The Evolution of John Romita, Jr.'s Art Style

[@ComicTropes]

I mistakenly showed Paul Smith’s Storm and credited JR JR with inventing that outfit. He drew jt a lot but that’s a mistake.

[@nicksavia3581]

I was wondering, I'm glad you caught it. Any chance of you doing a look at Paul Smith? To me, he's one of the most underrated artists in the industry

[@SoupedUpCustoms]

Please also make one about Travis Charest and or those creators artists popular back then ages ago kinda like :"Where are they now?"

[@KingRich616]

I just came here to correct you 😁

[@dashfatbastard]

I have to call you on the Kirby "Jalopy" shot though. That FF issue was on a skrull world that had a 1920s gangland culture. That flying fliver was right on the money.

[@Nightscream72]

That'll be thirty lashes for you, Chris. (Just kidding.)

[@rainydayman2k]

You can see how much JRJR's art evolved in less than 10 years, just between his original run on Iron Man and his second run in the "Armor Wars II" storyline. I always wondered if he took some inspiration for the evolution of his own art style from Frank Miller's own style.

[@jawbone78]

He has always adapted his style to the times. He started out clearly trying to imitate the flawless craftsmanship of his father and John Buscema, but then took influences from Frank Miller, and later Jim Lee, and then in the post-Madureira "everything must be ridiculously cartoony" era he even started bringing that in. The video touches on how he keeps the styles and depictions of the world in his work contemporary in ways a lot of guys never managed (it mentioned Kirby, but Buscema, Perez, Byrne and many others struggled with it), but it doesn't really touch on how his art style itself has always kept up with the times while still always being recognizably his.

[@joshualee6200]

I think if you look at Miller's artwork in Sin City and compare it to Romita Jr's work in the late 80s through mid 90s (especially on titles like Daredevil), you can see Miller's influence pretty clearly.

[@dcamaag709]

Love JRJR, I will say that he draws the weirdest kids tho. Big adult heads on little bodies. I can see how people think his art quality has dipped in recent years but he is getting old so it's bound to happen. I especially loved his art on the Kick-Ass series. His recent work in asm is still good in my opinion although I think it could benefit with a good inker.

[@KillerTacos54]

Agreed!

[@comix6358]

@Dcam Aag I agree with everything you said except the part about a good inker. Scott Hanna is a great inker and worked with JRJR on his original ASM run with JMS in the early 2000s, (Which I believe was when his art was the best). In fact I met him at a con, really nice guy. But other than that you're spot on, in my personal opinion :)

[@kevinprastaro9783]

His art has been terrible since 93 when he was back on Uncanny. It’s weird bc his earlier run was SO MUCH better than just 5-10 years later.

[@Williestyle-RobotechxMacross-x]

While JR, Jr's art has declined some in recent years as we have seen, I would not say that decline is inevitable - some artists do not decline as much ( like Art Adams or Neil Adams ).

[@KingRich616]

His art quality hasn't dipped though.Its his art style that has changed.

[@PizzaDad]

Had the opportunity to meet JRJR at Phoenix Fan Fusion. Was able to tell him how much I appreciated his art and how I’d always remembered him being my favorite comic artist interview on the Spider-Man 1 DVD. How him talking about Spider-Man inspired me to grab my first comic, Ultimate Spider-Man. (Which I asked him to sign the first issue of). He told me that my words meant the world to him. One of the sweetest guys I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet and an amazing artist.

[@johnnypimpinz5202]

You could tell he really needed that lie. Good for you man I bet he really needed that!

[@MrDamsky100]

John Romita Jr is such a formative artist to me. I don't think I would've fallen in love with Spider-Man as a character if it wasn't for his run in the early 2000s

[@LegendOfTheBat]

Completely agree!

[@PhilAlm92]

Same here, most of the issues I read in my teens was drawn by him

[@MrDamsky100]

@@BruceWayne-ri4wr I disagree. I still like his work on all star batman and his more recent work on Spider-Man as well. I don't think he was a great fit for superman but otherwise I still like him. I just think he's an acquired taste so I get why people aren't always fond of him

[@thetruthinwonderland]

It’s the same for me, though I was partial to his 90s work on Spider-Man.

[@parkinsaw]

@@BruceWayne-ri4wr I pretty much place him in the same category as Ed McGuinness. All depends on which characters he is drawing. It's kind of weird honestly lol. Some characters he can do well, and others...not so much.

