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John V. Romita (; born January 24, 1930) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' and for co-creating characters including the Punisher and Wolverine. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2002. Romita is the father of John Romita Jr., also a comic book artist and husband of Virginia Romita, for many years Marvel's traffic manager.


Career


Early life and career

Romita was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Marie and Victor Romita, a baker,Romita interview
''Alter Ego'' #9, p. 4 with three sisters and a brother.
''Alter Ego'' #9, p. 6 He is of Italian descent, from Sicily. He graduated from Manhattan's School of Industrial Art in 1947, having attended for three years after spending ninth grade at a Brooklyn
junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
.Spurlock, J. David, and John Romita. ''John Romita Sketchbook''. Vanguard Productions: Lebanon, New Jersey 2002 , pp. 8–9 Among his instructors were book illustrator
Howard Simon Howard Simon (1902–1979) was an American illustrator, painter, and printmaker who is known for his woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with ...
and magazine illustrator
Ben Clements Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, × ...
,Spurlock, p. 9 and his influences included comics artists Noel Sickles, Roy Crane, Milton Caniff,Romita interview
''Alter Ego'' #9, p. 7 and later, Alex Toth and
Carmine Infantino Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creat ...
, as well as commercial illustrators
Jon Whitcomb Jon Whitcomb (1906–1988) was an American illustrator. He was well known for his pictures of glamorous young women. He was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma, Weatherford, Oklahoma and grew up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He attended ...
,
Coby Whitmore Maxwell Coburn Whitmore (June 11, 1913 – October 12, 1988)M.C. Whitmore
Al Parker Al Parker (born Andrew Robert Okun; June 25, 1952 – August 17, 1992) was a gay American porn star, producer, and director. He died from complications of AIDS at the age of 40. Early career Parker was born in Natick, Massachusetts. After arriv ...
.Spurlock, p. 16 Romita entered the comics industry in 1949 on the series '' Famous Funnies''. "Steven Douglas up there was a benefactor to all young artists", Romita recalled. "The first story he gave me was a love story. It was terrible. All the women looked like emaciated men and he bought it, never criticized, and told me to keep working. He paid me two hundred dollars for it and never published it — and rightfully so". Romita was working at the New York City company Forbes Lithograph in 1949, earning $30 a week, when comic-book
inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. The penciller creates a drawing, the inker outlines, interprets, finalizes, retraces this drawing by using a pencil ...
Lester Zakarin,Spurlock, p. 10 a friend from high school whom he ran into on a subway train, offered him either $17Spurlock, pp. 10–11 or $20 a page to pencil a 10-page story for him as uncredited
ghost artist A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
. "I thought, this is ridiculous! In two pages I can make more money than I usually make all week! So I ghosted it and then kept on ghosting for him", Romita recalled. "I think it was a 1920s mobster crime story".Spurlock, p. 11 The work was for Marvel's 1940s forerunner, Timely Comics, which helped give Romita an opportunity to meet editor-in-chief and art director
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 â€“ November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
. Romita ghost-penciled for Zakarin on Trojan Comics' ''Crime-Smashers'' and other titles, eventually signing some "Zakarin and Romita".


