John Romita Jr. is one of the most recognizable names in the comic book industry. Sure, he shares his name with his father, John Romita Sr., a famous comic book artist who worked on titles like Daredevil and Amazing Spider-Man, but John Romita Jr., a.k.a. JRJR, quickly established a name for himself when he entered Marvel Comics at just 21 years of age.
JRJR worked with David Michelinie on Iron Man, and Frank Miller on the Daredevil: The Man Without Fear miniseries. He co-created Kick-Ass with Mark Millar, and created the Hobgoblin while working on Amazing Spider-Man with Roger Stern. JRJR has had multiple legendary runs on Spider-Man comics, solidifying himself, like his father before him, as one of the greatest Web-Head artists of all time.
10 Ben Reilly Sacrificed Himself In Spider-Man #75
John Romita Jr. drew Amazing Spider-Man during the 1980s, but he returned to Spider-books in the '90s with a new style. Originally, JRJR's style matched his father's, but time on other books allowed him to step out from his father's artistic shadow and develop his own look.
JRJR's time on the Spider-books during the '90s included the "Clone Saga." The best-looking books of the "Clone Saga" were usually drawn by Romita Jr., and Spider-Man #75, written by Howard Mackie, proves it. The issue marks the unofficial end of the Clone Saga with Ben Reilly's death. The cover art by Romita Jr. depicted a brutal battle, while the interiors depicted a heartfelt sacrifice.
9 Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #39 Let Romita Jr.'s Art Do The Talking
Soon after the "Coming Home" arc, J. Michael Straczynski wrote a comic script that featured no words or dialogue. He let the art do the talking. It takes an extremely skilled artist to tell a story using only images, conveying emotions and feelings through facial expressions and panel blocking alone, but John Romita Jr. was up for the challenge.
Amazing Spider-Man #39 told a beautiful story using only JRJR's pencils, Scott Hanna's inks, and Dan Kemp's colors. Aunt May, soon after discovering Peter's secret, tried to improve Spider-Man's public image, while Peter and MJ realized they missed each other. The humor, heart, and heartache were all expressed solely in the artwork.
8 Villains Are Everywhere In Amazing Spider-Man #573
Amazing Spider-Man #573 saw the original Green Goblin return in the conclusion to the "New Ways to Die" arc, written by Dan Slott and illustrated by John Romita Jr., giving fans just about everything they could want from a Spider-Man story. The cover art of a menacing Norman Osborn was haunting, and the interior art was stunning.
A bloody Spider-Man battled Norman Osborn with Harry caught in the middle. At the same time, Anti-Venom battled Scorpion. JRJR's art, specifically during the fights and the double splash page of Spidey and Anti-Venom web-slinging, elevated the quality of this issue.
7 Nothing Could Stop The Juggernaut In ASM #229-230
During one of his earliest issues on Amazing Spider-Man, John Romita Jr. teamed up with writer Roger Stern to present the "Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut" two-parter. In issues #229-230, Spider-Man attempted to intercept the Juggernaut as he traveled to kill Madame Web. In the first issue, Spider-Man actually failed and arrived too late to stop the villain.
The second part featured stunning artwork by Romita Jr. as Spidey literally threw anything and everything he could at Juggernaut, including a collapsing building and an exploding fuel tank. This short arc perfectly showcased Peter's ability to overcome any odds.
6 ASM #500 Was A Love Letter To Spider-Man
Amazing Spider-Man #500 featured the conclusion to the "Last Stand Spider-Man" arc, as Peter witnessed a possible dark future. Peter also had a chance to undo the spider-bite that gave him his powers, but he chose not to.
While returning to his proper time, Spider-Man relived past encounters with some of his deadliest enemies. He experienced his greatest achievements, like when he freed himself from the Master Planner's lair. He also relived his greatest failures, like Gwen's death. Overall, the issue was jam-packed with JRJR's beautiful art, especially a crowded double splash page featuring Spidey battling all of his villains.
5 The Clone Made A Name For Himself In Spider-Man: The Lost Years #1
The opening page of Spider-Man: The Lost Years #1 showcased Romita Jr.'s incredibly detailed, visceral art style. Spider-Man's clone, nameless at this point in time, sat in a dark alleyway, pummeled by heavy rain, having just discovered he was not the real Peter Parker.
The ensuing story that took place over three issues, written by J.M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Romita Jr., explored five lost years of the clone's life, long before he would become Spider-Man again. The entire series was beautifully rendered by JRJR with bloody battles in the second and third issues, but the raw emotion and anger were captured perfectly in the first issue of the limited series.
4 The Hobgoblin Debuted In Amazing Spider-Man #238
In Amazing Spider-Man #238, a man named Georgie brought a mysterious individual down into one of Norman Osborn's old lairs full of Green Goblin gear. At the end of the issue, after collecting the equipment, the shadowed figure killed Georgie and returned to his own lair, donning new versions of Goblin gear, proclaiming himself as the Hobgoblin.
The Hobgoblin's introduction was fantastic. On the final splash page, where the new villain declared that the Green Goblin was no more and that in his place was the Hobgoblin, Romita Jr illustrated a truly menacing bug-eyed Hobgoblin that was slowly revealed over several shadowed panels.
3 ASM Vol. 2 #34 Featured A Brutal Battle Between Spidey And Morlun
The first story arc of J. Michael Straczynski's ASM run, titled "Coming Home," was illustrated by John Romita Jr. The duo acted as the Amazing Spider-Man creative team for many issues, but this first arc is regarded as their strongest.
Morlun, the Spider-Totem-hunter, was first revealed in this arc. He fed off of Spider-Man's life force and appeared to be unstoppable. Spidey had faced unbeatable odds before, but JRJR illustrated an extremely brutal, bloody battle between Spidey, Morlun, and Ezekiel, a new ally of Peter's. Beyond the action, this issue involved a touching moment between Peter and Aunt May wherein Peter called May because he believed he would not survive the fight.
2 Spider-Man & Doctor Octopus Engaged In A Climactic Battle
Amazing Spider-Man #600 was not only a great centennial issue but one of the most thrilling Spider-Man comics of all time. Written by Dan Slott, #600 featured many of Spidey's costumed allies, like Daredevil and Wolverine. It also featured many of his supporting cast members, including a surprise appearance by Mary Jane in a splash page that called back to her debut panel, originally drawn by Romita Sr.
At its core, this issue was meant to be a climactic showdown between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. As Otto's body failed him, he looked to leave his mark on the world, and JRJR hit all the emotional beats while delivering some truly spectacular action sequences.
1 John Romita Jr. Returns To Amazing Spider-Man
After years away from the book, John Romita Jr. has finally returned to The Amazing Spider-Man ongoing series. After the events of the "Beyond" arc, Peter Parker is back as Spider-Man and the series has been softly relaunched with Romita Jr. and writer Zeb Wells debuting as the new creative team for volume six.
The first issue of this new volume was emotional, mysterious, and above all else, beautiful. JRJR's art seems to age like fine wine. Every single panel is incredibly detailed, especially the rainy settings, and the characters are extremely expressive and engaging. Whenever JRJR is involved, Spider-Man is in good hands.