The Romita Look and Legacy of Spider-Man

The 1987 wedding of Peter Parker & Mary Jane Watson features work by legendary artist John Romita Sr. and his son, John Romita Jr., who would soon become legendary in his own right. It thus offers an opportunity to compare the Romitas’ contributions to the look & legacy of #SpiderMan. 1/13

John Romita Sr. took over as the main penciller of The Amazing Spider-Man in 1966 following the departure of Spidey’s co-creator, Steve Ditko. While Romita Sr. initially attempted to mimic aspects of Ditko’s style, he eventually developed a style that significantly contrasted Ditko. 2/13

Where Ditko embraced Spider-Man’s freakishness and Peter Parker’s neurotic nerdiness, Romita Sr. used his background in romance comics to beautify Spider-Man’s world, squaring Peter’s jaw, thickening Spidey’s muscles, and enhancing the curvaceous accouterments of Peter’s female love interests. 3/13

John Romita Sr.’s memorable contributions to the look and legacy of Spider-Man’s world–both of which are directly relevant to the character’s marriage–include the 1973 story arc “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” and the introduction of Mary Jane Watson in Amazing Spider-Man #42 (1966). 4/13

John Romita Sr.’s tenure on Spider-Man is not without fannish controversy. Some fans prefer Ditko’s weirder world and bemoan its romanticization under Romita Sr. However, Romita Sr.’s skillful commercialization of Spidey’s world greatly bolstered the character’s popularity, ensuring his legacy. 5/13

While he’s unsurprisingly influenced by his father, John Romita Jr. brings a notably different flavour to Spider-Man’s world. Romita Jr. had a series of sporadic runs on The Amazing Spider-Man throughout the 1980s, but is most strongly associated with lengthy runs in the 2000s. 6/13

Back in the 1980s, Romita Jr. made his mark pencilling the ongoing series The Uncanny X-Men (with Chris Claremont as writer) and Daredevil (with Ann Nocenti as writer). Romita Jr.’s work on both series showcases elements of bold expressionism made possible, in part, by market conditions. 7/13

In the 1960s, John Romita Sr. was tasked with establishing & perpetuating a highly commercial “house style,” prioritizing stylistic consistency. In the 1980s, the movement of comic books off newsstands into specialty shops influenced a readier embrace of artistic freedom & stylistic diversity. 8/13

When John Romita Jr. draws Spider-Man’s world in the 1980s, it remains highly romanticized; the women are still undeniably beautiful and Peter Parker is still undeniably handsome. But the world is noticeably modified by newly harsh lines and angles and elements of stylistic individuality. 9/13

While this opening splash isn’t overtly experimental, it includes many hallmarks of John Romita Jr.’s individualistic style, including the use of unpredictably thick & thin jagged lines, heavy cross-hatching & an abstractly aestheticized backdrop that creates an overall expressionist tableau. 10/13

And in this splash, showing Mary Jane’s initial rejection of Peter’s proposal, MJ’s face evinces geometric abstractions indicative of John Romita Jr.’s signature style. The perfect ovals of her face & eyes and the jagged angles of her bangs & eyebrows indulge expressionism more than realism. 11/13

Yet for the definitive cover of Spider-Man’s wedding, Marvel brings back John Romita Sr. While undeniably iconic, the cover also speaks to constrained freedoms; for many, the house style of the Silver Age is how these characters are meant to look, with other styles a mere temporary deviation. 12/13

More optimistically, the diverse styles used to depict Peter MJ’s wedding reflects a touching union of past glories & new promises. Case in point: John Romita Jr. & Sr’s teamup on this pinup combines the former’s dramatically aestheticized landscapes with the latter’s curvaceous romanticism. 13/13

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