AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1-48 (Zeb Wells / collectif)

Bah JrJr…

Qui pourtant était de la partie il y a vingt ans quand JMS rabibochait le couple.

Et il y a 39 ans lors de son retour dans la série après quelques années d’absence (quel sens du timing).

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Best périod

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oué c’était quand même bien plus beau…

Ainsi qu’au moment de la (seconde) proposition en mariage puis de sa fausse couche à la fin de la saga du clone ou d’autres occurrences ultérieures (JR jr est décidément souvent là dans les moments importants de la vie de la rouquine).

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non

un run qui va mettre tout le monde d’accord en somme

Et c’est clairement pas l’épisode le plus beau de l’époque

J aime pas cette periode de Romita Jr…
Entre Iron Man et DD (ou Starbrand j y ai pas trop regardé)… c est sa periode faible pour moi… (d autant si son pere encre… le coté « nous deux » c est pas mon truc… je prefere du bon Janson avec un bon Punisher)

Moi, j’ai l’impression que ça fait trente ans qu’elle dure, cette période…

Jim

C’est surtout qu’entre 78 et 88, c’est la période où il ne rend pas encore des crayonnés hyper-poussés (cela change à partir de son DD).

Phil Cordier (Back Issue N°21 en VO/DD mag en VF) : « Having illustrated somewhere between breakdowns and pencils on X-Men, Daredevil was the first time JRjr was allowed to do full pencils and to work with a compatible editor and writer. »

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Encré par Dan Green, le rendu déchire aussi, quand même.

Non car là il y a sa meilleure periode…
Pour moi clairement l emeilleur Romita Jr c est de DD (ou apres) à Thorion compris.
Ce qui est dommage c est qu a part DD c est pas forcement celle où il est sur les meilleurs scenars… mais clairement DD, Iron Man, Punisher War Zone, Pupu/Wolvie/GR, Spidey de cette epoque (mais JMS reste bon),Thorion et les quelques xmen u autres qu il fait: c est du lourd, du trés lourd!
Ses Xmen ou spidey des 80’s … c est largeent en dessous… et c est même en dessous de sa periode Thor-actuelle pour moi…
Franchement ses spideys… il singe son père… et c est la derniere chose à faire… même Frenz a choisi de plutot singer Ditko, y a pas photo

Je n’étais pas du tout un fan de JrJr sur les X-Men, mais pour les avoir relu il y a 2-3 ans, quel narrateur ! Ça ne m’avait pas frappé à l’époque, et si DD est sa meilleure période, il y a dans ses X-Men tout ce qui fera la qualité de son style.

Le cas de JrJr pose la question de ce qui est attendu en terme de dessin purement esthétique. Il a radicalisé son style, comme le font aujourd’hui Miller, ou bien avant comme l’a fait Kirby. Des dessins qui ne sont pas jolis et qui ne se soucient pas toujours d’ une certaine cohérence anatomique ou « realiste ». L’âge met forcément en évidence des erreurs : automatismes, raccourcis, lassitude entre ce qui est attendu et ce qui serait réellement souhaité ? Je ne sais pas. Mais pour lire les commentaires de Phil Cordier sur son blog qui connaît un peu le monsieur je perçois une personnalité « docile », qui ne cherche pas à faire de vagues ou d’imposer ses conditions (certainement dû à l’éducation de son père qui avait j’imagine cette même approche). quand on voit les Dean White ou JP Meyer saccager son trait, je me dis que nous, nous avons une vision artistique de ce qui n’est qu’une industrie, un métier avec des tonnes d’intervenants et d’objectifs divers.

Tout ça pour dire que je trouve déjà un peu triste ce retour de JrJr sur Spidey, comme je regrettais un peu Adam Kubert sur Wolverine. Il n’y a pas de prise de risque, et à moins d’y voir un terrain d’expérimentation, le souvenir du passé sera confronté au present et aux comparaisons. Du coup, JrJr (qui a 65 ans quand même,) souffrira de ce constat.

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Moi, j’ai commencé à moins aimer au milieu de sa période X-Men. J’aime énormément ses premiers épisodes, où il regarde Paul Smith et Frank Miller et développe une épure incroyable… Et puis petit à petit il s’achemine vers le numéro 200 et c’est de plus en plus raide. Sur Daredevil (et Starbrand juste avant), il est sauvé par Williamson, mais il commence à développer ses personnages debout tout raide et ses nanas avec des nez pointus à piquer l’olive au fond du bocal. L’énergie kirbyenne sur Cable, Iron Man, Thorion ou Thor, fonctionne à plein, et ça marche, mais ensuite, ses énièmes retour sur Spidey ont bien montré qu’il y a une baisse à tous les niveaux : ses personnages sont de plus en plus laids, ses cadrages sont de plus en maladroits, ses anatomies sont de plus en plus hésitantes…

Jim

J’aime beaucoup World War Hulk. Pas pour ce que ça raconte, mais quand j’achetais cette mini, je voulais de la grosse baston, et j’ai été servi !

