Comic book legend John Romita Sr. dies at 93

John Romita Sr., the legendary Marvel Comics artist who defined the visual identity of Spider-Man and co-created iconic characters like Mary Jane Watson and Kingpin, died on June 12, 2023, at age 93. His son announced the death on social media, calling him "the greatest man I ever met." Born in New York in 1930 to Italian-American parents, Romita began his career in graphic design and advertising, creating posters for the U.S. Army and Coca-Cola. He entered comics in 1949 at Atlas Comics, drawing Captain America, then moved to National (later DC Comics) in 1957, specializing in romance comics. His partnership with Marvel began in 1965, where he collaborated with Stan Lee on seminal runs. Romita replaced Steve Ditko on The Amazing Spider-Man, bringing a dynamic, anatomically precise style and modernizing the character. He worked on the series for five years, introducing Mary Jane Watson and Kingpin. After leaving Marvel in 1996, he was inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Inkwell Awards Hall of Fame in 2020.