Atlas Comics

The collaboration ended in early 1951, when Romita was drafted into the U.S. Army.Romita interview
''Alter Ego'' #9, p. 10; appears in print version only Taking the initiative prior to induction, he showed art samples to the base art director on Governors Island in
New York Bay New York Bay is the large tidal body of water in the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary where the Hudson River, Raritan River, and Arthur Kill empty into the Atlantic Ocean between Sandy Hook and Rockaway Point. Geography New York Bay is usu ...
, who arranged for him to be stationed there to do layouts for recruitment posters once Romita had completed basic training at
Fort Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force A ...
, New Jersey. Romita was promoted to corporal after seven or eight months; now allowed to live off the post, he rented an apartment in Brooklyn.Romita interview, ''Alter Ego'' #9, p. 11; appears in print version only When not on duty, Romita could leave the base and go into Manhattan. In mid- to late 1951, he recalled in 2002, "I went uptown one day for lunch. I stopped over at Stan Lee's ffice in the Empire State Building, where Timely Comics had by now evolved into Atlas Comics (1950s)">Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to * Atlas Comics (1950s) Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book, comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and mass market paperback, paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin ...
], and his secretary came out ... and I said, 'Stan doesn't know my name but I've worked for him for over a year'. I was in uniform! She must've told him this GI ... wants to do some comics. She said, 'Stan said here's a four-page science fiction story'. I penciled it and struggled with my first inking. That was the first story I did on my own. I did Westerns and war stories then". Romita went on to draw a wide variety of horror comics, war comics, romance comics and other genres for Atlas. His most prominent work for the company was the short-lived 1950s revival of Timely's hit character
Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
, in ''Young Men'' #24–28 (Dec. 1953 – July 1954) and ''Captain America'' #76–78 (May–Sept. 1954). and Additionally, Romita would render one of his first original characters, M-11 the Human Robot, in a five-page standalone science-fiction story in '' Menace'' #11 (May 1954). While not envisioned as an ongoing character, M-11 was resurrected decades later as a member of the super-hero team Agents of Atlas. He was the primary artist for one of the first series with a black star, "Waku, Prince of the Bantu" — created by writer Don Rico and artist Ogden Whitney in the omnibus title ''
Jungle Tales ''Jungle Tales'' (later called ''Jann of the Jungle'') was an American comic book title published by Atlas Comics, the 1950s predecessor to Marvel Comics. It was an anthology title of stories set in an African jungle. Publication history Jungle ...
'' #1 (Sept. 1954). The ongoing short feature starred an
African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...
chieftain in Africa, with no regularly featured
Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...
characters. Romita succeeded Whitney with issue #2 (Nov. 1954).


DC Comics romance-comics artist

In the mid-1950s, while continuing to freelance for Atlas, Romita did uncredited work for DC Comics before transitioning to work for DC exclusively in 1958. His first known work for the company is the tentatively identified penciling credit for the cover of romance comic ''Secret Hearts'' #58 (Oct. 1959), and, confirmably, pencils for the seven-page story "I Know My Love", inked by Bernard Sachs, in '' Heart Throbs'' #63 (Jan. 1960). Other titles to which he contributed include ''Falling in Love'', ''
Girls' Love Stories ''Girls' Love Stories'' was an American romance comic book magazine published by DC Comics in the United States. Started in 1949 as DC's first romance title, it ran for 180 issues, ending with the Nov-Dec 1973 issue. The stories covered such topic ...
'', '' Girls' Romances'', and '' Young Love''. "I was following the DC
ouse Ouse may refer to: Places Rivers in England * River Ouse, Yorkshire * River Ouse, Sussex * River Great Ouse, Northamptonshire and East Anglia ** River Little Ouse, a tributary of the River Great Ouse Other places * Ouse, Tasmania, a town in Au ...
style", he recalled in 2002. "Frequently they had another artist do the first page of my stories. Eventually I became their romance cover artist". He would " swipe"—an artists' term for using existing work as models, a common practice among novices—from
movie still A film still (sometimes called a publicity still or a production still) is a photograph, taken on or off the set of a movie or television program during production. These photographs are also taken in formal studio settings and venues of opportun ...
s and from the Milton Caniff
comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
''
Terry and the Pirates ''Terry and the Pirates'' is an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff, which originally ran from October 22, 1934, to February 25, 1973. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, ...
''. Bernard Sachs and
Sy Barry Seymour "Sy" Barry (born March 12, 1928)
at the
Shortly afterward, however, romance comics began declining in popularity, and by 1965, DC had "stopped buying any new omanceart", Romita recalled. "They had a large inventory of stories and continued with that and reprints. The other departments just never used me. I didn't go push myself in their face, either".Spurlock, p. 18 Romita's last known DC story work was the six-page "My Heart Tricked Me", inked by Sachs, in ''Girls' Romances'' #121 (Dec. 1966), though his spot illustrations, some or all of it reprints of earlier work, continued to appear on one-page "beauty tip" and other filler pages, as well as on letters pages, through early 1970, as did the occasional reprinted story.


Joining Marvel Comics

Even before his final original DC story was published, Romita had already returned to freelance for what had now become Marvel Comics. His first work for Marvel was inking Jack Kirby's cover and Don Heck's interior pencils on the
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
-team comic ''
The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...
'' #23 (Dec. 1965). Romita directed most of his efforts, however, toward finding advertising
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
work. He obtained a position at the large ad agency BBDO through his friend Al Normandia, one of the firm's
art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...
s. "They were going to pay me $250 a week. I'd made just over $200 a week with the romance omicsbut only by killing myself" with long hours of work. "It had become very hard for me to come up with new ideas. ... So I said, 'If I do any comics ... I'll do
inking Inking may refer to: * Inking (attack), act of throwing ink on other person *Inking, a defensive activity of certain cephalopods and sea hares The clade Anaspidea, commonly known as sea hares (''Aplysia'' species and related genera), are medi ...
only. ... "Spurlock, p. 19 Marvel editor
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 â€“ November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
, however, had heard of Romita's leaving DC, and asked to see him. At "a three-hour lunch", Romita recalled, Lee promised to match the agency salary if Romita would come work for Marvel, and to give him flexibility to work at home or at the office on any given day at Romita's discretion.Spurlock, pp. 20–22 Though Romita felt he no longer wanted to pencil, in favor of being solely an inker, Lee soon enticed him otherwise: Romita began a brief stint on ''Daredevil'' beginning with issue #12 (Jan. 1966), initially penciling over Jack Kirby's dynamic layouts as a means of learning Marvel's storytelling house style. Sales perked; while the title had a smaller print run than Marvel flagships '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' and ''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'', it briefly had the company's highest percentage of sales compared to print-run. It also proved to be a stepping-stone for Romita's signature, years-long penciling run on ''The Amazing Spider-Man''. "What Stan Lee wanted was for me to do a two-part Daredevil story ssues #16–17, May–June 1966with Spider-Man as a guest star, to see how I handled the character".


