Legendary Marvel comics artist John Romita Sr. passes away

Marvel Comics artist John Romita Sr., known for co-creating beloved characters such as Wolverine and Mary Jane Watson, has passed away at 93.

The news of Romita's passing was shared by his son and fellow artist, John Romita Jr., who revealed that his father peacefully passed away while sleeping.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Romita graduated from Manhattan's School of Industrial Art in 1947 and began his career in comics after serving in the army. 

He started working for Timely Comics and National Comics, which later became Marvel and DC, respectively. In 1966, Romita joined forces with Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee to work on The Amazing Spider-Man, eventually replacing original artist Steve Ditko.

During his tenure, he introduced significant characters such as Mary Jane Watson, the Punisher, and Kingpin, solidifying Spider-Man's place as Marvel's top-seller.

Romita's contributions to the industry extended beyond Spider-Man. In the early 1970s, he became Marvel's art director, playing a vital role in designing characters like Wolverine and Luke Cage, one of Marvel's earliest black superheroes.

Romita's legacy includes numerous enduring Spider-Man characters, such as Vulture, Hammerhead, Shocker, and the Hobgoblin.

Although Romita semi-retired in 1996, he continued to work on Spider-Man projects for Marvel and also contributed a Superman cover for DC. 

Many of his creations have transcended the pages of comics, appearing in various TV shows and films. His passing follows the success of Sony's Spider-Man sequel, Across the Spider-Verse.