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Un thread consacré à un passage en revue de sa carrière pré-DC de 1977 à 2013 (ce blog Comic Artist Evolution a fait la même chose avec Art Adams, Immonen, Bill Sienkiewicz, Kyle Baker & Deodato Jr.) :

https://comicartistevolution.tumblr.com/archive/2013/8

John Romita Jr. is going to kick us off. He was my very first “favorite artist” back when I started reading in the late 70’s and his style has evolved dramatically.

John Romita Jr. is going to kick us off. He was my very first “favorite artist” back when I started reading in the late 70’s and his style has evolved dramatically.

John Romita 1977: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #11 / Inker: Al Milgrom “Debut Penciller” Johnny gets his start on the title that would become most closely associated with him.


John Romita 1977: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #11 / Inker: Al Milgrom
“Debut Penciller” Johnny gets his start on the title that would become most closely associated with him.

John Romita Jr. 1978: Iron Man #117 / Inker: Bob Layton JRJR’s first regular title was Iron Man, where the influence of Bob Layton’s clean, detailed inks make these issues very distinct from his later work.


John Romita Jr. 1978: Iron Man #117 / Inker: Bob Layton
JRJR’s first regular title was Iron Man, where the influence of Bob Layton’s clean, detailed inks make these issues very distinct from his later work.

John Romita Jr. 1979: Iron Man #128 / Inker: Bob Layton Demon in a Bottle? Yep, that was JRJR, still under Layton’s influence.


John Romita Jr. 1979: Iron Man #128 / Inker: Bob Layton
Demon in a Bottle ? Yep, that was JRJR, still under Layton’s influence.

John Romita Jr. 1980: Amazing Spider-Man #210 / Inker: Joe Sinnott JRJR returns to the Amazing Spider-Man to begin his multi-year tour of duty on the title.


John Romita Jr. 1980: Amazing Spider-Man #210 / Inker: Joe Sinnott
JRJR returns to the Amazing Spider-Man to begin his multi-year tour of duty on the title.

John Romita Jr. 1981: Amazing Spider-Man #215 / Inks: Jim Mooney This isn’t so amazing a sequence for what it is, but for what it isn’t. JRJR hadn’t yet developed the pulverized face treatment that would become commonplace in his later work. I’ll be...


John Romita Jr. 1981: Amazing Spider-Man #215 / Inks: Jim Mooney
This isn’t so amazing a sequence for what it is, but for what it isn’t. JRJR hadn’t yet developed the pulverized face treatment that would become commonplace in his later work. I’ll be calling back to this image when we get to the aftermath of Spidey’s fight with Morlun in the 2000’s

John Romita Jr. 1981: Dazzler #2 / Inks: Alfredo Alcala While working on Spider-Man, JRJR also managed to help kick off Dazzler’s new title. While his style would become heavily stylized as it developed, this panel is an excellent example of the kind...


John Romita Jr. 1981: Dazzler #2 / Inks: Alfredo Alcala
While working on Spider-Man, JRJR also managed to help kick off Dazzler’s new title. While his style would become heavily stylized as it developed, this panel is an excellent example of the kind of anatomical realism he’s capable of.

John Romita Jr. 1981: Dazzler #3 / Inks Alan Kupperberg The only reason I’m including yet another image of his short stint on Dazzler is because of the incredibly badass Doctor Doom he served up complete with Kirby Krackle!


John Romita Jr. 1981: Dazzler #3 / Inks Alan Kupperberg
The only reason I’m including yet another image of his short stint on Dazzler is because of the incredibly badass Doctor Doom he served up complete with Kirby Krackle!

John Romita Jr. 1982: Contest of Champions #1 / Inker: Pablo Marcos Before AvX, before Civil War, before Secret War… there was the Contest of Champions! The first time something of this magnitude was attempted (if you don’t count Reed and Sue’s...


John Romita Jr. 1982: Contest of Champions #1 / Inker: Pablo Marcos
Before AvX, before Civil War, before Secret War… there was the Contest of Champions! The first time something of this magnitude was attempted (if you don’t count Reed and Sue’s wedding), and JRJR was the one tapped to draw it.

John Romita Jr. 1982: Amazing Spider-Man #231 / Inker: Jim Mooney While it’s become routine in the post-McFarlane era to draw Spidey’s web-swinging with contortionist poses, I particularly admire the way JRJR pays attention to the weight and momentum...


John Romita Jr. 1982: Amazing Spider-Man #231 / Inker: Jim Mooney
While it’s become routine in the post-McFarlane era to draw Spidey’s web-swinging with contortionist poses, I particularly admire the way JRJR pays attention to the weight and momentum of a body moving through space. Romita used the “multiple figure” treatment a lot during his first run on ASM and I remember filling in the “tween” motion between the “key frames” he provided, turning these panels into miniature movies. I gotta say I miss those.

John Romita Jr. 1982: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 / Inker: John Romita Sr. With all of her subsequent name changes, it’s easy to forget that we had a female (and African-American, I might add) Captain Marvel 30 years ago. But the real reason for...


John Romita Jr. 1982: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16 / Inker: John Romita Sr.
With all of her subsequent name changes, it’s easy to forget that we had a female (and African-American, I might add) Captain Marvel 30 years ago. But the real reason for this issue’s inclusion is the first-ever pairing of the John Romita father & son art team!

John Romita Jr. 1983: Amazing Spider-Man #238 / Inker: John Romita Sr. So what do the father-son duo do for an encore? How about an all-new Goblin?


John Romita Jr. 1983: Amazing Spider-Man #238 / Inker: John Romita Sr.
So what do the father-son duo do for an encore? How about an all-new Goblin?

John Romita Jr. 1983: Amazing Spider-Man #244 / Inker Klaus Janson Ladies and gentlemen: the first ever panel of Klaus Janson’s inks on Romita’s pencils. A match made in heaven.


John Romita Jr. 1983: Amazing Spider-Man #244 / Inker Klaus Janson
Ladies and gentlemen: the first ever panel of Klaus Janson’s inks on Romita’s pencils. A match made in heaven.

John Romita Jr. 1983: Uncanny X-Men #176 / Inker: John Romita Jr. Jim Shooter’s comments on the cover: Beautiful art! Who knew that John Romita Jr. could ink? I’m impressed! Welcome to the X-Men John Romita Jr. It looks like you’ll survive the...


John Romita Jr. 1983: Uncanny X-Men #176 / Inker: John Romita Jr.
Jim Shooter’s comments on the cover: Beautiful art! Who knew that John Romita Jr. could ink? I’m impressed!
Welcome to the X-Men John Romita Jr. It looks like you’ll survive the experience.

John Romita Jr. 1984: Uncanny X-Men #182 / Inker: Dan Green Romita’s pulverized face effect debuts earlier than I ever would have guessed.


John Romita Jr. 1984: Uncanny X-Men #182 / Inker: Dan Green
Romita’s pulverized face effect debuts earlier than I ever would have guessed.

John Romita Jr. 1984: Uncanny X-Men #185 / Inker: Dan Green Good god! JRJR captures the gut-wrenching anguish as Forge’s weapon rips Storm’s powers from her.


John Romita Jr. 1984: Uncanny X-Men #185 / Inker: Dan Green
Good god! JRJR captures the gut-wrenching anguish as Forge’s weapon rips Storm’s powers from her.

John Romita Jr. 1985: Uncanny X-Men #191 / Inker Dan Green Although it’s an X-Men book, there were plenty of guest-stars in the short Kulan Gath story arc. JRJR draws a heart-wrenching sequence in which Spider-Man'heroic self-sacrifice was rendered...


John Romita Jr. 1985: Uncanny X-Men #191 / Inker Dan Green
Although it’s an X-Men book, there were plenty of guest-stars in the short Kulan Gath story arc. JRJR draws a heart-wrenching sequence in which Spider-Man’heroic self-sacrifice was rendered futile.

John Romita Jr. 1985: Uncanny X-Men #196 / Inker Dan Green Long before Marvel instituted its no smoking policy, Claremont gets the point across as Romita demonstrates he can deliver the levity as well as tragedy. I love Kitty’s face as she draws on...


John Romita Jr. 1985: Uncanny X-Men #196 / Inker Dan Green
Long before Marvel instituted its no smoking policy, Claremont gets the point across as Romita demonstrates he can deliver the levity as well as tragedy. I love Kitty’s face as she draws on Logan’s cigar!

John Romita Jr. 1986: Uncanny X-Men #202 / Inker Al Williamson The Phoenix Force lends itself to some great art, but the scale and magnitude of John Romita Jr.’s scene is easily one of the greatest.


John Romita Jr. 1986: Uncanny X-Men #202 / Inker Al Williamson
The Phoenix Force lends itself to some great art, but the scale and magnitude of John Romita Jr.’s scene is easily one of the greatest.

John Romita Jr. 1986: Star Brand #1 / Inker: Al Williamson John Romita Jr. helps ushers in a New Universe. He would soon be ushering in a new style of his own.


John Romita Jr. 1986: Star Brand #1 / Inker: Al Williamson
John Romita Jr. helps ushers in a New Universe. He would soon be ushering in a new style of his own.

John Romita Jr. 1987: Amazing Spider-Man #290 / Inker: Vince Coletta

John Romita Jr. returned to ASM for two issues with the uh… let’s say “expeditious” inks of the infamous Vince Coletta.

John Romita Jr. 1988: Daredevil #251 / Inker: Al Williamson

With his move onto his three-year stint on Daredevil, John Romita Jr. begins to truly evolve into the JRJR we know today. One can see signs of 2008’s Kick Ass in the faces of children he drew 20 years prior.
John Romita Jr. 1989: Daredevil #267 / Inker: All Williamson Though John Romita Jr. wouldn’t work with Frank Miller on Daredevil for another four years, one can really feel the noirish influence Miller had on his contemporaries, JRJR included.


John Romita Jr. 1989: Daredevil #267 / Inker: All Williamson
Though John Romita Jr. wouldn’t work with Frank Miller on Daredevil for another four years, one can really feel the noirish influence Miller had on his contemporaries, JRJR included.

John Romita Jr. 1991: Iron Man #258 / Inker: Bob Wiacek Returning to the title after 12 years, with Bob Layton on writing duties instead of inks, Romita’s Iron Man has changed considerably.


John Romita Jr. 1991: Iron Man #258 / Inker: Bob Wiacek
Returning to the title after 12 years, with Bob Layton on writing duties instead of inks, Romita’s Iron Man has changed considerably.