Spider-Man

The reason for the tryout was the growing estrangement between
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
co-creators
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 â€“ November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
and Steve Ditko. When Ditko abruptly left Marvel after completing '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' #38 (July 1966), Lee gave Romita the assignment. This followed Romita's eight-issue ''Daredevil'' run, the cover of the subsequent issue #20 (Sept. 1966), and an incidental
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
and two
Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
stories (in '' Tales to Astonish'' #77, March 1966, and '' Tales of Suspense'' #76–77, April–May 1966, respectively). While Romita's depiction of Spider-Man would eventually become the company mascot and the definitive look to the general public, the artist had trepidations: Lee later commented that this transition in Romita's style actually worked out for the benefit of the series, as it gradually weaned readers off the Ditko look while ultimately allowing Romita to work in the style he most excelled at. Romita took over ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' with issue #39 (Aug. 1966). His first inker on what would become Marvel's flagship series was Mike Esposito, who initially used the pseudonym "Mickey Demeo" to conceal from his regular employer, rival DC Comics, that he was moonlighting at Marvel. After three issues, Romita inked himself for issues #43–48 (Nov. 1966 – May 1967), before Esposito returned — uncredited for issue #49 (June 1967), then as Mickey Demeo until finally taking credit under his own name with issue #56 (Jan. 1968). Except for one issue (#65) inked by his successor,
Jim Mooney James Noel Mooney (August 13, 1919 – March 30, 2008) was an American comics artist best known for his long tenure at DC Comics and as the signature artist of Supergirl, as well as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, both during wh ...
, the Romita-Esposito team continued through issue #66 (Nov. 1968), establishing the new look of Spider-Man. ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' had been Marvel's second-best-selling title at the time Romita began drawing it. Within a year, it overtook ''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' to become the company's top seller. Romita designed the look of Mary Jane Watson, a supporting character in the ''Spider-Man'' series who would later become the lead character's romantic interest. Romita has stated that in designing Mary Jane, he "used Ann-Margret from the movie '' Bye Bye Birdie'' as a guide, using her coloring, the shape of her face, her red hair and her form-fitting short skirts." Mary Jane Watson made her first full appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #42 (Nov. 1966), although she first appeared in #25 (June 1965) with her face obscured and had been mentioned since #15 (Aug. 1964). Peter David wrote in 2010 that Romita "made the definitive statement of his arrival by pulling Mary Jane out from behind the oversized potted plant hat blocked the readers' view of her face in issue #25and placing her on panel in what would instantly become an iconic moment." Other characters that debuted in the Lee-Romita era include the Rhino in #41 (Oct. 1966), the Shocker in #46 (March 1967), and the
Kingpin Kingpin or king pin may refer to: Vehicular part * Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism ** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the rider ...
in #50 (June 1967). Lee and Romita's stories focused as much on the social and college lives of the characters as they did on Spider-Man's adventures. The stories became more topical, addressing issues such as the Vietnam War, political elections, and
student activism Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. Although often focused on schools, curriculum, and educational funding, student groups have influenced greater political e ...
. Romita, increasingly called upon to do art corrections and touch-ups, and to interface with artists for ever-busy editor Lee, became Marvel's ''de facto'' art director. Cutting back on his Spider-Man workload, Romita began doing only layouts, with finished pencils by Don Heck or Jim Mooney for nearly every issue for a year-and-a-half (#57–75, Feb. 1968 – Aug. 1969). Romita then stepped back for six issues, drawing only covers while
John Buscema John Buscema (; ; born Giovanni Natale Buscema, December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002)Social Se ...
laid out issues #76–81 (Sept. 1969 – Feb. 1970) for others to finish. These steps at reducing Romita's Spider-Man workload had mixed results, Romita recalled in 2001, saying, "Stan was always trying to speed me up. He had Don Heck pencil over my breakdowns for a while. ... Then, when Don had finished the pencils, ee wouldcall me in to fix up anything ... that he didn't like. Even after it was inked, he'd have me changing what the inker had done. I told him, 'This was supposed to save me time, but it isn't!' ".Romita interview
''Alter Ego'' #9, p. 30 Romita's initial run on the title, abetted by the three other artists, lasted through issue #95 (April 1971). Gil Kane succeeded him as Spider-Man's regular penciler through issue #105 (Feb. 1972). Romita then began a second stint, doing full pencils for issues #105–115 and #119 (Feb.–Dec. 1972, April 1974), and providing occasional inking and most of the cover art through issue #168 (May 1977). Romita suggested to writer Gerry Conway that supporting character
Gwen Stacy Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Stacy, ...
should die at the hands of the Green Goblin in " The Night Gwen Stacy Died" in issue #121 (June 1973). Her demise and the Goblin's apparent death one issue later formed a story arc widely considered as the most defining in the history of Spider-Man. In his original run on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Romita contributed a string of over 50 covers and an almost unbroken run of story layouts or full pencil-art for 56 issues as well as a 21-page story in ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #3 (Nov. 1966), the covers of ''Annual''s #5–7, and the covers and stories for the two issues of the magazine-format title '' The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (July and Nov. 1968) that themselves totaled 110 story pages, the equivalent of five-and-a-half issues. Comics-art historian Daniel Herman assessed of Romita's Spider-Man work, Romita was the artist for the Spider-Man newspaper comic strip from its launch on January 3, 1977 through late 1980. He continued in his role as Marvel's art director during this time, anticipating that the strip would not last.


Marvel Comics art director

After editor-in-chief and art director
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 â€“ November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
assumed the positions of publisher and president in 1972, he promoted Romita to the position of
art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...
in July 1973 after Romita had been in that position unofficially but on staff since 1972. In that capacity through at least the late 1980s, Romita played a major role in defining the look of Marvel Comics and in designing new characters. Among the characters he designed or helped design are the Punisher,John Romita Sr., in Wolverine,
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
, Bullseye, Tigra, and Brother Voodoo. In 1976, Romita did uncredited art corrections on the large-format, first DC/Marvel intercompany crossover, '' Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man'', over the pencils of
Ross Andru Ross Andru (; born Rostislav Androuchkevitch, June 15, 1927 – November 9, 1993) Part 1: Animation: We Leave the Army", p. 21. In 1948, Andru's first professional work as a comic strip illustrator was drawing layouts for the ''Tarzan (comics), T ...
. Later that same year, Romita inked Jack Kirby's pencil work on ''Captain America's Bicentennial Battles'', a
one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...
story published in an oversized treasury format.


