Farewell To A Marvel Legend: John Romita Sr., Iconic Artist, Passes Away At 93

John Romita Sr., the legendary comic book artist who played a significant role in co-creating iconic Marvel characters such as Wolverine, the Punisher, and Mary Jane Watson, has passed away at the age of 93.

The news of his death was shared on Twitter by his son, John Romita Jr., himself a highly-accomplished comic book artist. Expressing his grief, Romita Jr. wrote, “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 honor to follow in his footsteps. Please keep your thoughts and condolences here out of respect for my family. He was the greatest man I ever met.”

Romita Sr., born in Brooklyn and raised as one of five children, began his journey in the comic book industry after graduating from the Manhattan School of Industrial Art in 1947. At the young age of 19, he entered the world of comics, getting his work published in Eastern Color’s Famous Funnies after serving in the U.S. Army.

Over the next 15 years, Romita Sr. divided his time between Timely Comics (which would eventually become Marvel) and National Comics (later known as DC), contributing to numerous titles and earning acclaim for his romance comics. It was in 1966 that Romita embarked on a significant collaboration with Stan Lee, then editor-in-chief at Marvel, on The Amazing Spider-Man. Taking over from artist Steve Ditko, Romita’s tenure witnessed the introduction of beloved characters like Mary Jane Watson and the Kingpin. Spider-Man’s popularity soared under Romita’s artistic vision, propelling him to the forefront of Marvel and solidifying his status as the company’s leading superhero.

In 1972, Romita assumed the unofficial role of Marvel’s art director, a position that was officially confirmed a year later. While contributing to character designs for figures such as Luke Cage, the Punisher, and Wolverine, he also trained and supervised “Romita’s Raiders,” a team of in-house artists who would rectify or replace pages deemed unusable, often without receiving credit.

Romita’s association with Marvel as art director spanned over two decades, during which he continued to contribute artwork to various titles. His notable works include the cover of 1987’s The Amazing Spider-Man Annual No. 21, where Peter Parker and Mary Jane finally tied the knot.

In 1996, Romita bid farewell to Marvel, transitioning into semi-retirement, which proved to be a misnomer given his continued output in the following years. He worked on multiple Spider-Man projects for Marvel and even created a Superman cover for DC, marking his return to the competitor after half a century.

In interviews, Romita often expressed regret at not being born earlier to be part of the first generation of comic book artists and writers. Nevertheless, he took pride in his ability to build upon the concepts of others, stating in 2002, “No matter what success I’ve had, I’ve always considered myself a guy who can improve on somebody else’s concepts. A writer and another artist can create something, and I can make it better.”