[@ambrosiaplatypus]

I definitely put JRJR in the top 3 Punisher artists of all time. His work on the original Punisher: War Zone is fantastic. He draws Frank as this rectangular wall of muscle with a permanent scowl. Also beefcake. So much hairy chested, broad shouldered beefcake on display which is great too, female gaze definitely wasn't too common at the time or even now really.

[@Nick_Nightingale]

I will always remember the popsicle scene.

[@Nick_Nightingale]

@@mariio5090 Yup. Mickie I believe his name was.

[@ambrosiaplatypus]

@@mariio5090 Yea a lot of early Punisher stuff suffers from being kind of generic with the art and writing. It's the Chuck Dixon/John Romita JR Punisher: War Zone and Carl Potts/Jim Lee Punisher: War Journal stuff that's really outstanding

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

He made him too Italian lol His Punisher looked better when he drew him during his DD run. But I liked that Chuck Dixon story.

[@tonymiles273]

Chris , I just want to say that episode for episode and pound for pound your channel delivers , IMO, the most well thought out and researched content of any KZbin channel dedicated to comics . While I'm not always familiar with the source material I always come away feeling enlightened due to the sheer amount of effort you put into each episode. Whe I'm not a real JR. JR fan, I do admire his storytelling abilities. I think he is best suited to characters like the Punisher or an original character like Kick Ass . I listened to an interview he once did , in which he seemed quite humble about his abilities, which softened me to the man himself . Sorry for running on so, just enjoy your channel so much that I thought you should know. Keep up the good work and thank you.

[@pattongilbert]

I totally agree. I know that any video I watch of his will be a fun one and that I’ll enjoy it. Always new and interesting trivia to learn.😊

[@luciferfernandez7094]

I like when someone else gives due credit to inkers: not to take anything away from JRJR, but his Al Williamson inked stuff achieved something unique for both of their careers. A while back you already noticed that Williams is half of Jim Lee’s career. Inkers matter, a lot.

[@davidsparham658]

Loved his art on Nocenti's Daredevil run. Seemed like the right balance between Marvel's house style and his later, blocky potato-people.

[@polskillz]

Potato people wtf 😂

[@bZman]

I agree wholeheartedly

[@dexterroberts631]

This is his best work alone with x-men

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

Yea it's before he went full blocky. Never go full blocky. lol

[@andrepaul3483]

Kick-Ass & his work on All Star Batman with Scott Snyder are the comics that got me into comics. I ADORE his art. Especially when he's put in a dark,gritty,street level titles. Also,his style is very blocky. And I happen to like that. He's also a damn good storyteller.

[@MrDamsky100]

People seem to forget how important storytelling is in art. Romita Jr can tell a story super efficiently with clean, charismatic art. That is not an easy task

[@ryantwombly720]

Excellent work. I’ve been waiting years for a deep dive into JRJR by a commentator with an trained eye. Thx, Chris.

[@senselessbabbledotcom]

JR Jr has been my personal fav artist since the 90's. Love his work! And not just because of the style, but because he is one of the best visual storytellers of all time!

[@k-cx7137]

OMG !! One of the comments from my Reddit post was used for this video , I’m so hyped haha !! Great content as always , JRJR is my favorite artist !

[@brianj.8441]

I started comics with JRJrs first X-Men run, and then followed him to Daredevil (with gorgeous Williamson inks!). I think his evolution to his blocky style laid the groundwork for me to fall in love with Kirby's Fourth World Era art, which struck me as extremely ugly until my late 30s/ early 40s. Now I "get" it.

[@Juancisco]

Great video as usual, Chris! Romita Jr is one of my favourite comic book artists of all time, and I think that sometimes readers might overlook the superb storytelling because of the more angular style. I think another great book of his was his 6 issue run on Black Panther back in 2006

[@Enigmanaut]

He was the artist on X-Men when I fell in love with the book, during the mid 80s. Still one of my favorite artists.

[@Caxerw13]

Hell yeah! I’m on a JRJR binge rn! His run with JMS was how I started reading Marvel back in the day!

[@tiarnan2628]

Would love to see a video on Chris Bachalo's art one of my all time favourite comic book artist with such a distinct style

[@weaslepopper]

I haven't read a ton of Bachalo's work,but from what I've seen,his design is great,like on Steampunk,but he reuses the same headshots over and over and over again,to the point of distraction for me.

[@tomemyscoobies]

Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos are two of the most recognisable modern Marvel artists because their style is so distinct. Would love to see Chris' take on them, as they seem to be just as divisive as modern JRJR.

