John Romita Sr: James Gunn leads tributes to Marvel Comics 'genius'

Marvel Comics creator John Romita Sr, who helped to make characters specified arsenic Wolverine and Spider-Man's woman Mary Jane Watson, has died aged 93.

Broadcaster and comics instrumentality Jonathan Ross called him a "kind, generous, compassionate and thoughtful man".

"Thank you John for sharing your magnificent genius," he wrote.

Gunn, present DC Studios boss, revealed that Romita had encouraged him arsenic a child. "My member and I wrote [to] Mr Romita erstwhile we were young kids and sent him drawings of superheroes we were moving on," helium wrote.

"He wrote america back, telling america what helium liked astir the drawings! A genuinely memorable acquisition successful my life, making maine consciousness similar the magic of comic books, which seemed truthful otherworldly, wasn't really that acold away."

Paying his respects, Ross posted that it was a "sad, bittersweet time for those of america who grew up adoring and obsessing implicit Marvel comics".

"He was the stone that provided a gloriously rendered instauration to Marvel successful those years erstwhile it grew and prospered and became the powerhouse of ideas it is today," helium wrote.

Romita's decease was announced connected Tuesday by his lad and chap comics creator John Romita Jr, who confirmed the "legend" had died "peacefully successful his sleep".

Romita Jr said his father, who had a manus successful different favourite characters similar Kingpin and Punisher, was "a fable successful the creation satellite and it would beryllium my honour to travel successful his footsteps".

Born successful Brooklyn, New York, Romita Sr graduated from Manhattan's School of Industrial Art successful 1947 and served successful the service earlier starting moving successful comics.

He gained a estimation moving connected titles for companies would go Marvel and DC - Timely Comics and National Comics.

From 1966 helium worked with Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee connected The Amazing Spider-Man, replacing archetypal creator Steve Ditko, portion helping it to go the company's top-seller.

His tenure saw the instauration of Spider-Man's emotion involvement Mary Jane Watson and his adversary Punisher, the assassin; arsenic good arsenic the transgression brag Kingpin.

In the aboriginal 1970s, Romita became Marvel's creation manager - a relation helium would service successful for much than 2 decades - contributing to the plan of characters including Wolverine, who archetypal appeared successful an Incredible Hulk publication.

He besides helped to travel up with Luke Cage, 1 of the earliest achromatic superheroes to diagnostic successful a Marvel comic book.

Other enduring Spider-Man characters helium was progressive successful originating included the villainous Vulture, mobster Hammerhead and the sonic-powered Shocker, arsenic good arsenic the Hobgoblin, writer Robbie Robertson and Gwen Stacy's begetter George Stacy.

He completed artwork for a fig of classical titles including The Night Gwen Stacy Died, from 1973; and the wedding of Spider-Man's alter-ego Peter Parker and Mary Jane successful 1987.

Romita semi-retired successful 1996 but continued to enactment connected Spider-Man projects for Marvel arsenic good arsenic a Superman screen for DC.

Many of his celebrated characters person gone connected to look successful TV shows and films, some live-action and animated, and his decease comes the week aft Sony's Spider-Man sequel, Across the Spider-Verse proved to beryllium a container bureau success.

"No substance what occurrence I've had, I've ever considered myself a feline who tin amended connected idiosyncratic else's concepts," helium said successful a 2002 interview. "A writer and different creator tin make something, and I tin marque it better."

The aforesaid year, the creator was inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame, and aboriginal the Inkwell Awards Hall of Fame successful 2020.