Later career

Romita inked the debut of new Captain Marvel Monica Rambeau in ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #16 (1982) and the first appearance of the Hobgoblin in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #238 (March 1983). He was one of six pencilers on ''
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics. Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...
'' #121 (Dec. 1986), and he penciled the nine-page story "I Remember Gwen" in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #365 (Aug. 1992, the 30th-anniversary issue) and an eight-page backup story starring the hero and supporting character the Prowler in ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual'' #13 (1993). He both penciled and inked the 10-page backup story "The Kiss"—a flashback in which Peter Parker (Spider-Man) and his girlfriend
Gwen Stacy Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Stacy, ...
share their first kiss—in ''Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man'' #1 (Jan. 1999). He drew an alternate-universe version of the Spider-Man characters in the
one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...
''Spidey: A Universe X Special'' (2001), and penciled the final four pages of the 38-page story in the milestone ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #500 (Dec. 2003). Romita drew one of four covers to the April 27 – May 3, 2002 issue of '' TV Guide''. Additionally, Romita contributed to multi-artist jams in commemorative issues. He did a panel in ''Captain America'' vol. 3, #50 (Feb. 2002), starring the first Marvel superhero he had drawn; a portion of ''
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
'' vol. 3, #40 (May 2001), although the hero was not one of the artist's signature characters; a panel for ''
Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...
'' vol. 2, #50 (Oct. 2003); and a few pages featuring Karen Page in ''Daredevil'' vol. 2, #100 (Oct. 2007), done in the style of the romance comics he had drawn decades earlier. Romita both penciled and inked the cover of ''Daredevil'' vol. 2, #94 (Feb. 2007) in that same romance comics style. The following year he drew a variant cover of his signature series, for ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #568 (Oct. 2008), doing so again with #642 (Nov. 2010). A Romita image of Spider-Man and a Hulk image penciled by Rich Buckler and inked by Romita were among the "Marvel Super Heroes" set of commemorative stamps issued by the
U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
on July 27, 2007. As of 2013, he serves on the Disbursement Committee of the comic-book industry charity The Hero Initiative. Stan Lee interviewed Romita and his son for the documentary series '' The Comic Book Greats''.


Awards

Romita received an Inkpot Award in 1979 and was inducted into the
Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame The following is a list of winners of the Eisner Award, sorted by category. The Eisner Awards have been presented since 1988, but there were no Eisner Awards in 1990 due to balloting mix-ups."Eisners Cancelled," ''The Comics Journal'' #137 (Sept. ...
in 2002. Romita was inducted into the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame in 2020.GamesRadar+ 2020 Inkwell Award Winners
/ref>First Comics News: 2020 Inkwell Awards Voting Results
/ref>Inkwell Awards Winners 2020
/ref>


Personal life

John Romita Sr. married childhood sweetheart Virginia Bruno in November 1952, who also worked on staff at Marvel from 1975 to 1996.Romita interview, ''Alter Ego'' #9, p. 10; appears in print version only They lived in Brooklyn's Bensonhurst neighborhood until 1954, when they bought a house in the Queens neighborhood of
Queens Village Queens Village is a mostly residential middle class neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bound by Hollis to the west, Cambria Heights to the south, Bellerose to the east, and Oakland Gardens to the north ...
.Spurlock, p. 17 Some years later, the family moved to Bellerose, New York, on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
. He and his wife have two sons, Victor and John Jr. (born August 17, 1956), who followed in his footsteps to become a noted comic-book artist himself.Romita interview
''Alter Ego'' #9. Romita said when he first went to Marvel in the 1960s, "Somebody suggested I might use a phony name at Marvel — it must've been when I was doing work for both companies — and I wrote out 'John Victor,' for my two boys. Then I said, 'This is crazy. Who am I kidding? Everybody's going to know I'm doing it, so why use a phony name?'"


Bibliography


DC Comics

* '' DC 100 Page Super Spectacular'' #5 (1971) * ''Falling in Love'' #31, 35, 50, 53–55, 70, 81 (1959–1966) * ''
Girls' Love Stories ''Girls' Love Stories'' was an American romance comic book magazine published by DC Comics in the United States. Started in 1949 as DC's first romance title, it ran for 180 issues, ending with the Nov-Dec 1973 issue. The stories covered such topic ...
'' #82–88, 90–99, 101, 116, 120, 138, 140, 162, 165, 170 (1961–1972) * '' Girls' Romances'' #23, 62, 76, 85, 93–95, 114, 121, 129, 159–160 (1953–1971) * '' Heart Throbs'' #63, 65–67, 77–86, 90, 93, 99, 101 (1959–1966) * ''Secret Hearts'' #43, 60, 69–70, 78–93, 109, 152–153 (1957–1971) * '' Young Love'' #39–43, 45–54 (1963–1966) * '' Young Romance'' #125–128, 130–132, 171–172, 175 (1963–1971)