[@JannyLW]

I started reading comics in 2013, so my introduction to JRJR was his run on Superman. I remember hating all the promo stuff and not understanding what people saw in this guy. I changed my mind on him when the book came out and I got to see his storytelling. He instantly won me over. I even got the Director’s Cut of Superman 32 signed by him at the first con I attended! That said, I feel like he also needs a good colorist that complements his style for his work to really pop. Awesome video. Glad you made it!

[@pious83]

While I did really enjoy JRJR's early 90's X-Men run (little touches, such as his distinct 'pointy' claws for Wolverine). I was definitely one of those won over by Joe Madureira. The late 80's to 90's was such a great era for X-Men artists.

[@jawbone78]

I was a fan of Joe Mad in his X-Men days, but when I look back on those issues now I just cringe. JRJR's stuff holds up.

[@Showkiller99]

I hated his xmen run, it was a huge turn off for me at that time.

[@pious83]

@@jawbone78 The opposite for me. There are some characters that JRJR’s blocky style really doesn’t work with IE Storm. Meanwhile Joe Mad is still one of the best artists X-Men has ever had.

[@scinnyc]

I never liked JRJR personally. But Joe Mad was one of my main influences as an artist myself. His art still looks better than most artists today.

[@pious83]

@@scinnyc His art was a massive inspiration to me growing up. I'd easily put him up alongside the greats of comics: The Kuberts, John Byrne, George Perez etc I wish he still drew more frequently.

[@victorcabanelas]

I was waiting for the "deadline style" thing. Anyone who's worked in this understands it. Anyway, on of my fav artists. Inking him can be a callange, but in a good way. Kep up the great work!

[@JosesAmazingWorlds]

Met Romita at London comic con and have a Hit Girl sketch he did for me hanging in my office at home. All the money he collected that day he donated to retired artists. Top man. And for a man older than Miller, he looked half Miller's age.

[@JudgementalGoat]

John Romita is one of the greatest legacy artists left in the business, I see a lot of people shitting on his art style these days and it pisses me off to no end, very few people has his storytelling skills

[@jawbone78]

Absolutely. He's one of the best to ever do it. An absolute titan who's never gotten the respect he deserves.

[@Vivi2372]

I won't deny that he can frame a panel and a story really well and draw some really dynamic stuff. But I hate the way he actually draws things I've hated it for pretty much my entire life. His eye is exceptional for literally every aspect of drawing except drawing something that looks good. I'll give an example: a few years ago I was reading some DC comic he was doing at the time. Think it was justice league related. In every single panel Superman was in he drew like a ring of individual hatch marks/lines around the outside of the face. Going in slightly towards the center of the face from the edge. They served absolutely no purpose except to add unnecessary and distracting lines to the face. They weren't indicating any kind of shading, they weren't representing contours of the face in any way (they were all pointing inwards regardless of location and with zero regard for the actual contours of the face). The lines were not only unnecessary, they actively made the art look worse for absolutely no reason. They didn't add anything visually, they were flat, they were distracting. It was an artistic choice that has utterly baffled me ever since. He's always had unnecessary and distracting lines in his work but this book was the worst I'd ever seen his art. It was like he just didn't give a shit what he was putting on the page anymore. This isn't just me hating on messier art styles though by the way. I love those when they're well done. But his doesn't even feel like that. It feels more like a guy trying to draw loosely but then somehow still being unbelievably stiff and rigid if that makes sense. And good lord he needs to ease up on fabric folds.

[@jeanlucacanomontiel4824]

One can respect the man a lot, but something we can't deny is that at some point, he just decided to start drawing HORRIBLE faces. His latest Spider-man run with Wells, oh my god they don't even look human.

[@leandrosn962]

Loved this episode! Jrjr is my favorite artist! I remember distinctively copying his drawings when I was a child/teenager. He was the fist artist that I recognized the style and hoped I would see more of on the next issue!

[@Campionpascal]

the only thing I didn't like about this video is that it was too short!! LOVE your take Chris. Thank you for this

[@tobigrantlbart]

I always thought my problem with JRJr. is that I don't like how he draws necks. His paneling is great tho and makes it reading fun. It's also what I do appreciate about Frank Miller's art (even when it really doesn't look appealing like in Dark Knight Strikes again) that the paneling always looks appealing. What I think is weird that his "classic" artwork looks more appealing to me, despite me seeing how his page layout improved a lot. I think it's the blockyness, which often doesn't do it for me, and inking (in certain comics)

[@grantirwin7769]

JRJR is my all time favorite Spiderman artist I especially love his ASM run with Roger Stern. One more inker who really enhanced his work is Frank Giacoia.

[@richpotter]

I thought he was great when he was doing "house style" under Layton's Iron Man inks. I remember being disappointed with Layton's fill in pencils (#139) and happy when JRJR returned. But yeah; his DD work took some getting used to (as did Kirby's weirdness, as you mentioned). Love them both now. Thanks for deconstructing his work -- I always wondered how he came in on his dad's coattails (and with a similar style in the beginning). Great vid!

[@markshulusky6680]

Just like you appreciate Romita's depiction of rain, I love Kirby's scenes featuring bodies of water. An ocean panel by the artist will make you FEEL the pitch and swell of the waves. His tenure at DC included many two page spreads (in Kamandi and New Gods) of roiling seas that are among the most kinetic art (of any genre) that I've ever seen.

[@montygatwick1829]

My uncle got a framed holographic spider man print for my brother and I when we were young with JR Jr and Stan Lee’s signatures on it as part of a numbered series, it’s one of my prized possessions still! :)

[@Jaebird88]

As much as this is an interesting overall review of JRJR's art and career, bringing up the various inkers who worked with him informs just as much if not more about his pencil work.

[@Shinmsl]

That's how comics were made in the old days, penciller doesn't need to fine tune every little detail, otherwise why even bother having an inker? The inker work was always to embellish and provide volume and contrast, if they are there for tracing the lineart then you don't really need them , specially with the technology improvement of being able to capture the pencils without even need for inked lines

[@ItsOver9000Productions]

@@Shinmsl yeah but this video is about the artist. I don't remember any videos taking time to focus on different inkers the artist has worked with to such an extant.

[@TheEvolver311]

​@@ItsOver9000ProductionsJim Lee was one which he did

[@fedupN]

Didn't find John Romita Jr's work until his spider man stuff, with Dusk and Identity Crisis and Morlun. That and the Sentry mini series. It was so stunningly good, he was probably the first comic book artist I noticed.

[@richardbehrle1496]

I grew up on both him and his Dad and I love how he’s so so different and dynamic. As far as facial criticism, I admit that at first I wasn’t turned on but after his run on Kick-ass, I have since took it back. That series is probably my all-time favorite! His breakdowns are incredible!

[@will_da_man_]

Great video! Ever since I was a kid, I never really could decide whether I liked Romita Jr's art style, but I've grown quite fond of it over the years. Kick-Ass and World War Hulk have to be my favourite work from him!

[@Kimch87]

John Romita Jr. is maybe my favorite artist and inspired me as a kid to start drawing myself. I absolutley love his art and I am so glad that you made this video.

[@gusparkwood4890]

JRJR is a personal favorite. Granted, He’s a tent pole on my favorite character in Spidey but that’s inconsequential- no matter Who He’s drawing, it looks Phenomenal. He can do action AND emotional scenes incredibly well. He’s truly one The All Time Greats.

[@Shinmsl]

JR Jr. Was one of my favourite artists growing up, back then I would be certain to learn the name of the artist if a comic would make an impression on me. And I distinctly remember that Daredevil comic, it was dark and moody, it wasn't exactly "pretty" but it was indeed powerful art and great storytelling. I was a huge of his run on Spider-Man on the 90s and I even remember I had an issue of X-Men that I didn't even know it was his art but you showed snippets of the art in this video so I know now it was his too( and I wasn't big on the X-Men back then but I did love the art on that book). You make a great point of saying that his work is most effective when paired with the right inker, but the same could be said with the colourist, whose work is really important specially since the 2000s to define the look of a comic. I think his cartoony style works better with simpler, mostly flatter colors, overrendering doesn't do him any favours. He is one of my all time favourites not only in doing action but also subtle character moments like those two Rogue panels you featured in this video, he can do excellent subtle emotional "performances" that make each character feel human. He's one of the best ever Spiderman artist without a shadow of a doubt, and something I think it contributes to that is he's one of the few who has been able to get that "creepy crawler" aesthetic that Steve Ditko gave him, something very distinct from any other superhero, that makes Spider-Man a bit of a scary, lonley figure in the night. The cover of that book about the Romitas is a perfect example, is probably one of the best artwork of Spider-Man ever made for me, it encapsulates the mistery and eerieness that I think he's one of the few living comicartist can create.

[@aikisteven0616]

Loved this episode! His X-Men run was what got me to fall in love with comics (and Rogue) back in the day, so be one of my favorites. Also, short-hair, more-than-a-little psychotic Rogue = best Rogue, so there's that, too!

