John Romita, Sr. 1930 - 2023

Influential comic book artist and Marvel Comics Art Director John Romita, Sr. passsed away in his home in Floral Park, NY on June 12th. He was 93 years old. 

 

From The New York Times:

"His death was announced by his son, John Romita Jr., who is also a comic book artist.

"'Millions came to know Marvel through his art, and millions more came to know Peter Parker through the unmistakable bold brushwork Romita brought to his pages,' Marvel said in a statement.

"Mr. Romita took over artistic duties on Spider-Man, written by Stan Lee, in 1966, after Steve Ditko, the original artist and the character’s co-creator, left Marvel. Within a year, the title had become Marvel’s top seller.

"That year, Mr. Romita drew the memorable image of Mary Jane Watson, who would become Peter Parker’s love interest, in which she famously declares, 'Face it, Tiger … you just hit the jackpot!' (In 1987, after she said 'I do,' Mr. Romita drew the cover depicting their wedding.)

"Mr. Lee and Mr. Romita also introduced many villains to Spider-Man’s gallery of rogues, including the Rhino, the Shocker and the Kingpin. And from 1973 until his retirement in 1996, Mr. Romita was an art director for Marvel.

"'His version of the characters became the format for the characters in international editions and merchandise,' John Romita Jr. said in an interview."

 

The Daily Cartoonist has many links here.  

John was a fellow Berndt Toast Gang member, and would frequently come to lunch with his friend, fellow comic book artist John Buscema. One time, the BTG chair Bill Seay convinced Romita to bring in some originals. This was tradition: we all took turns showing our work. We would just make a nice pile on a table where people could peruse. John Romita made an incredible display, including an unseen comic strip that he had tried to sell to the syndicates with no success. It was gorgeous. 

Oh, and here -- my friend Ger Apeldoorn showcases a complete 1950s HEART THROBS comic book story by the one and only John Romita. The story is told in visuals. There are no word balloons, no "Meanwhile, back at the ranch." Just 100% Romita. A small sample of his output. 

I've put together a few remembrances -- of the many out there on the web. 

 

Rick Parker:

 

One of the greatest comic book artists who ever lived--and certainly one of the nicest people I ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with has passed away at age 93.

 

I first met John Romita fifty years ago when a young woman I was dating, a freelance letterer for Marvel, invited me to accompany her up to the office to "turn in some pages."

 

As we walked down the hall, she waved and exchanged greetings with many of the artists whose offices were along the way to the Marvel Bullpen.

 

John's office was very close to Stan's corner office and John's door was always open and most of the time, there he was working quietly on some special project or other, he seemed happy and relaxed and welcoming.

 

Three or four years later, my very first comics job was as a Bullpenner doing lettering corrections on their comics alongside the late Jim Novak (designer of the Star Wars Logo).

 

John was a fixture in the office in those days, as was Stan Lee, himself and it wasn't unusual to look over and see them having a discussion at John's drawing table on some project or another.

When John needed a letterer for the Spider-Man strip, I guess he chose me, because I was right down the hall and he could drop off the pages on his way to Big John Verpoorten's office. (Big John was the Production manager, an artist in his own right, who also made the art assignments (Penciling, inking, lettering and coloring.)

 

John was a pleasure to work with and for. Later on, JR Jr. became a fixture at Marvel doing the layouts for the Spider-Man strip under the tutelage of his father. No one could have asked for a better mentor than John was to his son.

 

And John's wife and John Jr.'s Mom, Virginia was there taking care of John and seeing that everything was ship-shape. No wonder he was always smiling.

Later on, when I started doing freelance illustration gigs, if I was having trouble with a drawing of a girl's face, I could walk down the hall and ask John for help. I never could draw women, and nobody drew prettier women than John. 

 

Nobody I ever met, anyway.

 

One afternoon in The Bullpen, John told us he got his start drawing comics-style pictures in chalk on the sidewalks of Brooklyn in the 1930's during the Great Depression. I guess the cracks in the sidewalk were his first panel borders. And, if you ask me, he was one of the reasons that they called it the Great Depression.

 

Like that guy in the comics shop told me in 1976, when I went in to get some sample comics work to copy, John was the best artist in comics. 

