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Romita Legacy
While Steve Ditko and Stan Lee may have created Spider-Man, it was John Romita Sr. who defined him, bringing his clean, romantic style of illustration to the book. From his days before Marvel, through the Sliver Age and on into designing and creating the characters we know and love still today (including Wolverine, the Punisher and many, many more), Romita: Generations covers it all.
200 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2010
About the author
Alex Ross
1,378 books510 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 20, 2021
3.5 stars
"Why do you want to be a small fish in a big pond when you can be a big fish in a small pond?" -- Stan Lee's sly job offer - jumping from being an illustrator a large advertising firm to the burgeoning Marvel Comics scene in 1965 - to John Romita Sr., as recounted on page 105
Nice coffee table-styled hardcover edition that details the body of work from illustrator John Romita and his namesake son at Marvel Comics. Romita Sr. is known for work on Daredevil early in the run of the then-new series, but is best remembered for successfully replacing co-creator Steve Ditko on the original Spider-Man title after Ditko's infamous mid-60's falling out with Stan Lee. (Romita Sr. was also influential in the design appearance of characters like Wolverine and The Punisher during their 70's debuts.) Romita Jr. also 'made his bones' working on Spider-Man, as well as Thor and the X-Men titles in the 80's and 90's. The first-half of this book is a combined biography / illustration showcase, and the latter half is two extensive but separate Q&A segments with the father and son.
"Why do you want to be a small fish in a big pond when you can be a big fish in a small pond?" -- Stan Lee's sly job offer - jumping from being an illustrator a large advertising firm to the burgeoning Marvel Comics scene in 1965 - to John Romita Sr., as recounted on page 105
Nice coffee table-styled hardcover edition that details the body of work from illustrator John Romita and his namesake son at Marvel Comics. Romita Sr. is known for work on Daredevil early in the run of the then-new series, but is best remembered for successfully replacing co-creator Steve Ditko on the original Spider-Man title after Ditko's infamous mid-60's falling out with Stan Lee. (Romita Sr. was also influential in the design appearance of characters like Wolverine and The Punisher during their 70's debuts.) Romita Jr. also 'made his bones' working on Spider-Man, as well as Thor and the X-Men titles in the 80's and 90's. The first-half of this book is a combined biography / illustration showcase, and the latter half is two extensive but separate Q&A segments with the father and son.
June 8, 2023
Excellent display of the careers and works of one of the most renown family in the industry.
After a summary of their respective careers by the author both Romitas get into long and very interesting distinct interviews.
Romita Sr gets the lion’s share, from his childhood in the 30’s to his retirement. This part is the most interesting imo, from the kid who drew on butcher paper to Marvel’s art director. It shows at length Romita Sr’s geniality, his humility and dedication to his job.
Most of the same goes for his son. A humble artist with perfect knowledge of his assets and liabilities always trying to learn and get better, going with the flow and trying to make his name not as "the son of"...
I’m a great admirer of both Romitas so no question about the quality of this book here. A must-read.
Still, I rated it only 4* for lack of never-seen-before artwork inside. It’s mainly covers or illustrations easily available and I wished for something different.
After a summary of their respective careers by the author both Romitas get into long and very interesting distinct interviews.
Romita Sr gets the lion’s share, from his childhood in the 30’s to his retirement. This part is the most interesting imo, from the kid who drew on butcher paper to Marvel’s art director. It shows at length Romita Sr’s geniality, his humility and dedication to his job.
Most of the same goes for his son. A humble artist with perfect knowledge of his assets and liabilities always trying to learn and get better, going with the flow and trying to make his name not as "the son of"...
I’m a great admirer of both Romitas so no question about the quality of this book here. A must-read.
Still, I rated it only 4* for lack of never-seen-before artwork inside. It’s mainly covers or illustrations easily available and I wished for something different.
September 10, 2014
An interesting and fun read with some great illustrations! The editing is poor in places, with missing sentences and words!
August 11, 2022
El libro se compone de una introducción y dos extensas entrevistas con padre e hijo sobre su carrera. Como fan de John Romita Sr, lo que más me han gustado son las ilustraciones que acompañan al texto, algunas de ellas sublimes.
Tal vez por eso, echo de menos un libro sobre Romita que se centre más en sus dibujos y menos en las palabras. Al fin y al cabo, el aspecto técnico y las referencias que menciona no me aportan nada útil. Mi proyecto de ensueño sería un libro (o colección de libros) recopilando todas las portadas que John Romita Sr hizo para Marvel. Tampoco estaría mal que reeditasen sus historias románticas para DC.
En resumen, si eres dibujante, probablemente sacarás mucho más de este libro; si eres solo un admirador de su trabajo, también es una lectura recomendable.
Tal vez por eso, echo de menos un libro sobre Romita que se centre más en sus dibujos y menos en las palabras. Al fin y al cabo, el aspecto técnico y las referencias que menciona no me aportan nada útil. Mi proyecto de ensueño sería un libro (o colección de libros) recopilando todas las portadas que John Romita Sr hizo para Marvel. Tampoco estaría mal que reeditasen sus historias románticas para DC.
En resumen, si eres dibujante, probablemente sacarás mucho más de este libro; si eres solo un admirador de su trabajo, también es una lectura recomendable.
February 22, 2023
Great in-depth interviews with both John Romita & Jr and retrospectives of both their long careers in comics. This is a master class in comics art and commentary on the business at the same time
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews