John Romita Sr., who drew early Spider-Man comics and Wolverine for Marvel, dead at 93

Legendary comic book artist John Romita Sr., who worked on timeless early issues of Spider-Man and breathed life into Marvel’s Wolverine and Mary Jane Watson with his work, has died at 93.

The artist and art director died “peacefully in his sleep” Monday morning, said his son, comic artist John Romita Jr., on Tuesday on Twitter and Instagram.

No cause of death or location were provided. Romita Jr. did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.

“He is a legend in the art world and it would be my honor to follow in his footsteps. Please keep your thoughts and condolences here out of respect for my family,” Romita Jr. wrote. “He was the greatest man I ever met.”

Romita Sr., known as “Jazzy” John Romita in the Marvel Bullpen, was the art director of Marvel Comics in the early 1970s and collaborated with late Marvel powerhouse Stan Lee. He also created the younger-skewing “Spidey Super Stories” for the publisher under the tutelage of child psychologists.

“[H]is talent defined decades of Marvel’s most well-known storytelling, spanning hundreds of unforgettable comics that brought now iconic characters like Wolverine, Black Widow, the Punisher, Kingpin, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, and Mary Jane to life,” Marvel said in a Tuesday statement.

“Millions came to know Marvel through his art, and millions more came to know Peter Parker through the unmistakable bold brushwork Romita brought to his pages,” the statement said.

“John Romita Sr. was an incomparable artist who brought so many iconic Marvel characters to life on the page and set the tone and look of Marvel’s comics for decades,” added Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios. “His version of Spider-Man has inspired so many of us at Marvel Studios. Our thoughts are with his family, and the generations of artists and fans who fell in love with the characters he drew.”