Neil Gaiman, John Romita, John Romita Jr.

John Romita Jr., born in 1956, is an American comic book artist with a career spanning from the 1970s to the 2020s, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is the son of the renowned artist John Romita Sr. Romita Jr. studied art and design before beginning his career at Marvel UK and later making his American debut with Marvel Comics. He gained early recognition for his work on Iron Man and later became known for his runs on The Amazing Spider-Man and The Uncanny X-Men, where he co-created characters like Madame Web, Hydro-Man, and Forge.

His career also includes significant contributions to Daredevil, which he described as a turning point that revitalized his enthusiasm for comics. He collaborated with Frank Miller on the acclaimed Daredevil: The Man Without Fear graphic novel. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Romita Jr. worked on numerous titles for Marvel, including Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the creator-owned series Kick-Ass. In recent years, he has also worked for DC Comics on titles such as Superman and All-Star Batman. Romita Jr. has received awards for his work, including an Eisner Award.

John Romita Jr.'s artistic journey began at a young age, with his first contribution to Marvel Comics at just 13 years old, involving a sketch that led to the creation of the Prowler character. After starting with Marvel UK, his American career launched with a pin-up and a short story. His early popularity surged with his work on Iron Man, where he and his collaborators introduced characters like Bethany Cabe and Justin Hammer. He then moved on to The Amazing Spider-Man, co-creating Madame Web and Hydro-Man, and later co-created the Hobgoblin with Roger Stern. His tenure on The Uncanny X-Men, alongside writer Chris Claremont, resulted in the co-creation of Forge, though Romita Jr. has expressed a downplayed view of his influence on the series.

Following a period of disillusionment after working on Marvel's Star Brand, Romita Jr. found renewed passion for comics during his run on Daredevil. This period, from 1988 to 1990, was significant as it marked the first time he was allowed to do full pencils and collaborate on plots, making him feel truly part of the creation process. During this run, he co-created the villain Typhoid Mary. This revitalized enthusiasm extended to his collaboration with Frank Miller on the graphic novel Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, which he considered his best work in terms of storytelling. He also ventured into creator-owned projects, such as The Gray Area, and contributed to the miniseries Kick-Ass, which was later adapted into a film.

Romita Jr.'s career continued with a return to The Amazing Spider-Man, collaborations on titles like Wolverine with Mark Millar, and contributions to the Eternals miniseries with Neil Gaiman. He also worked on Marvel's "World War Hulk" storyline. In 2014, he transitioned to DC Comics, becoming the penciller for their flagship title Superman, working with Geoff Johns. He continued with DC on series like All-Star Batman and The Silencer, and later collaborated with Frank Miller again for the Superman: Year One miniseries. He has also returned to Marvel's Spider-Man and contributed to Detective Comics. Romita Jr. has been recognized with awards, including an Inkpot Award and an Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story.

“I finally felt like I was part of the creation process for the first time while I was on DD.”

“I use the same approach to each of the different story types – the story tells me what to do.”