 

And he was also one of the great Gentlemen of Comics.

 

My condolences to his wife Virginia (my former boss in the Production Department) and his two fine sons, Victor and John Jr.

 

I'll always remember him fondly.

 

Rick Marschall:

JOHN ROMITA

 

We learned that John has died, aged 93. 

 

Death comes to all, but in John's case, anybody who met him feels it came too soon; that he was too young; that he had more to give. Maybe Johnny was ready... but we are not. This good-bye hurts.

When I joined Marvel in the mid-'70s, I had known Stan Lee outside the superhero world, but didn't really know the Marvel Universe. What a collection of people that office was, what an impression I had of legends, kids, wannabees, hangers-on, future superstars, nervous nerds, confident wonks. A great and fascinating time of my career. My assistant Ralph Macchio and I had our office in the geographical center of the floor, within glass walls, opposite the bullpen, and the sea of Marvel-humanity floated by for our delectation... and commentary. 

 

Within the colorful cast were the "sorta normals" as I called them lovingly, and sometimes desperately. Marie Severin; Eliot Brown; the old-timers who still reported to work in ties, Tartaglione and Roussos; the freelancers Tom Palmer and Gene Colan; Ralph, Jim Salicrup, and Mark Gruenwald. John Buscema, sensitive Renaissance man masquerading as a dese-dem-dose workman.

 

But this is about John Romita. Buscema was a "cartoonist's cartoonist"; there were a few of them -- John Severin, Alex Toth, and Curt Swan were others in the business -- who could draw any thing, any time, any way, but always flawlessly. Impeccable instincts. John Romita was one of them too. Styles and fads came and went, but John always understood, always mastered, always TAUGHT. By example... but (one of his many utterly unique gifts) also by generous, helpful, masterful, arm-around-the-shoulder tutelage. 

 

John had no ego. There was no room for it: his talent crowded out every other possible tendency. He did not only convey the "house style"; he WAS the house style. 

 

Soon after I joined Marvel I was properly impressed by Stan's instincts as he explained storytelling, composition, balloon placement, even color schemes. At that point, Stan basically concerned himself with business and covers, not characters or interiors; however I soon learned (and I am not denigrating his genius or accomplishments) but his great pointers and virtual lectures were essentially translations of what Buscema and, especially, Romita, taught HIM.

 

More than that -- getting back to what I called (and to their faces, BTW!) the "sorta normals" -- John Romita was envied as the Guy you wanted as a next-door neighbor. In that lovable zoo, he was always the modest, quiet, nice guy, never a prima donna, never displaying an artistic temperament, always the nicest person you'd meet that day. Except maybe for his wife Virginia, who worked in the office too. And except maybe for John Romita Jr (Gruenwald called him JR-Squared), also the nicest guy within laughing-distance at all times.

 

I was lucky to work at Marvel when I did. I was privileged to meet and know so many great people. But I was blessed to know the Romitas -- just as fans were blessed that he was a Guiding Star of the Marvel Universe -- and a great part of my life was to call John a friend.

 

 

 Paul Levitz:

So sorry to read of the passing of John Romita, a major contributor to the modern community of comics. Besides the fact that he was one of the warmest and most decent souls to be a creative leader, he was an extraordinary teacher and mentor. His Romita’s Raiders, and his effect on so many budding talents at Marvel over a couple of generations helped shape the talent pool of super-hero comics.

 

When I think of John as an artist, I focus on his work as the man who codified the Marvel style into a single universe. He was the immediate successor both to Steve Ditko on Spider-man and Jack Kirby on the FF, and in both those assignments and in his long tenure as Marvel’s art director he took what Jack and Steve created and evolved it into a workable style both for the comics and licensing.

 

As a man, I smile remembering John calling to thank me for a very modest DC reprint fee check for a romance story he’d drawn. He felt it was more than his original page rate (almost certainly not measured inflation adjusted). He was a gentleman.

 

To paraphrase Stan’s dialogue for John’s single most famous panel, face it , fellow fans and professionals, we hit the jackpot when we met John.

 

My sympathies to Virginia, John Junior and the rest of the Romita family.