Marvel Comics

* ''Adventures into Weird Worlds'' #21 (1953) * ''All-True Crime'' #44 (1951) * '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' #39–58, 67, 72, 82–83, 87–88, 93–95, 106–119, 132, 365, 500 ''Annual '96'' #1 (as penciller); #89–92, 96, 120–125, 146, 151, 238, 247, 274, 400, ''Annual'' #16 (as inker only) (1966–2003) (Romita drew additional Silver Age issues as layout artist for pencilers Don Heck and
Jim Mooney James Noel Mooney (August 13, 1919 – March 30, 2008) was an American comics artist best known for his long tenure at DC Comics and as the signature artist of Supergirl, as well as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, both during wh ...
.) * ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' vol. 2, #18 (inker) (2000) * ''The Amazing Spider-Man Special Edition'' (1982) * '' The Amazing Spider-Man''
comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
(1977–1980) * ''Astonishing'' #7, 18, 24, 43, 57, 61 (1951–1957) * ''
The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...
'' #23 (inker) (1965) * ''Battle'' #14, 26, 39, 45, 49, 53, 57–59 (1952–1958) * ''Battle Action'' #20, 22, 25, 27, 29 (1955–1957) * ''Battlefront'' #6, 10 (1952–1953) * ''Battle Ground'' #9 (1956) * '' Black Knight'' #4 (1955) * ''
Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
'' #114, 138–145, 148 (1969–1972) * ''Captain America'' vol. 3 #50 (among other artists) (2002) * ''Captain America Comics'' #76–78 (1954) * ''Caught'' #2 (1956) * ''Combat'' #3, 6 (1952) * ''Commando Adventures'' #2 (1957) * ''Cowboy Action'' #10 (1956) * ''Crime Cases Comics'' #7 (1951) * ''Crime Exposed'' #5 (1951) * ''
Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...
'' #12–19 (1966) * ''Daredevil'' vol. 2 #50, 100 (among other artists) (2003–2007) * ''
Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...
'' vol. 2 #7 (inker) (1975) * '' Droids'' #1–4 (1986) * ''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' #103–106, 108 (1970–1971) * ''Frontier Western'' #7 (1957) * ''Gunsmoke Western'' #38 (1956) * '' The Incredible Hulk Annual'' #17 (1991) * ''
Journey into Unknown Worlds ''Journey into Unknown Worlds'' was a science-fiction/horror/fantasy title from Atlas (pre-Marvel) Comics published during the 1950s. The series continued from Timely Comics' teen-humor series ''Teen Comics'' and ran from Sept. 1950 - Aug. 1957. ...
'' #22 (1953) * '' Jungle Action'' #2–6 (1954–1955) * ''Justice'' #42 (1954) * ''
Kid Colt Outlaw ''Kid Colt, Outlaw'' is a comic book title featuring the character Kid Colt originally published by Atlas Comics beginning in 1948 and later Marvel Comics. Publication history Kid Colt and his horse Steel first appeared in ''Kid Colt'' #1 (Augu ...
'' #70 (1957) * ''
Kingpin Kingpin or king pin may refer to: Vehicular part * Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism ** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the rider ...
'' #1 (1997) * ''Lorna, the Jungle Girl'' #17–26 (1956–1957) * '' Love Romances'' #35, 37 (1954) * ''Marines in Battle'' #3–4, 19 (1954–1957) * ''Marvel Presents: Guardians of the Galaxy'' #3 (inker, Cover Art) (February 1976) * ''Marvel Romance Redux: But I Thought He Loved Me'' #1 (inker) (2006) * ''Marvel Romance Redux: Guys & Dolls'' #1 (inker) (2006) * ''Marvel Romance Redux: Love is a Four-Letter Word'' #1 (2006) * '' Marvel Tales'' #108 (1952) * '' Marvel Tales'' vol. 2 #81 (1977) * '' Marvel Treasury Special'' #2 ("Captain America's Bicentennial Battles") (inker) (1976) * ''Men's Adventures'' #22, 24, 28 (1953–1954) * ''Menace'' #3, 6, 8, 11 (1953–1954) * ''My Love'' #1–3, 14, 16 (1969–1972) * ''My Love Story'' #9 (1957) * ''My Own Romance'' #36, 40 (1954) * ''Mystery Tales'' #7, 37, 41 (1953–1956) * '' Mystic'' #11, 15, 23, 25 (1952–1953) * ''Navy Action'' #5 (1955) * ''Navy Combat'' #12 (1957) * ''Our Love Story'' #1–2, 5 (inker) (1969–1970) * ''
