John Romita Sr., Famous Marvel Comic Artist, Dies At 93
Comic book creator John Romita Sr. has reportedly died at the age of 93. He was most recognized for his work on “The Amazing Spider-Man” and for co-creating characters like Wolverine.
On Tuesday night, John Romita Jr., his son, confirmed the information via Twitter.
“I say this with a heavy heart, My father passed away peacefully in his sleep. He is a legend in the art world and it would be my honour to follow in his footsteps. Please keep your thoughts and condolences here out of respect for my family,” he wrote.
“He was the greatest man I ever met,” Romita Jr., who is also a renowned comic artist, added.
Romita Sr., who was born on January 24, 1930, in Brooklyn, spent eight years working for DC Comics after earning his degree from the School of Art & Design in Manhattan. In order to collaborate with business founder Stan Lee on “The Amazing Spider-Man,” he eventually joined Marvel Comics. He later rose to the position of art director there during the 1970s and 1980s. He was regarded as a titan in the comic book industry, and the news of his passing sparked reactions from people like director James Gunn, whose films based on Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” series.
“Sorry to hear about the great comic book artist John Romita Sr passing at the age of 93,” wrote Gunn.
“My brother & I wrote Mr. Romita when we were young kids & sent him drawings of superheroes we were working on. He wrote us back, telling us what he liked about the drawings! A truly memorable experience in my life, making me feel like the magic of comic books, which seemed so otherworldly, wasn’t actually that far away. My thoughts & condolences are with his family & loved ones,” he added.
Romita began working for Marvel, initially penning Daredevil comics in 1965. When co-creator and illustrator of Spider-Man Steve Ditko left Marvel in 1966, writer Lee selected Romita to become the new artist for Amazing Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man went from being Marvel’s second-best-selling publication to the publisher’s top-seller in less than a year after Romita was hired as the character’s artist. Romita introduced a fresh romantic tone to Spider-Man comics that quickly took over as the title’s new house tone.
Romita, who was appointed Marvel’s art director in June 1973, had a significant impact on the appearance of Marvel comics throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 2002, he received a spot in the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.
