rexinnih

Reports are that John Romita Sr. has passed away at 93. RIP to one of the true legends.

L. Ron zyzzle

93!
RIP to a true icon

will travel

Bronkster

Aw, man, that hurts. His Spidey art got me into Marvel. Always loved his clean style. Rest in Peace, Mr. Romita.

ytrez

Romita is a comic book icon and I'm glad he had a long life with his family.

Who's left from the Silver Age? I typically think of Sal Buscema as more from the second wave of Marvel artists, but I think he counts. I think Larry Leiber is still kicking, though he did more writing than drawing in the early Marvel Age. I can't think of any surviving DC artists.

Is that it? The 1960s were the renaissance of comics, built on the shoulders of legends like Kirby, Ditko, Romita, Buscema, Lee, and others. Romita and the others are gone but their work will live on forever. I'm thrilled to live in a period when I can get it in beautiful formats like the Artist Editions, Omnibus volumes, and huge, beautiful collections like Taschen is putting out.

RIP, Jazzy John Romita.

fujishig

Is Steranko still alive? I know you specified DC and he was mostly a Marvel guy.

B5Erik

John Romita Sr was, and always will be, my favorite artist. It was his art that turned me on to Spider-Man. You can instantly tell that something was drawn by Romita. His clean, smooth, bold style was unmistakable.

I've been thinking about this day for years. When someone is in their late 80's you know they're living on borrowed time. I'm glad he lived to 93. He had a great life, and he knew how much his art meant to so many people.

He will be missed.

Spiderbite

Man. One of the true legends in comic book history.

And every interview I ever read with him; he seemed like the nicest guy in the world.

Hate to hear it but luckily, he left decades of fantastic artwork for everyone to enjoy for all time. Awesome legacy to leave.

PhantomStranger

The greatest Spidey artist, his run on the character solidified Spider-Man as Marvel's most popular and iconic character. Rest in peace to a man who generally doesn't get enough credit for his accomplishments in the field.

B5Erik

Yeah, he always struck me as a genuinely nice guy. He always treated fans with love and respect. And he always had a smile on his face - he knew how lucky he was to have the job that he did.

That's what will be missed - the positive, happy, friendly personality. That's who he was.

ytrez

I believe he is. I was thinking of Steranko as part of the later group of artists that made a splash in comics but he probably came in around the same time as Sal Buscema.

I'm thinking Larry Leiber is one of the few silver age guys left. He drew romance and western comics in the Atlas days, took on scripting chores on titles Stan was too busy for, most notably Thor, when Atlas became Marvel, and picked up writing and drawing Rawhide Kid in the mid-60s. I think Sal Buscema came on in the late sixties and ended up drawing most of Marvel's characters in one title or another before becoming primarily an inker in the 90s. Steranko's Nick Fury and Captain America work was mid-thru-late 60s and then he was more or less out of comics.

If I'm counting Sal & Steranko, I have to count Roy Thomas, who is still with us. Point being, there's very few of the greats left. Romita left a huge mark on comics with Spider-Man, and to a lesser extent, Daredevil. He continued to contribute to Marvel Comics as art director and I'm seeing plenty of stories from artists who he helped over the years by opening doors for them and giving them pointers. John Byrne relayed a story about how, when he was assigned Marvel Team-Up, Romita pulled Byrne into his office and shared his "trick" for drawing the webbing on Spider-Man's costume. He was a huge asset to the field of comics.

rexinnih

Yes Steranko is still alive and kicking. Will be seeing him this week at the Washington State Summer Con. He was there a few years ago and quite the character.

movieguru

Steranko is still alive and well. I just saw him at a convention in New York in March. He seems to take pride in his appearance, so he looks like he is in very good shape for someone his age. He is a character though and entertaining when you go to his booth to purchase a print or get an autograph.

RocShemp