[@1971mav]

I get some of the criticism but I love his art. I have stayed away from books because of Liefeld's art and had to endure Larsen's art because I collected Spiderman. Talk about cartoony then there Humberto Ramos.

[@KAGEMUSHA-sb3mt]

I’ve always loved Romita. His run on Spider-Man with strazyiski is awesome. His punisher war zone was huge and scary, with big sausage fingers firing 10mm guns. He was always a guy with a lot of guns but that was the first time I thought “This guy is a gorilla who will tear you to pieces with his bare hands”. Externals. Superman. Daredevil. Hulk. I got em all. If John is doing the artwork I’m buying it, same with Alex Ross.

[@frogoat]

I have always loved John Romita Jr art. He was the very first comic book artist I learned the name of, his art was some of every first from the medium I was exposed to and he'll always hold a position in my Top 5 comic artists of all time. His art is absolutely beautiful, deceptively simple and really drove me to try drawing comics as a kid. A true legend of the industry.

[@thumbsaloft]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE JR JR's artwork, he's one of my very favorites!

[@DCPatrol]

I'm not even half way done and I love this video already. I've never been a fan of JRJR. If anything I appreciate him more now for having a style but it's just never clicked for me. That said, I have mad respect for the guy, I love the persona be gives us. He presents humble and almost like a rookie. I have to respect and admire that. The guy is a legend whether you appreciate his work or not. Great video! I really appreciate this.

[@jamesduncan6729]

John Romita Jr really brings the pages of a comic book to life. His art is so profoundly wonderful, I couldn't possibly say enough about him! ❤️ Great video Chris ❤️👍🏻

[@danhackley6730]

Jr Jr's work on Uncanny Xmen from 175-311 is phenomenal. Uncanny Xmen #207's cover, is to me at least, THE most iconic Wolverine art EVER. Juniors art simply gets the job done in the best way sequential art should be; precise, easy to read and flowing in its storytelling. One of my major influences for sure

[@leekkid]

You said it all better than I could! 100% agree with everything here. John is my favourite artist of all time and there’s a indescribable feeling of comfort and nostalgia whenever I see his work.

[@Maakeys]

Been watching far longer than I thought I have been, just want to say thank you for the knowledge and entertainment ❤️

[@FrankMahovlich]

My first look at JR.JR was in a popular fanzine in the early 1970s. He was a boy, under the age of ten as I recall. And I don't remember what the image was but it was a face of Beetle Bailey or Popeye or Donald Duck (or something like that). It was either in pencil or magic marker and very nice for a little boy. There is no question that he would have never gotten it published if not for his name. I didn't expect to see him years later as a very good comic book artist.

[@nickpryor6133]

Sundays are my comic tropes day

[@Wild4Hockey]

Thank you for continuing our Master Class in comic book history. Great episode, Chris.

[@harmany08]

Thank you for delivering on this one! I asked you a few years ago if you would ever cover JRJR, and you replied that you definitely intended to. So glad to get your take on one of my personal favorite comic artists.

[@jeffwinbush5039]

Great video, Chris. I think both your praise and criticism of John Romita, Jr's art was fair and well thought out. Plus, I appreciate you mentioning Tom Spurgeon's passing. I had no idea he was no longer with us. I did some work for The Comics Journal back in the day and Tom was my editor. Really cool guy and he will be missed.

[@nerdfatha]

JR JR has been one of my favorites for many years. He did my two favorite cross overs ( one of which you showcased a lot) Punisher vs Batman and Batman vs Predator. This is a great look at his evolution! also, Chris, you seem so much happier and more excited in your videos lately, its awesome to see!

[@KintounKal]

I don't believe John Romita Jr. has ever participated in creating a Predator limited series. 1991's Batman Versus Predator was pencilled by Andy Kubert with inks by his brother Adam. The 1994 sequel titled Bloodmatch was pencilled by Paul Gulacy with inks by Terry Austin.

[@darioscomicschool1111]

7:07 Epic those Punisher Batman scenes! His comics always feel like big 80s and 90s Blockbuster movies. Only when he isn't fully into the project it can show. Still...the sheer number of output. Quantity is not always quality...but he has proven himself time and time again, with failures here and there. A True Hero. A big inspiration to my Personal Drawing STyle. 12:47 Very Iconic storytelling! #JohnRomitaJrRain #deadlinestyle

[@flashfreakmx]

This is so good. Most criticism comes from people who could only dream of his career. There is not enough appreciation for him finding his own voice and developing such a cool style. Thanks for this coverage.

