Beloved Spider-Man Artist John Romita Dies At Age 93

In one of the most famous panels in American comics, Peter (Spider-Man) Parker, who has successfully avoided a blind date with his neighbor’s niece for dozens of issues thinking she might be unattractive, answers the door to finally meet the mysterious Mary Jane Watson. To Peter’s surprise, Mary Jane is a vivacious red-headed bombshell in a sleeveless black top. “Face it, Tiger,” she says with a thousand-watt smile, “you just hit the jackpot!”

The artist who made that scene magical and drew thousands of other pages of comics over a career that extended back to the 1940s, John Romita, died peacefully the evening of June 12 at age 93, according to his son, artist John Romita, Jr. “I say this with a heavy heart, my father passed away peacefully in his sleep,” he wrote. “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 had made a career drawing various genres of comics, notably romance, since breaking in at age 19. He never saw himself as a superhero artist, but, after a brief stint on Daredevil, dutifully took the reins on Marvel’s popular title The Amazing Spider-Man following the departure of writer/artist and co-creator Steve Ditko, in 1966. Romita’s polished style contrasted with Ditko’s more idiosyncratic approach but quickly won over fans and propelled the web-slinger to some of his greatest heights.

Romita’s professionalism and speed made him a favorite of Stan Lee, who eventually promoted him to Art Director for Marvel in 1973. In that role, Romita was involved in the design of some of Marvel’s most iconic characters of the era, including Wolverine, the Punisher, and Luke Cage. He left Marvel in 1995 at age 65 when the company, then in financial trouble, required him to personally fire employees. He continued to work in comics into his older years, occasionally turning up to pencil or ink important anniversary issues.

In his appearances on panels at comic conventions, Romita always credited his colleagues and collaborators for their contributions to the medium and downplayed his own talents. Nevertheless, his influence on the look of American comics from the 1960s onward, and the mentorship he provided to generations of creators coming into the business, made him one of the figures of his era who commanded universal affection and respect. With his passing, comics loses one of the last surviving links to the “Golden Age” of the 1940s and the “Silver Age” of the 60s.

Following the news of his death, there was an outpouring of eulogies from across the comics and entertainment industry.

“Sorry to hear about the great comic book artist John Romita Sr passing at the age of 93,” tweeted director James 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.”

Current Spider-Man writer Dan Slott tweeted a lovely anecdote about working as an intern at Marvel in the 90s and presenting his portfolio to Romita at a convention because he was hesitant to bother the great man at the offices, only to find him approachable, friendly, and generous with helpful advice. “He was more than one of the most talented artists and my all-time favorite, he was genuinely kind, and one of the nicest men I’d ever met,” wrote Slott.

“John Romita Sr was friendly and welcoming to me from the very first time I went up to the Marvel offices for an informational tour, and never ceased being the legendary but approachable (and funny) colleague the entire time I knew and worked with him,” wrote 1980s-era Spider-Man editor Danny Fingeroth. “A great loss to us all.”