John Romita Jr. 1991: Iron Man #262 / Inker: Bob Wiacek I’ve always found Fin Fang Foom to be a thoroughly silly character, but Romita’s depiction of him looks positively menacing.


John Romita Jr. 1991: Iron Man #262 / Inker: Bob Wiacek
I’ve always found Fin Fang Foom to be a thoroughly silly character, but Romita’s depiction of him looks positively menacing.

John Romita Jr. 1991: Hearts of Darkness / Inker: Klaus Janson JRJR and Klaus Janson reunite on an original graphic novel to pit Marvel’s most famous badasses, Wolverine, Punisher, and Ghost Rider (not shown) against the big bad that closed out his...


John Romita Jr. 1991: Hearts of Darkness / Inker: Klaus Janson
JRJR and Klaus Janson reunite on an original graphic novel to pit Marvel’s most famous badasses, Wolverine, Punisher, and Ghost Rider (not shown) against the big bad that closed out his Daredevil run, Blackheart.

John Romita Jr. 1992: Punisher War Zone #1 / Inker: Klaus Janson It’s 1992 and JRJR begins his year of drawing big hulking badasses with guns!


John Romita Jr. 1992: Punisher War Zone #1 / Inker: Klaus Janson
It’s 1992 and JRJR begins his year of drawing big hulking badasses with guns!

John Romita Jr. 1992: Cable: Blood & Metal #1 / Inker: Dan Green With an arc of the Punisher under his belt, JRJR turns to Cable in the character’s very first miniseries.


John Romita Jr. 1992: Cable: Blood & Metal #1 / Inker: Dan Green
With an arc of the Punisher under his belt, JRJR turns to Cable in the character’s very first miniseries.

John Romita Jr. 1993: Uncanny X-Men #301 / Inker: Dan Green JRJR has always been excellent at making really horrible disasters look really beautiful.


John Romita Jr. 1993: Uncanny X-Men #301 / Inker: Dan Green
JRJR has always been excellent at making really horrible disasters look really beautiful.

John Romita Jr. 1993: Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1 / Inker: Al Williamson There is an abundance of great Romita scenes in this Frank Miller-penned miniseries. Here, he evokes Hells Kitchen so that you can almost hear, feel and smell the...


John Romita Jr. 1993: Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1 / Inker: Al Williamson
There is an abundance of great Romita scenes in this Frank Miller-penned miniseries. Here, he evokes Hells Kitchen so that you can almost hear, feel and smell the environment.

John Romita Jr. 1993: Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #3 / Inker: Al Williamson I love how JRJR takes Fisk out of his white dinner jacket and purple striped pants and put him in something with a little more verisimilitude.


John Romita Jr. 1993: Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #3 / Inker: Al Williamson
I love how JRJR takes Fisk out of his white dinner jacket and purple striped pants and put him in something with a little more verisimilitude.

John Romita Jr. 1994: Daredevil: Man Without Fear #4 / Inker: Al Williamson I love how we get a Matt’s-eye-view of how this scene unfolds. Something I wouldn’t mind seeing a whole lot more of in comics.


John Romita Jr. 1994: Daredevil: Man Without Fear #4 / Inker: Al Williamson
I love how we get a Matt’s-eye-view of how this scene unfolds. Something I wouldn’t mind seeing a whole lot more of in comics.

John Romita Jr. 1994: Punisher / Batman: Deadly Knights We get to see JRJR draw Punisher decking Batman in the Marvel/DC crossover (Frank was a little annoyed that Batman doesn’t solve the Joker problem once and for all).


John Romita Jr. 1994: Punisher / Batman: Deadly Knights
We get to see JRJR draw Punisher decking Batman in the Marvel/DC crossover (Frank was a little annoyed that Batman doesn’t solve the Joker problem once and for all) .

John Romita Jr. 1995: Amazing Spider-Man #400 / Inker John Romita Sr. Anytime father and son work together, it’s a sight to behold. JRJR’s return to Spider-Man marks the beginning of nearly a decade of drawing the webhead on several of the...


John Romita Jr. 1995: Amazing Spider-Man #400 / Inker John Romita Sr.
Anytime father and son work together, it’s a sight to behold. JRJR’s return to Spider-Man marks the beginning of nearly a decade of drawing the webhead on several of the character’s many books.

John Romita Jr. 1995: Spider-Man: The Lost Years / Inker: Klaus Janson JRJR shows us a spectacularly be-mulleted Ben Reilly in the Spider-Man: The Lost Years miniseries.


John Romita Jr. 1995: Spider-Man: The Lost Years / Inker: Klaus Janson
JRJR shows us a spectacularly be-mulleted Ben Reilly in the Spider-Man: The Lost Years miniseries.

John Romita Jr. 1996: Spider-Man #68 / Inkers: Al Williamson and Al Milgrom The year of Ben Reilly Spider-Man. I have to admit I really like the designs of both the substitute Spider-Man and Hobgoblin here.


John Romita Jr. 1996: Spider-Man #68 / Inkers: Al Williamson and Al Milgrom
The year of Ben Reilly Spider-Man. I have to admit I really like the designs of both the substitute Spider-Man and Hobgoblin here.

