We have some very sad news to share with you today as it's been confirmed that John Romita Sr., the legendary comic book artist who co-created characters like Wolverine, The Punisher, The Kingpin, and Mary Jane Watson, has passed away aged 93.
His son, Marvel Comics artist John Romita Jr., shared the news on Twitter last night and you can read his statement below.
Early in his career, Romita Sr. worked for both Marvel and DC (when they were known as Timely Comics and National Comics) and later joined Stan Lee for a five-year run on Amazing Spider-Man. Taking over from Steve Ditko, expectations were high and the artist definitely delivered.
It was during this period that Amazing Spider-Man became Marvel Comics' biggest title and Romita Sr. was there to introduce some of the wall-crawler's most iconic supporting characters and villains. He was also responsible for a number of iconic covers and interior pages, including Amazing Spider-Man #50's "Spider-Man No More."
Later serving as Marvel's Art Director, Romita Sr. left Marvel Comics in 1996 but continued lending his talents to them and even DC Comics for a rare Superman cover.
We've lost a legend with his passing but Romita Sr.'s legacy will be long remembered. The Marvel Universe won't be the same without him, that's for sure, and his work has adorned Variant covers even in recent years (mostly reusing old artwork, but he'd still contribute the odd new one here and there).
Romita Jr. is currently Amazing Spider-Man's main artist and, like his father, is considered synonymous with the wall-crawler.
Our thoughts go out to John's family and friends at this difficult time.
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