A Legend Passes
Remembering John Romita
As the comics world knows by now, we have lost another legend of modern comics. John Romita Sr. passed away at the long lived age of 93, quietly in his sleep.
He is another in a list that includes Steve Ditko and Stan Lee and Neal Adam’s and Denny O’Neil and other luminaries in the last decade. We have lost many of the defining creators of the Marvel Universe and superhero comics as we understand it today. All of these creators have left an indelible mark on my life, and in global culture. Often unheralded. Often misunderstood.
I never met the man, obviously. But his work is a quintessential part of who I am.
I have been pondering how to speak about the passing of the legendary John Romita Sr. since learning about it last night when his son, and legend in his own right, John Romita Jr shared the news.
Romita did not create Spider-Man or most of the Marvel characters he became so intrinsically associated with. But he helped to redefine Peter Parker and his world, moving him into young adulthood and transforming his stories, and he introduced us to one of the most compelling supporting characters in comics history in Mary Jane Watson.
Romita solidified the look and feel of Marvel Comics as the company's artistic director. His work graced the pages of Amazing Spider-Man for some of its most important and dramatic moments. He brought an unparalleled human drama and emotion unlike anything that had ever been in a superhero comic.
His beautifully rendered art became synonymous with Marvel and his lines grace licensing work to this day. Romita can often be forgotten when looking back at comics history when compared to contemporaries like Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby. He was, seemingly, not the limitless and boundary pushing artist like those trailblazers. But he was a masterful storyteller, a reliable and stalwart creator who brought a consistent and seemingly effortless level of craft.
But his importance in the development and maturation of superhero comics and visual storytelling is as great as either Ditko or Kirby. If Marvel has 4 pillars that undergird all of its longevity and success, they are Stan "The Man" Lee, Jack the King Kirby, Sturdy Steve Ditko, and Jazzy John Romita.
It’s hard to overstate what a loss it is to lose this final pillar of the defining pop culture force of the century. My heart goes out to his family and all that knew and loved him. To all who have been moved by and admired his work all their life.