1996: John Romita Jr.: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #75 / Inker: Scott Hanna With this issue, JRJR helps bring back Peter Parker as Spider-Man, Norman Osborne from death, and sends off Ben Reilly with a heroic, and very final death.


1996: John Romita Jr.: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #75 / Inker: Scott Hanna
With this issue, JRJR helps bring back Peter Parker as Spider-Man, Norman Osborne from death, and sends off Ben Reilly with a heroic, and very final death.

John Romita Jr. 1997: Amalgam: Thorion of the New Asgods / Inker: Digital Chameleon A few years before Walt Simonson started working on DC’s Orion, JRJR combined Thor and Orion for this Amalgam one-shot.


John Romita Jr. 1997: Amalgam: Thorion of the New Asgods / Inker: Digital Chameleon
A few years before Walt Simonson started working on DC’s Orion, JRJR combined Thor and Orion for this Amalgam one-shot.

John Romita Jr. 1997: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #76 / Inker: Scott Hanna JRJR gives us a rare bit of MJ cheesecacke on a sideways double-page spread.


John Romita Jr. 1997: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #76 / Inker: Scott Hanna
JRJR gives us a rare bit of MJ cheesecacke on a sideways double-page spread.

John Romita Jr. 1998: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #98 / Inker: Scott Hanna

It must be an unenviable assignment for an artist to receive a script that won’t be able to avoid comparisons to one of a character’s most iconic moments. Yet JRJR manages to emerge from Ditko’s shadow by constantly switching viewpoints, focusing on key details until the climax. The series of wordless panels contrasts and enhances the drama that came before until the hero announces “It’s over.” This is the difference between standing on the shoulders of giants, and resting on them.

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John Romita Jr. 1998: Thor #1 / Inker: Klaus Janson

In 1998, JRJR branched out a bit and doubled up on titles as he started penciling the post Heroes-Reborn Thor title while working on Spidey. Marvel released a “rough cut” version of issue #1, shown here alongside the finished version.
John Romita Jr. 1999: Thor #7 / Inker: Klaus Janson There are periods of JRJR’s run that reminds me of prime Walt Simonson era. This is one of them — Odin’s simmering rage is palpable.


John Romita Jr. 1999: Thor #7 / Inker: Klaus Janson
There are periods of JRJR’s run that reminds me of prime Walt Simonson era. This is one of them — Odin’s simmering rage is palpable.

John Romita Jr. 1999: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #10 / Inker: Scott Hanna When JRJR helped relaunch the Spidey titles in 1999, he got his first crack at Spider-Man archvillain Venom.


John Romita Jr. 1999: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #10 / Inker: Scott Hanna
When JRJR helped relaunch the Spidey titles in 1999, he got his first crack at Spider-Man archvillain Venom.

John Romita Jr. 2000: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #17 / Inker: Scott Hanna JRJR takes advantage of the fog and silhouettes to make Venom’s emergence especially menacing.


John Romita Jr. 2000: Peter Parker, Spider-Man #17 / Inker: Scott Hanna
JRJR takes advantage of the fog and silhouettes to make Venom’s emergence especially menacing.

John Romita Jr. 2000: Thor #25 / Inker: Dick Giordano JRJR wraps up his run on Thor with a showdown with Thanos, in which the thunder god gets loaded for bear.


John Romita Jr. 2000: Thor #25 / Inker: Dick Giordano
JRJR wraps up his run on Thor with a showdown with Thanos, in which the thunder god gets loaded for bear.

John Romita Jr. 2001: Incredible Hulk #25 / Inker: Tom Palmer JRJR has given us lots of smashed faces over the years, but here’s a rare example of it happening.


John Romita Jr. 2001: Incredible Hulk #25 / Inker: Tom Palmer
JRJR has given us lots of smashed faces over the years, but here’s a rare example of it happening.

John Romita Jr. 2001: Amazing Spider-Man #36 / Inker: Scott Hanna JMS & JRJR were firing on all cylinders on their Morlun run and reached a climactic moment involving a discovery by Aunt May when real life intruded. I remember lots of people in the...


John Romita Jr. 2001: Amazing Spider-Man #36 / Inker: Scott Hanna
JMS & JRJR were firing on all cylinders on their Morlun run and reached a climactic moment involving a discovery by Aunt May when real life intruded. I remember lots of people in the media trying to contribute something constructive to the national dialogue. Sometimes they came off as (forgivably) stilted. But the ones that were good… they really stood out.
ASM #36 was one of those standout efforts. JMS articulated the fragmented, half-formed thoughts colliding in my head and put them down in pitch-perfect prose. JRJR again rose to the task and poured each scene with palpable emotion. Consider this: wholesale destruction is — for better or worse — super-hero comic stock-in-trade. Yet for all the destruction a comic reader has seen a hundred times over, none of the disaster scenes prior (or since, for my money) approached the raw, gut-churning horror as this spread. So when we see our everyman in the corner, lost for words, we know exactly what he’s feeling.
I was incredibly grateful to everyone who worked on this issue at the time it came out. It seems dubious that a comic book should be one of the things that helped to salve the wound, but it really, really did.
A masterpiece.

