one4review | On 21, Aug 2026

Chances are, if you have any knowledge of superheroes, you’ll have heard of Stan Lee of Marvel Comics. Creator of dozens of the most famous comic book characters including, but not limited to, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, and, perhaps most famously, Spider-Man. If you’re a bit deeper into the comic book weeds you may also have heard of Spider-Man’s other co-creator, the artist who first brought him to life, Steve Ditko. The two men had something of a tense relationship even when they were producing their best works. The problem was, they both thought the wonderful web crawler was their idea.

Ditko tells the (imagined) story of when, finally fed up, Steve Ditko came into the office of the bombastic Stan Lee to tell him that he quit. Stan Lee refuses to accept and locks them both in the office until they’ve hashed it out. What follows is a wonderful hour as the two great creators discuss, argue, fight, accuse, debate and forgive each other.

Writing a show about the two guys who made Spider-Man feels very niche but the level of attention to detail in both the setting and the characters (not to mention brief appearances from Stan’s famously effective secretary Flo Steinberg) is extraordinary. I’m something of a buff on this myself and what surprised me was how real to the men and the events and even the sixties the whole thing felt (though I’m in two minds about how much they would have been effing and blinding, but that’s artistic licence for you). The audience certainly seemed to agree as well judging by how much fun they seemed to be having.

The thing I truly appreciated was that the story refused to take sides in the debate. Stan Lee was notorious for never being one to turn down credit when it was offered and Steve Ditko was equally infamous for his strong views on creative rights which gave him a reputation for being difficult, nigh impossible, to work with. Stan Lee went on to become the most beloved figure in his industry. Steve Ditko went on to become an urban hermit in a small apartment full of Ayn Rand books. It would be easy to make either one of them a hero or a villain, but here both are given equal respect. And the respect the men had for each other – two very different yet very talented artists who created something amazing together – comes through in the script.

This show marks the debut work from Astro Domino Productions and it’s an incredibly confident start. The writing is spectacular, the performances amazing (minus a couple of Scottish vowels breaking through the thick Noo Yawk/Pennsylvania accents). If you’re not a fan of Spider-Man, you’d still enjoy this. If you are, you’d love it. Face front, true believers, because this is the real deal.

*****
Reviewed by Tom

13:55

6th-17th

Just The Snifter Room at Just The Tonic at The Mash House