[@X_Brawn]

So you think people who don't like Romita Jr's art are just jealous of his success? If you like his art that's cool, plenty of people do. But you can't expect everyone to. Art is subjective.

[@zachryder3150]

Almost all criticism in all of art come from people who couldn't do it themselves. That's how performers and audiences work, genius.

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

One of the best of all time. His blocky draftsmanship ,his meticulous line work has made him one of the most unique ones artists that have ever graced mainstream consciousness👍😛😃

[@jamessherman7512]

I too took a little while to appreciate Kirby’s brilliance. Great video!

[@lucianoemmanuelramirez1304]

Love Romita Jr. art.. its an adquired taste, his style would be great for a animated series.. there is a certain logic on his style that makes it recognizable..

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

Always thought the same

[@jawbone78]

That's because of his fundamentals. The guy understands on a deep level how to render three dimensional figures in two dimensions, which 99% of comics artists never fully grasp.

[@josesosa3337]

Clothing folds, noses, and mouths. If I see those a certian way than I know its Romita.

[@skeletonshorror5184]

Great point.

[@Electric-vo9zv]

Awesome! John Romita , Jr. Is my favorite comic artist of all time!

[@MaybeNextYear03]

Idk why people are complaining about you talking about the inkers..inkers. They're very important in John's legacy and evolution. And you only talked about them for less than 2 minutes. Keep up the good work Chris!

[@Mumu1588]

So, I've been reading comics ever since I was a little kid in the 90s. The first time I ever saw JRJR's artwork was either in Spider-man or in X-men. And I remember, I didn't like it at the time. But over time, I have come to realize what an expertly storyteller he is. He knows how to adequately convey the story to the reader when he needs to. And he gives characters very specific mannerisms and movement. The same can't be said of other artists that are praised more critically, or that are more well known, than he is. He has certainly grown a lot as an artist, and it's a lot of fun for me now to look back at how much he has progressed over the years. He is still far from my favorite artist, but I definitely appreciate him much more now than I did when I was younger. By the way Chris, speaking personally, I love these videos where you deep dive on the artists of comics. As someone who wanted to be a comic book artist growing up as a kid, I find a certain satisfaction in listening to you talk about these artists I grew up obsessing over. Keep up the great work!

[@galactus1111]

JRjr was always one of my favourites. His Thor and Hulk runs showed power and energy on the page not seen since Kirby.

[@serdna96]

I never clicked on a video so fast I my life! I love JRJR's art so much, his run on Amazing Spider-Man with Straczynski is what got me into comics

[@watchmanschannelofdespair]

Another good video, Chris. I remember as a kid when I was steadily collecting comics and reading them, that one of the books I regularly purchased was Spider-Man when John Romita Jr. was the artist (Mr. Hyde, and all the rest). I was also an X-Men fan and when Jr took over after Paul Smith left, I was not happy at all. I liked him on Spider-Man, but not X-men. Over the years, though, his art has matured and in his prime, he could draw whatever and I'd be sure to like it. You mentioned Kirby, and one of the things I commonly notice that is left out of discussions of his artwork style, is the fact that Jack Kirby's art was forced to evolve, out of necessity, more than anything else. Few people seem to realize just how much work he produced, daily, weekly, and monthly, especially during Marvel's early years in the 1960's. Not only his regular comic book runs (Fantastic Four, Avengers, X-Men, Tales to Astonish, etc), but fill in issues, covers, pinups and ads. For a while he was Marvel's 'go-to-guy', as stated by Stan Lee, during some emergency when they were up against a deadline on a book that needed to be sent to the printer ASAP. There's just no way a person could produce all that work, while meeting deadlines and not simplify their art to some level. Reference? Who has time for reference under those situations? You need a gun in this panel? I'll draw you a generic gun from memory, dammit, I have some covers and other books to do after this!

[@stevenfunderburg1623]

I have been saving this episode for over a year in my "Back up Chris Rations Cannister" . I am about 5 minutes into it and I am glad I saved it. Chris is obviously a genius with this stuff. You can tell it brings him genuine joy 👍 You did indeed gush, Chris, but did so in an adult refined manner which my spazzy presence would have impossible "Oh my god!! Dude!! Look at the foreshortening on this panel!!! "Look at at the adorable yet frightened look on Kitty's face in this full page spread" "Dan Green's inks finally let his actual style breath!!" Blah, blah, blah...so thank you Chris, for being the grown up in the room....WHO ALSO TOTALLY LIKES MY GEEKY KID STUFF!!!😂🤣🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘 PS. Nepotism. Bah! Next thing you know some pundit over in the world of rock music will attempt to suggest that Wolfgang Van Halen enjoyed the benefits of... whoops, my point seems to be getting away from me, so I will just slowly remove my fingers from this keyboard and slowly slip out of the room....