John Romita Jr. 2002: Amazing Spider-Man #37 / Inker: Scott Hanna Lest we forget that JRJR isn’t just a Big Action Guy. I don’t know if it was because creators and readers were just coming off the emotional 9/11 stuff, but the non-superhero moments...


John Romita Jr. 2002: Amazing Spider-Man #37 / Inker: Scott Hanna
Lest we forget that JRJR isn’t just a Big Action Guy. I don’t know if it was because creators and readers were just coming off the emotional 9/11 stuff, but the non-superhero moments of JMS/JRJR Spider-Man stories had such an honest, emotionally resonant quality, especially those involving the two woman that comprised our hero’s family unit.

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John Romita Jr. 2002 ( ‘Nuff Said month): Incredible Hulk #35 / Inker: Tom Palmer — Amazing Spider-Man #39 / Inker: Scott Hanna

'Nuff Said month was an interesting exercise handed down to the creative teams to tell a story Silent Interlude style. It’s probably no accident that both of Romita’s issues were considered the best of the batch (by virtue of being reprinted in the 'Nuff Said TPB). I’m as guilty as anyone to be drawn to cover art, splash panels and “pin-up” shots. But exercises like this really illuminate the quality of an artist’s graphic storytelling abilities.
John Romita Jr. 2003: Amazing Spider-Man #50 / Inker: Scott Hanna


John Romita Jr. 2003: Amazing Spider-Man #50 / Inker: Scott Hanna

John Romita Jr. 2004: Amazing Spider-Man #500 / Inker: Scott Hanna 2004 marked the year JRJR wrapped up nearly a decade of drawing Spider-Man and branched out onto other projects to a greater degree. He provided this astounding spread for the...


John Romita Jr. 2004: Amazing Spider-Man #500 / Inker: Scott Hanna
2004 marked the year JRJR wrapped up nearly a decade of drawing Spider-Man and branched out onto other projects to a greater degree. He provided this astounding spread for the landmark ASM #500.

John Romita Jr. 2004: The Gray Area #2 / Inker: Klaus Janson Quick quiz: Name Romita’s first independent comic filled with remarkably graphic scenes. If you said Kick Ass, you’re wrong! JRJR teamed up with Glen Brunswick and favorite inker Klaus...


John Romita Jr. 2004: The Gray Area #2 / Inker: Klaus Janson
Quick quiz: Name Romita’s first independent comic filled with remarkably graphic scenes. If you said Kick Ass , you’re wrong! JRJR teamed up with Glen Brunswick and favorite inker Klaus Janson on this three-issue Image book.

John Romita Jr. 2004: Wolverine #20 / Inker: Klaus Janson Romita and Janson “return” to Marvel for Mark Millar’s celebrated Enemy of the State / Agent of SHIELD arcs. This dramatic frame epitomizes the dreadful prospect of an evil Logan.


John Romita Jr. 2004: Wolverine #20 / Inker: Klaus Janson
Romita and Janson “return” to Marvel for Mark Millar’s celebrated Enemy of the State / Agent of SHIELD arcs. This dramatic frame epitomizes the dreadful prospect of an evil Logan.

John Romita Jr. 2005: Wolverine #27 / Inker: Klaus Janson JRJR does disaster well, and beautifully demonstrates the “Checkov’s Carrier” principle, which states, “If you see in the first chapter, there is a SHIELD Helicarrier suspended in the sky, in...


John Romita Jr. 2005: Wolverine #27 / Inker: Klaus Janson
JRJR does disaster well, and beautifully demonstrates the “Checkov’s Carrier” principle, which states, “If you see in the first chapter, there is a SHIELD Helicarrier suspended in the sky, in the second of third chapter it absolutely must crash to earth.”

John Romita Jr. 2005: Black Panther #1 / Inker: Klaus Janson We’ve been told that the title of Black Panther goes back into Wakanda’s distant past, yet we’ve never seen these bygone Panthers until Romita showed us. I love the combination of...


John Romita Jr. 2005: Black Panther #1 / Inker: Klaus Janson
We’ve been told that the title of Black Panther goes back into Wakanda’s distant past, yet we’ve never seen these bygone Panthers until Romita showed us. I love the combination of traditional indigenous garb with recognizable black panther motifs.

John Romita Jr. 2005: Sentry #1 / Inker: Marc Morales Romita switches onto the third title of the year. Terrax the Tamer gets tamed.


John Romita Jr. 2005: Sentry #1 / Inker: Marc Morales
Romita switches onto the third title of the year. Terrax the Tamer gets tamed.

John Romita Jr. 2006: Sentry #7 / Inker: Mark Morales Romita unleashes the power of one million exploding suns.


John Romita Jr. 2006: Sentry #7 / Inker: Mark Morales
Romita unleashes the power of one million exploding suns.

John Romita Jr. 2006: Eternals #1 / Inker: Danny Miki Romita’s use of scale and contrast serves him well throughout this issue which involves a lot of really ginormous Celestials interacting with Earth.


John Romita Jr. 2006: Eternals #1 / Inker: Danny Miki
Romita’s use of scale and contrast serves him well throughout this issue which involves a lot of really ginormous Celestials interacting with Earth.

