truths, I’m forced to admit that (as much as I appreciate Ditko’s art) I would have cancelled the contract myself.