 

 

Craig Yoe writing in the Facebook group A People's History of Comics:

 

When I put together the book "The Creativity of Ditko" I brashly asked John Romita to write one of the essays. BTW, when I was a kid I had no problem with John taking over from Steve on Spider-Man.. Yes, Steve's idiosyncratic style deeply speaks to me and inspires me in my work to this day, but there was no denying John's elegance, power, and beautiful, incredible drawing skills. I loved his work.

 

Dear Mr. Romita,

i'm producing a beautiful coffee table art book on Steve Ditko and was hoping that you'd kindly write a short essay of, say, 575-600 words.

Jerry Robinson and Craig Russell are also writing essays and Stan Lee has penned a wonderful introduction. By the way, i wasn't a fan of the way Jonathan Ross presented you in his movie about Ditko and see this book as an opportunity to present your thoughts as exactly you want them portrayed.

My consulting editor on the book at my publisher IDW, Scott Dunbier, got your email address for me from your agent Mike, a friend of his. Scott and I are both huge fans of your art.

Thank you deeply for your kind consideration,

with admiration,

-Craig Yoe 

 

Craig...

I don't know if this will do any good

but , here goes.........

One of my biggest regrets is that I never

made the time to speak with Steve Ditko on

those rare occasions that he was up at the

Marvel offices. I always thought: 'next time he's

here, we'll talk'. I wish I had.

Steve Ditko is unique in every respect.

A style all his own and, more remarkably,

the philosophy by which he lives.

Most Comics artists live by the code:

'whatever it takes to make a living'. I guess

I felt that way. Steve was not that easy. He

was secure in his mind and never swerved

from his philosophy. It has cost him money

but never his pride.

His impact on comics history is clear and

proven. The distinctive original characters

which sprang from his mind have endured

for over forty six years and counting. Very

few can make that claim.

John Romita

Craig...edit freely

 

Mr. Romita--

This is beautifully written and the spirit is touching. You are a fine writer who expresses himself in a terrific way. No need for me to copy edit a word, but will double check spelling and send it back to you for final approval.

Having said that, Mr. Romita, i do wish it was longer, maybe talking more about what you as an artist saw in his art, what it was like to follow him. and i've read how you fascinatingly at first tried to emulated Mr. Ditko a bit after you took over Spider-man and the very interesting revelation that you thought your work on Spider-man was only going to be temporary till he came back. This is all very, very interesting to the readers most of who will not know your thoughts on this. I hate to take advantage of your extreme kindness and valuable time, but i think this would be a good thing to expand your thoughts as an artist. and the other writers are writing about 5-600 word essays while you don't have t go to those lengths, what you've written might be a bit jarring by its brevity.

if you don't agree for any reason or lack the desire to do more i will in all respect run these wonderful words as is.

Thank you very much!

Your fan (and the annoying editor of this book, with sincere apologies),

—Craig

 

Craig...I had originally another paragraph

dealing with just those thoughts...

It was not easy following in Steve's footsteps

in 1966. And his fans made no bones about it.

At conventions they would boldly ask 'when is

Ditko coming back?' I didn't blame them for

voicing their displeasure over the change. I was

happy on Daredevil and hoped he would get

back to Spider-Man. I found it difficult to 'ghost'

his style, but felt the need to carry on the 'look'

that Steve had established for three years. When

I realized he was not returning to the title, I no

longer felt that need and began to settle in.

My good fortune was, as time passed, I was

accepted. I never dreamed it would go so well.

Without Steve Ditko to pave the way, who knows

where Spider-Man would be? Or IF?

John Romita

Craig...this may be too much...edit away....

 

 

Karen Green:

 

 

The news is circulating about the passing of John Romita (Sr), an artist whose impact on comics cannot be overestimated.

 

John and JR were panelists at 2012’s “Comic New York” symposium—in fact, they kicked it off. Virginia was in the audience. John and the legendary Virginia were both so delightful, it was easy to see how JR turned out that way as well.

 

It’s incredible to think of the impact one family has had on comics…for decades.

 

All my sympathies to the Romita family, and to John’s legions of fans. May his memory be a blessing.