John Romita Jr. 2007: Eternals #6 / Inker: Danny Miki Again: the power of scale is astounding here. That’s Hank Pym in Giant Man mode, looking more like Ant-Man. (Yes I know that’s his Yellowjacket uniform)


John Romita Jr. 2007: Eternals #6 / Inker: Danny Miki
Again: the power of scale is astounding here. That’s Hank Pym in Giant Man mode, looking more like Ant-Man. (Yes I know that’s his Yellowjacket uniform)

John Romita Jr. 2007: Ultimate Vision #0 / Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti JRJR makes a brief foray into the Ultimate universe as he shows us the threat of Gah Lak Tus.


John Romita Jr. 2007: Ultimate Vision #0 / Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
JRJR makes a brief foray into the Ultimate universe as he shows us the threat of Gah Lak Tus.

John Romita Jr. 2007: Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #3 (Bargaining) / Inker: Klaus Janson Before he became Ronin for a while, Clint Barton was persuaded to be Captain America for a night. JRJR drenches his figures with his beloved rainfall...


John Romita Jr. 2007: Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #3 (Bargaining) / Inker: Klaus Janson
Before he became Ronin for a while, Clint Barton was persuaded to be Captain America for a night. JRJR drenches his figures with his beloved rainfall technique.

John Romita Jr. 2007: World War Hulk #2 / Inker: Klaus Janson There are few comics JRJR has drawn that are more loaded with money shots than World War Hulk. But for all the splash panels featuring Worldbreaker Hulk, Hulkbuster Iron Man armor, Doctor...


John Romita Jr. 2007: World War Hulk #2 / Inker: Klaus Janson
There are few comics JRJR has drawn that are more loaded with money shots than World War Hulk. But for all the splash panels featuring Worldbreaker Hulk, Hulkbuster Iron Man armor, Doctor Strange-Zom, (and so forth and so on), I found this shot of Thunderbolt Ross (in one of his last pre-Red Hulk moments) the most evocative. You can almost hear “Ride of the Valkyries” playing in the background.

John Romita Jr. 2008: World War Hulk #5 / Inker: Klaus Janson When all else fails, call Dark Superman the Sentry! For my money, this shot from WWH surpasses anything JRJR drew for his Sentry miniseries from just two years prior.


John Romita Jr. 2008: World War Hulk #5 / Inker: Klaus Janson
When all else fails, call Dark Superman the Sentry! For my money, this shot from WWH surpasses anything JRJR drew for his Sentry miniseries from just two years prior.

John Romita Jr. 2008: Amazing Spider-Man #573 / Inker: Klaus Janson This is not the splashiest of the panels we could showcase from JRJR’s Brand New Day arc, but I love how effective Romita demonstrates Spider-Man’s desperate rush across town with...


John Romita Jr. 2008: Amazing Spider-Man #573 / Inker: Klaus Janson
This is not the splashiest of the panels we could showcase from JRJR’s Brand New Day arc, but I love how effective Romita demonstrates Spider-Man’s desperate rush across town with the taut horizontal orientation. Also: props to Dean White’s beautiful atmospheric colors!

John Romita Jr. 2008: Kick-Ass #1 / Inker: Tom Palmer And we arrive at the Kick-Ass stage of Romita’s career. Apart from the tendency of his SmashFace™ treatments that have popped up over the years in his comics, I never would have guessed at how...


John Romita Jr. 2008: Kick-Ass #1 / Inker: Tom Palmer
And we arrive at the Kick-Ass stage of Romita’s career. Apart from the tendency of his SmashFace™ treatments that have popped up over the years in his comics, I never would have guessed at how fully Romita could dive into the graphic content Millar’s over-the-top series. Whatever you have to say about the series, you can’t dispute JRJR was the man for the job.

John Romita Jr. 2009: Kick-Ass #7 / Inker: Tom Palmer Exit wound by Romita. Holy crap.


John Romita Jr. 2009: Kick-Ass #7 / Inker: Tom Palmer
Exit wound by Romita. Holy crap.

John Romita Jr. 2009: Dark Reign: The List — The Punisher / Inker: Klaus Janson The shocking showdown between the Punisher and Daken in which Frank literally gets his ass handed to him. One gets the impression this comic might not have happened if it...


John Romita Jr. 2009: Dark Reign: The List — The Punisher / Inker: Klaus Janson
The shocking showdown between the Punisher and Daken in which Frank literally gets his ass handed to him. One gets the impression this comic might not have happened if it weren’t for Romita’s work on Kick-Ass.

John Romita Jr. 2009: Amazing Spider-Man #584 / Inker: Klaus Janson 2009 marked Romita’s last (as of this writing) brief stint on Spider-Man. There are some artists whose work will always “go with” a particular character. Curt Swan & Superman. Bob...


John Romita Jr. 2009: Amazing Spider-Man #584 / Inker: Klaus Janson
2009 marked Romita’s last (as of this writing) brief stint on Spider-Man. There are some artists whose work will always “go with” a particular character. Curt Swan & Superman. Bob Layton & Iron Man. John Romita Jr. & Spider-Man. Some combination of skill, experience, affection, and simple number of issues spent on the character make John Romita Jr. the definitive Spider-Man artist.

