This week’s post is all about the man who many recognize as one of the greatest Spider-man artist of all time, John Romita Jr. This guy got an early start in comics when he submitted the creation of The Prowler to Marvel at the young age of 13. His popularity started when he worked on Iron Man, but his big break was when he picked up The Amazing Spider-man. He was co-creator of the infamous villain, the Hobgoblin. Romita Jr. also worked on Uncanny X-Men in the mid 80’s and then again in the early 90’s. Other major titles include Daredevil, The Punisher: War Zone, The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine vol. 3, Captain America, and Thor vol. 2. Romita is now making his presence known at DC comics by teaming up with Geoff Johns to create an all new Superman storyline.
Now. Let’s talk about that art. John Romita Jr.’s art from the 80’s strongly reflects his father’s artwork. Jr. eventually adapted his own style. The only problem I have with the early styles of comic art is how lifeless some characters looked. They were stiff and lacked depth. Romita’s style evolved into very fluid characters and strong lines. When illustrating a superhero comic, the artist must keep the character’s powers and personality in mind when positioning them. A character like Spider-man will be less stiff than a character like Thor or Superman. Romita does an excellent job at this. I think that’s why his art for the web-slinger is so well received. It just LOOKS like Spider-man.
I also like that John’s artwork is simple and clean. He doesn’t over do the lines and shadows. Everything is crisp. He has a way of drawing the characters that makes them look realistic, but still maintains the look of a comic or cartoon. I think that’s a great challenge for any artist to overcome. I know it’s a tough one for me when I’m drawing.
So hats off to the Romita’s for being great comic artists. It’s rare that a son follows his father’s footsteps and makes them even deeper.
Comic Art Analysis 