Every week on “Sunday Page” an author has to choose a single page from a comic book. It could be for sentimental reasons o for a particular technical achievement. The conversation could lose itself in the open water of the comic book world but it will always start with the question: «If you had to choose a page from a comic book you love, what would you choose and why?»
This Sunday I’m out with Ian Churchill. British artist, Eisner award nominee, Churchill has worked for DC Comics (Supergirl, Teen Titans), Marvel (Cable, Deadpool), and Image (Marineman, Revenge).
John Romita Senior is arguably one of the all-time greatest comic book penciler/inkers. I appreciate Kirby and I love Ditko but for me, John Romita Senior takes the cake. There are so many pages and covers I could choose for so many different reasons, but if I had to nail it down – and for Sunday Page I do have to nail it down – then it has to be page 3 of Captain America #141 from 1971. Stan Lee was writing and John Romita Senior was producing some of the best artwork of his awesome career to accompany it and for me it was the best era of Captain America – period.
There are many reasons why I chose this particular page. I was around seven or eight years old when I first saw it and it came to my attention through the weekly re-prints that Marvel distributed in the UK at that time, so my first viewing of it was in black and white and not in colour as the American original would have been and this would have been probably around 1976 or 1977. I remember the impact it had on me vividly. Captain America was one of my favourite comic book characters and I also loved motorcycles so seeing Cap handling a bike the way he does on this page just blew my mind! I had no idea what centrifugal force was but I went speeding to my pocket dictionary to find out! In fact it wasn’t long after I saw this page that I saw the Elvis Presley movie, ‘Roustabout’ which had Elvis riding a bike like Cap did around the walls of a carnival attraction and because of this page I knew how he did it. Looking at it now as an adult and professional comic creator it reveals much more of course.
Stan’s dialogue had a way of making even the most mundane sentence sound important and, coupled with Romita Senior’s artwork, these four panels have a sense of urgency even though it’s essentially just a guy on motorcycle riding down an alleyway. Just by throwing an everyday obstacle into the mix it gives Stan and John the opportunity to show Cap’s heroism and sense of purpose to really engage the reader. The framing and storytelling give it an almost rhythmic quality even though he cuts from behind Cap to in front of Cap and back, you feel as though you never leave him and the bike.
The fluidity and weight of Romita Senior’s line work is exceptional. He had a way of suggesting grit and texture in his work at that time which made everything feel more tactile. The way he directs the viewer’s eye through the scene, following Cap as he rides up, around and down the fence, effortlessly involving the reader and giving the sense that everything is moving – nothing feels static.
It’s detailed but not busy or over worked, economy of line is enough to give what’s needed without distracting the reader and Romita Senior just made every character look great. One also has to remember how fast he was working while maintaining that standard of quality. Truly remarkable!
In general, what do you think is Romita’s legacy as an artist?
Romita Senior’s legacy is his sheer body of work and his priceless contribution to Marvel Comics as a whole. He was one of those rare artists who could make any character look good. John Byrne can do it as can Arthur Adams and Jim Lee but most artists stumble on one character or another. A possible example would be the legendary Jack Kirby who, as great as he was, seemed to have a problem drawing Spider-Man. I’ve never seen a character drawn by Romita Sr that didn’t look just as it should. Art is subjective and not everyone will agree with me but that’s my opinion.
Looking back, John Romita Senior seemed to have designed or had a hand in designing the costumes for countless Marvel characters over the years, from Wolverine to the Sub-Mariner and so many more. I could rattle off a huge list as long as your arm! His artistic style and ‘look’ became the Marvel licensing house style for years!
Of course his other lasting legacy is his son, John Romita Junior, who continues to produce work with the distinctive Romita flavour while at the same time having a style all of his own.
This Captain America page of Romita Senior’s is the one that made me want to draw comics. I looked at it and thought, ”I want to do that!”. I’m sure there are other contemporary artists who had a similar experience and were inspired to pick up a pencil and that’s a hell of a legacy in itself!
Are there any lessons that you take away from his works?
I’ve always admired Romita Senior’s storytelling ability, his sense of character placement and attention to movement.
I suppose that’s a lesson I’ve picked up from his work. I still make time to study his storytelling especially now IDW have released their oversized line of ‘artist’s editions’ featuring Romita’s art. When you see his line work and the energy that comes off it at the size it was originally drawn it really is breathtaking and I continue to see something new or something I missed before with each viewing.