John Romita Jr. 2010: Avengers #5 / Inker: Klaus Janson John Romita shows us most of the major events we had to look forward to for the next few years in a single panel.


John Romita Jr. 2010: Avengers #5 / Inker: Klaus Janson
John Romita shows us most of the major events we had to look forward to for the next few years in a single panel.

John Romita Jr. 2010: Kick-Ass #8 / Inker: Tom Palmer Badguy gets a bullet up the bum.


John Romita Jr. 2010: Kick-Ass #8 / Inker: Tom Palmer
Badguy gets a bullet up the bum.

John Romita Jr. 2011: Kick-Ass #2 / Inker: Tom Palmer (Posted without comment)


John Romita Jr. 2011: Kick-Ass #2 / Inker: Tom Palmer

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John Romita Jr. 2011: Avengers #12 / Inker: Klaus Janson

While I’m generally trying to keep this about the artist, I was stunned to discover while researching Romita’s work, that he and Bendis slyly spoiled the end of Age of Ultron in the issue just before the Hitch-drawn point-one issue touted as the prelude to Age of Ultron with tears in space-time showing portals into alternate universes.
John Romita Jr. 2012: AvX #1 / Inker: Scott Hanna Another instance of one of the power of scale that Romita commands so well. So impactful!


John Romita Jr. 2012: AvX #1 / Inker: Scott Hanna
Another instance of one of the power of scale that Romita commands so well. So impactful!

John Romita Jr. 2012: Kick-Ass 2 #7 / Inker: Tom Palmer Better safe than sorry.


John Romita Jr. 2012: Kick-Ass 2 #7 / Inker: Tom Palmer
Better safe than sorry.

John Romita Jr. 2012: Hit-Girl #3 / Inker: Tom Palmer For as much as the Kick-Ass series trades on excess, this scene where Mindy strikes back at the mean girl in her own unique idiom is probably my favorite moment in the entire Kick-Ass series.


John Romita Jr. 2012: Hit-Girl #3 / Inker: Tom Palmer
For as much as the Kick-Ass series trades on excess, this scene where Mindy strikes back at the mean girl in her own unique idiom is probably my favorite moment in the entire Kick-Ass series.

John Romita Jr. 2013: Captain America #4 / Inker: Klaus Janson For all of the otherworldly, Kirby-esque setting of Romita’s run on Captain America, my favorite moments by far are the Depression-era flashbacks.


John Romita Jr. 2013: Captain America #4 / Inker: Klaus Janson
For all of the otherworldly, Kirby-esque setting of Romita’s run on Captain America, my favorite moments by far are the Depression-era flashbacks.

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John Romita Jr. Wrap-up:
1977: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #11 / Inker: Al Milgrom
2013: Captain America #9 / Inker: Klaus Janson

This post culminates the first artist featured on this blog. As I mentioned at the outset, JRJR was my first favorite artist, having started reading not long after he began his career. The thing that I was attracted to when I saw those Bob Layton-embellished pages in his first Iron Man run was his command of anatomy and form. The characters I was reading took on a more lifelike quality which made these stories more real in my 8-yr old brain.

I loved his work throughout his first Spider-Man run but as his style began to evolve during his Daredevil run; the qualities I loved so much at the outset were being replaced by a looser, more expressive style that didn’t get bogged down in the details so much. But this coincided with a period (the 90’s) where I drifted away from comics.

By the time I came back and joined JRJR on Amazing Spider-Man with JMS, it wasn’t the same JRJR, but I loved his work for a whole other reason. While his work was more stylized, the potency of his frames — whether it’s a quiet scene or a loud scene — was heightened to a dramatic level. He has developed a talent at portraying human injury like few others, which I found to be incredibly affecting when I first started seeing it, but fear it might be becoming overused with diminishing returns — especially during the Kick-Ass period we’re in. From a subjective standpoint, there are a few times in which his pencils get so loose, or his figures get so stylized, that his figures take on somewhat of a primitive feel.

But these are minor, personal taste quibbles that in no way detract from Romita’s power of visual storytelling. He’s an undisputed master of action rivaled only by his uncanny sense of scale. The environments he sets his scenes in can be visceral. His scenes can be relied on to evoke powerful emotional impact, regardless of what emotion you need to convey.

He’s a different artist than he was when he started and has helped me to deepen my understanding of what makes a great artist great.

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Là je en dirais pas le contraire. Romita Jr même moche est un des maitre narrateur… et l etait déjà avant sa periode que je qualifie de « meilleure » pour moi

Je ne vais pas dire que WWH est geniale mais c est une mini sous évaluée alors qu epar exemple Secret Invasion est surévaluée…
Dans WWH il y a des camps differends, y compris dans la population, cohérent… ce que secret invasion devait faire et n arrive jamais à faire.
Certes WWH est simpliste souvent mais dans le cadre défini par le genre…

En fait je dis n importe quoi… jusqu au 1er Kick Ass c est magnifique… eternals, hulk… ca envoie severe du bois…
On retient de tout ca qu il ne fallait pas demander à Colleta et Romita sr d encrer quoi que ce soit (déjà que destiner)…