[@caincha]

I loved his first run in Spider-Man and X-Men. His style started to change with DareDevil - which I still liked - then solidified into what it is today which can be a bit of hit and miss. I don't dislike his recent style but I do prefer his earlier work a lot more.

[@QUATERMAIN10]

Great episode! One thing, though. If I'm not mistaken, it was Paul Smith who designed Storm's black leather look.

[@Joao_Wolf]

When the time came that it was impossible to continue to collect everything that existed, I had to narrow it down somehow - and so nowadays I collect three things: Hulk, JRJr and John Byrne. Collecting those three suffice. Thanks for the amazing channel!

[@smidday15]

I had a stretch through the mid-2000s when I was almost exclusively collecting JRJR (and Chris Bachalo), as much as I also attribute that to being in my early 20s and putting my priorities elsewhere away from comics (which I had to rectify throughout my 30s).

[@artbyty]

Gotta respect a man of his talents. I thought his blocky style didn’t look so great when I was a younger comic fan. But when I look at it now I appreciate that he was making a unique vision. Now I prefer his younger work. Such is art.

[@XtheroCKER21X]

JR Jr really got me to appreciate comic book art and sent me down a rabbit hole of finding out more about the artist themselves and that led me to your channel 😄

[@HankChinaski27]

One of my very favorite. I had a lot of his work from when I was a kid but it wasn't until I was sick at 12 that Uncanny 300 came out and I made a point to know his name. And like you, Man Without Fear has kept me on board ever since. I know some of his DC stuff got messy, but if the new Amazing stuff is the sign of him going forward than I'm happy to see it. Great piece. Makes me want to finally go back and read that Nocenti/JRJr run.

[@LowellLucasJr.]

While not a fan of JRJR art on Spiderman or Superman, I like his work on Thor and even Heart of Darkness! Also, I respect his hard work and dealing with the nepotism involved with his career.

[@SailorScarborough]

I see your points against the nepotism convo, but his name is still Romita; my guy benefited off it regardless

[@jawbone78]

No one achieves anything in life completely on their own. His name absolutely 100% got his foot in the door, but his talent and his professionalism gave him his career. In an era when a lot of "top" pencillers were struggling to turn in two issues a year, he was turning in two issues a month that were as good or better.

[@SailorScarborough]

@@jawbone78 nothing in my comment discredited his talents. One can both be talented and a product of nepotism.

[@giversinner971]

I love your breakdowns of the evolution of professional artist’s work! I know you are also an artist, and your expertise shines in these videos.

[@circuit_board]

I was just about to tweet last night that I need a new Comic Tropes episode. Instead, I watched an episode I hadn't seen. Now today there's a new episode. Yaaaay!!!!!!!

[@TheFazetoo]

Thanks for much for discussing one of my favorite comic artists of all time. I truly enjoyed this.

[@sebastianmundell1655]

I always loved his style, it's unique and arguably an acquired taste. I never thought about how an inker could change that perception so drastically!

[@DrexFactor]

Came to point out that you'd credited Paul Smith's Storm to John Romita, Jr and relieved to see you posted the correction already yourself. I appreciate the passion that you have for him as an artist and you definitely pointed out some things I hadn't noticed before about it. I'm in the middle of re-reading Claremont's run on Uncanny X-Men and I was curious what you'd have to say about his work on that title. I'm not surprised to find not a lot there...I don't think that's his strongest work nor do I think he was a good fit for the title. Paul Smith was definitely my most pleasant surprise in revisiting the title, elegantly conveying more emotion with one or two lines than any other artist on the title before of since has been able to display with many more. Dave Cockrum's wonderfully fluid character work almost stands completely opposite JR JR's...I never stop being surprised by how many characters Cockrum's inventive figure work can fit into a single panel and the ways in which the fluidity really draws the eye gracefully from panel to panel. JR JR's blocky figure work creates much more bombastic action but I think sacrifices some of that gentle flow of action in the process. I think he was an excellent fit for Daredevil, however, and one thing I'm surprised you didn't mention was the way his artwork captures many of the conventions of the film noir tradition with deeply immersive urban environments that seem on the edge of swallowing their characters whole and characters that almost always stand cloaked in deep shadows.Overall great video, though!