Outlaw Kid The Outlaw Kid is a fictional Western hero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character originally appeared in the company's 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics. A lesser-known character than the company's Kid Colt, Raw ...
'' #5 (1955) * ''
Questprobe ''Questprobe'' is a trilogy of graphical adventure video games featuring Marvel Comics characters. The three games are ''Questprobe featuring The Hulk'', '' Questprobe featuring Spider-Man'' and '' Questprobe featuring Human Torch and Thing''. H ...
'' #1 (inker) (1984) * '' Ringo Kid'' #11 (1956) * '' Savage Tales'' ( Femizons) #1 (1971) * ''Secret Story Romances'' #16, 18 (1955) * '' Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel'' #1 (inker) (1996) * ''Six-Gun Western'' #1, 4 (1957) * ''Spaceman'' #1 (1953) * '' The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #121, ''Annual'' #13 (1986–1993) * ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' magazine #1–2 (1968) * ''Spellbound'' #13, 24, 26–28 (1953–1956) * ''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
'' #57 (penciller) (1995) * ''Spider-Man: The Mutant Agenda'' #0 (1994) * ''Spy Cases'' #5 (1951) * ''Stories of Romance'' #5, 11 (1956–1957) * '' Strange Tales'' #4, 35 (1951–1955) * ''Strange Tales of the Unusual'' #1 (1955) * ''Suspense'' #20, 25 (1952) * '' Tales of Suspense'' (Captain America) #76–77 (1966) * '' Tales to Astonish'' #67 (
Giant Man Giant-Man is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Editorial Story Hank Pym, the first Giant-Man, with the Wasp, appeared in many superheroes stories published in the serial ''Tales to ...
); #77 (
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
) (inker) (1965–1966) * '' The Tomb of Dracula'' magazine #2 (inker) (1979) * ''True Secrets'' #4, 13, 38 (1951–1956) * ''Two Gun Western'' #8 (inker) (1951) * '' Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special'' #1 (2002) * ''Uncanny Tales'' #10 (1953) * '' Uncanny X-Men'' #177 (inker) (1984) * '' Universe X: Spidey'' #1 (inker) (2001) * '' Untold Tales of Spider-Man'' #-1 (1997) * ''
Vampire Tales ''Vampire Tales'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 11 issues and one annual publication from 1973 to 1975, and featuring vampires as both ...
'' #2 (1973) * ''War Action'' #10–11 (1953) * ''War Adventures'' #7, 9 (1952) * ''War Comics'' #10, 16, 20, 29, 40, 42 (1952–1956) * '' Web of Spider-Man'' #52 (inker) (1989) * '' Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man'' #1 (1999) * '' Western Kid'' #1–17 (1954–1957) * ''Western Outlaws'' #1, 7, 11, 13–14 (1954–1956) * ''Western Outlaws and Sheriffs'' #70 (1951) * ''Wild Western'' #24 (1952) * ''World of Mystery'' #2 "(1956) * ''World of Suspense'' #5 (1956) * ''Young Men'' #24–28 (Captain America) (1953–1954)


Marvel Comics and DC Comics

* '' Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man'' #1 (1976)


Notes


References


External links

*
John Romita Sr.
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Romita, John, Sr 1930 births Living people American art directors American comics artists American people of Italian descent American storyboard artists Artists from Brooklyn Golden Age comics creators High School of Art and Design alumni Inkpot Award winners Marvel Comics people People from Bellerose, New York Silver Age comics creators United States Army soldiers Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees