Marvel
The Late Great John Romita Sr. | 2023
30 pieces
From the 17th of February until 9th March 2024, our Birmingham ICC gallery has an exhibition of Marvel art celebrating the late great Stan Lee and the late great John Romita Sr.
Rare comic book art, including pieces from the Superheroes collection and the Legacy editions, will be displayed in the gallery to commemorate not only the extraordinary triumphs of the characters, but also those of the original superheroes behind them: the late, great Stan Lee and the late great John Romita Sr. Anyone who knows their comic book history is aware of the importance of both Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. in the company’s development, so to own one of these incredible limited-edition pieces is to own a rare piece of the Marvel legacy, especially as the artists signed so few artworks.
In a landmark moment for Castle Fine Art’s involvement with the art of Marvel, we are proud to present a deeply personal collection of Marvel Superhero unique graphics, hand-signed by iconic comic book artist and art director, the late great John Romita Sr. These graphics all have a deep-rooted connection with John. John played an integral role in creating this artwork working incredibly closely with a chosen few Marvel creatives to paint, ink or draw these iconic comic book covers, to bring them together under his creative direction. This commemorative collection of selected covers were hand signed due to his direct artistic involvement. This means that these unique graphics establish a real link between John and his collectors.
Born in Brooklyn in 1930, John gained a grounding in art when he studied at the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan. He entered the comic book industry commenced in the 1950s when he collaborated with publishers like Hillman Periodicals and later Atlas Comics, the precursor to Marvel Comics, which is when he first met the legendary Stan Lee, who has signed the works in our Legacy collection of Marvel works.
Featured art (L-R): Amazing Spider-Man #56, Avengers #118,Thor #169 byJohn Romita Sr. Hand signed unique print.
After a stint in the Army, Romita’s comics career really took off. He worked on new Captain America stories; moved briefly to DC Comics but returned to Marvel in 1965 where he worked on some of the most iconic superheroes ever.
In 1966, he took over the lead artist role on The Amazing Spider-Man from the iconic co-creator of Spider-Man, Steve Ditko. Romita and Stan Lee reinvented Spidey, and the pair added characters to the series like Peter Parker’s love interest Mary Jane Watson and villains Rhino, The Shocker and Kingpin. Romita also co-created the Punisher and Wolverine during his legendary career, in which he also served as a mentor for many other of the publisher’s artists.
John Romita Sr. sadly passed away in New York on June 12, 2023, aged 93, but his influence lives on in the incredible illustrations he created and which we are honoured to share with collectors in these limited edition artworks, signed by the legendary, visionary artist. These pieces from Marvel have huge historic interest for comic book fans, and are sure to be very popular with collectors, so you’ll have to be fast to secure the artwork of your choice!
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