Here's Gene Simmons, of KISS, answering a fan's letter, and in doing so, paying tribute to Sturdy Steve Ditko.
Found on http:www.genesimmons.com/
>>Hey Gene,
I just had to ask about a response from you in the recent letters column. You were asked about the origin of the "devil salute" hand gesture and you responded by saying that you got the idea from Dr. Strange.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you were quoted as saying that it had something to do with the way Spiderman held his hand when he was shooting his web? I know this is very trivial, but considering that literally millions of people mimic this (including stars and fans), it would be interesting to know the true origin.
Thanks,
Adam
Response from Gene:
Both are true. Dr. Strange and Spiderman. Both have the same hand signal. Both were created and drawn by Steve Ditko. Dr. Strange held up his hand salute when he wanted to use magic. Spiderman put it upside down when he would squirt spider fluid. Both are correct.<<<
Fun side note - Gene is credited with "creating" the "Heavy Metal" hand sign - which is a confused mix of ASL for "I Love You" and some sort of paganistic "Satan" sign. Gene always traces it back to Sturdy Steve, but another fan on the site notes that Jolly John Lennon uses the same sign on the cover of the Yellow Submarine record. Who knew Lennon was deaf/a satanist/KISS fan?
