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Comics : John Romita, Jr. 30th Anniversary Special (Story 1)

Background...

This magazine is a tribute to John Romita, Jr. on the occasion of his 30th Anniversary of work with Marvel. Of course, John got a head start in his artistic career with the support of his father. JR JR even got a mention in Amazing Spider-Man for suggesting the Prowler, long before he actually earned an art credit for Marvel.

In Detail...

John Romita, Jr. 30th Anniversary Special (Story 1)
 Summary: Spider-Man on Cover, Spider-Man ASM Annual #11 Reprint
Senior Editor, Special Projects:  Jeff Youngquist
Head Writer/Coordinator:  John Rhett Thomas
Artist:  John Romita, Jr.
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No Month 2007 : SM Cover : Marvel One Shots

This title offers a swag of JR JR stuff. Specifically:

  • A glowing (but deserved intro) from his dad.
  • A tribute comic strip "Romita - Space Knight" by Neil Gaiman and friends.
  • A reprint of his first debut work in "Chaos at the Coffee Bean!"
  • A timeline of his career to date.
  • Comments by many of his peers.
  • An extensive interview.
  • A list of TPB's to buy, and of course...
  • A ton of JRJR sketches and finished art.
This comic almost really belongs over with Marvel Spotlight (Vol. 3). Even the interview is marked as being conducted by "SPOTLIGHT". But for some reason the editors decided not to brand this as a Spotlight title. Maybe because they went with a thicker card cover instead of paper, and decided to feature more art and less Marvel branding on the cover.

In General...

I'm not a huge fan of JR JR's later work. I just don't like his style - little things like the way he puts rings about arms and legs, and the sketchy blocky style he uses sometimes. I prefer his earlier stuff, where he worked more like his dad, and the earlier pencilers that I adore.

But regardless of my personal nitpicks, there's no doubt that JR JR has a huge fan base, a great track record, and an awesome professional reputation. This comic is a well-deserved tribute. Sure, Marvel's blowing their own trumpet a bit too - JR JR is one of their big names. But it's all nicely done here, and the result is a product that any serious JR JR fan should own.

Overall Rating...

A nice offering for the fans. Four webs.

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