Johnny Romita

John Victor Romita was born on January 24, 1930, and died on June 12, 2023. He is best remembered as the artist who defined *The Amazing Spider-Man* after Steve Ditko’s departure, and for co-creating key Marvel characters including Mary Jane Watson, the Punisher, Kingpin, Wolverine, and Luke Cage.

Romita began his comics career in 1949 as a ghost artist for Timely Comics, where he met editor Stan Lee. He spent the 1950s drawing horror, war, and romance stories for Atlas Comics, including a revival of Captain America, then worked exclusively for DC Comics from 1958 to 1965, honing his skill at depicting beautiful women in romance titles. In 1965, he joined Marvel on *Daredevil*. When Lee needed a new artist for *Amazing Spider-Man* in 1966, Romita took over and brought a polished romance style that made the book Marvel’s top seller within a year. Promoted to art director in 1973, he shaped the company’s visual direction through the 1970s and 1980s.

Romita’s signature work is marked by clean, dynamic lines and a gift for expressive faces. He collaborated closely with Stan Lee and later with his son, artist John Romita Jr. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2002.