[@mikeyob4002]

I am firmly in the "JRJR lost his fastball a long time ago" camp. But this video was an incredible retrospective on a legendary artist. Thank you!

[@marktoth3965]

thisreally hit the spot.. Knowledgable and insightful to many of us who began reading (and drawing sometimes) comic books from a time almost exactly concurrent with the origin of his professional career,. Of the many salient points made about JR's style, the one about how his fights always depict the utmost consequence of motion (blows, dives, etc_) are what really lit this kid's fire about his Spiderman back in the day-his fights were the best--like the big dukeroo for real almost every time. That does say something about his appeal overall in relation to most basic and essential essence of the form.

[@jlim003]

I didn't like his style as a kid, but really appreciated it as I got older. It's the perfect workman like style, esp for an on-going monthly.

[@Mister_Weasel]

i remember JRJ's runs on Spidey and Xmen in the 80's. I didn't really follow him after that until i picked up Punisher War Journal No.1 in the 90's....i was really amazed by how much his style had changed. And i absolutely loved it.

[@vincentimbesi3947]

I’ve loved John Romita’s art for a long time and still get excited to see any of his new projects!

[@RealBoschFawstin]

Thanks for discussing John Romita Jr., who’s my all time favorite penciler (with Alex Toth being my all time favorite comic book artist, who inked much of his own work). JRJR’s storytelling is second to none, and while I do like his drawing ability, and style, I can understand some of the criticisms of his faces, which as you note, might be more of a current aspect of his art. But the fact that he works as much as he does, and delivers on time, and is producing two issues of The Amazing Spider-Man every month (those days are not long gone, CT) should get him a little more respect than he currently gets, because when I see people trashing his work, as if it’s the worst, I think they’re dishonest. Whatever flaws he may have should be outweighed by all of his virtues, which are many. Thanks again for a good, honest take on the work of an all time great.

[@pfn]

Thanks for doing this! I have loved JR JR for decades and am so grateful that he's still in the business!!

[@brianscli9567]

How am I just now noticing how majestic and awe-inducing the Comic Tropes animated intro is

[@spdrwrtr]

I met JRJR at a convention once; I had him sign several of my single issues during his work on ASM with J.Michael Strazinsky. He said the spidey team was especially proud of their work on the 9/11 issue. He was a nice guy and I hope to see him again.

[@frank212212]

Grow up on JR jr. Loved when Danny Green inked his work,just beautiful.

[@joshualee6200]

I love the way Romita Jr. started using horizontal lines on his designs to create depth. His work on titles like Daredevil and Spider-Man are some of my favourites. His Kingpin was always monolithic.

[@wietsesartsythings969]

Thanks for this wonderful video. JR JR is one of my favourite artists ever. His work is so powerfull, it has this grit and action that just rocks.

[@KLEinMojO]

perfect Timing - Love U Chris and much Love from Germany

[@erwingu]

JRJr is one of my favorite artist. His artwork is distinct and unique to him. Like one glance i can already tell it's his artwork. Maybe some of his other artwork are a bit meh, overall I still think that it is unique.

[@nicksavia3581]

I'm actually currently reading JRJR's initial X-Men run and I definitely notice the difference inkers make on his work; there's two issues his father inked and they just look so much more old fashioned and generally not as good as the rest of the run.

[@pauldavis7318]

I paused at every screenshot in this video to really take in this great work

[@michaellombardi1620]

I can’t help but think he’s quite young, when he’s been around creating for decades . That name and famous dad trick me!

[@jimschleich8753]

I was just thinking if there were any Marvel characters that JR JR hadn't done and couldn't think of a one. I totes agree on the top 3 inker pairings, with Dan Green a close 4th place. Great video on a very talented creator AGAIN!

[@MrBeenReadyy]

This is the kind of classic formula comictropes episode I love, thank you for your continued work Chris

[@MrKyGuy]

I love JRJRs blocky style. Feels like it just adds so much dynamic edge to them. Great vid!!!

[@shirleydowning9383]

You do such a good job explaining the "science" of the process.

[@NomadSoul21]

Excellent video, Chris!! John Romita Jr. Is my favorite artist of all time, and has been very influential to me. I'm glad to know that I was right about a lot of my own observations about his style. Thanks for this very nice video! I loved it. Made me very happy today. P. S. There's just one thing I don't agree with you, and it's about Klaus Janson's inking of JR Jr. I really hate it XD I prefer the inker he had during his 90s Uncanny X-men days (I forgot the name of the inker, unfortunately).