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worked for Timely Comics to ghost pencil pages for him. Ultimately, this would help
Romita meet Timely’s art director, Stan Lee. Romita’s fi rst credited work was for “Th e
Bradshaw Boys” in Western Outlaws #1 (February 1951) for Atlas Comics. He drew a
number of stories in diff erent genres and participated in the short revival of Captain
America in Young Men #24 –28 (Dec. 1953–July 1954) and Captain America #76 –78
(May–September 1954).
Moving over to DC comics in 1958, Romita was assigned to work solely on
romance titles. Tired of penciling and just wanting to ink, he returned to Marvel
Comics to work on an Avengers issue. However, Lee had him do pencils over Jack
Kirby’s Daredevil — a title he enjoyed working on. Th is would lead to a two-part
story guest starring Spider-Man (16–17, May–June 1966). Impressed with Romita’s
handling of the character, Lee handed him Th e Amazing Spider-Man ( ASM ) after
co-creator Steve Ditko quit. Th inking it was a temporary job, Romita copied Ditko’s
style but after six months, he realized that the book was now his. It is Romita’s version
of Spider-Man that is now best remembered.
Working with the Marvel Method, where Lee would provide an outline of the story
to the artist, Romita plotted many of the Spider-Man stories; sometimes even as he drove
along with his family. Even his son John Romita Jr. (now himself a top comics artists)
helped provide ideas. Th e two Romitas collaborated on Amazing Spider-Man 500.
Romita’s favorite issues of the series were #108 and #109, as he was able to play with
some of his Milton Caniff infl uences.
Romita was responsible for the infamous “Death of Gwen Stacy” issue and drew
the artwork that introduced Mary Jane Watson to the world ( ASM #42). Romita left
the series in the early 1970s to become the art director at Marvel, where he helped
shape its new characters. He also worked on special projects such as children’s books
and coloring books, as well as overseeing “Romita’s Raiders”— an apprentice program
for new Marvel artists. From 1977 to 1980, Romita provided the artwork for the syndi-
cated Spider-Man newspaper strip.
Romita once commented that he was a storyteller fi rst and an artist second. “Art is
only a tool, just like the lettering on the paper. If you don’t tell a story, the best art in the
world is a waste.” After retiring, he has returned to contribute artwork to special Spider-
Man events, including the 2007 USPS Spider-Man stamp.
Selected Bibliography: Lee, Stan, Tom DeFalco, Roy Th omas, Roger Stern, John
Romita Sr. Marvel Visionaries: John Romita Sr. New York: Marvel, 2005; Th omas,
Roy, Jim Amish, and John Romita, Sr. John Romita: And All Th at Jazz. Raleigh, NC:
TwoMorrows Publishing, 2007.
Jeff McLaughlin
RONIN. While rising to fame with his run on Daredevil for Marvel Comics , the six-
issue-miniseries Ronin for DC Comics , written between 1983 and 1984, can be seen as
a landmark in the work of Frank Miller. Not only did he help strengthen the acceptance
