When I was just a boy, and jumping from title to title nearly every month, there was one artist that I just couldn't escape. It didn't matter if it was Spider-man, X-men, or Daredevil... I mean, it was like I couldn't read a comic that this guy didn't draw.
I'm a little embarrassed saying this now, cause I was about 11 when this happened, but it wasn't until he started drawing John Byrne's run on Iron Man that it really clicked with me - I love John Romita Jr. comics.
How do you describe the guy's work? I mean, really?
He's had lengthy runs on nearly every major Marvel character, and those that he hasn't -- the Avengers and Fantastic Four -- have usually been written in by the writers so they can see JRJR work his magic on them too.
He's one of my favorite artists, and this week is dedicated to him and his incredible contribution to the comics landscape.
We'll kick it off with his very first professional page to see print... Amazing Spider-man Annual # 4, a story titled, "Chaos at the Coffee Bean".
This is a scan from Marvel Visionaires: John Romita Jr., Vol. 1, and what grabs me most about it is just how much his work at this stage resembled his father's stuff.
Of course, that's not really unexpected. Romita JR., like the Kuberts, couldn't help but be influenced by the work of their fathers. In countless interviews JRJR's said how he sat by his dad when he was drawing and trying hard to memorize exactly how his father did it, just so he could practice later on his own.
Tomorrow night I'm taking a look at JRJR's work on Spider-man, the one hero he just can't stay away from.
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