John Romita Jr.

[A beaker full of death]

What the hell happened to this guy?? He used to be good -- almost as good as his dad!

Does he just not bother any more? Hard to believe this was even inked - it looks like he dashed it off in three seconds with a sharpie!! The inside art isn't much better!

And he's done no favors by the brilliant alternate cover for this issue by Marko Djurdjevic:

So wtf happened? I used to wonder how Liefeld could get a job, but Romita used to know what he was doing! What the hell??

 

[Agenda]

The first pic doesn't even make sense. It looks like Iron Man and Thor are flying, with Spidey hanging on to Mjolnir. But how can that be with Wolverine and Cap just standing there right in front of them?

 

[Mr Light]

His recent Spider-Man art (New Ways to Die) was absolutely gorgeous. He's one of my favorite artists but I don't see everything he does.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The inker is Klaus Jansen. That's just what Klaus stuff usually looks like, it's a minimalistic style more so than he sucks, but he's been working on top of John for years and that's what it usually looks like. I recall he pencilled some Punisher 7 volumes back in the early 80s and style look like rough cuts of JRJR but with on sense of composition that every only looked posed like the bad guys in force field suits from the original Dune.

In the second cover... Is that Gravity?

So that's how they figure out how to travel through time.

I loved it how Stark made his reasons for not inventing a Time travel machine seem like a speech someone might make at an AA meeting abut consequences of reaching for another brew.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I've always been a little indifferent toward the art of JRJR, largely because I read very little of Marvel's product.

It will never, ever happen, but I'd love to see him do some work for DC. I'd be very intrigued to see what he would do with Superman. Or the New Gods.

 

[CaptainCanada]

In the second cover... Is that Gravity?

Noh-Varr in his new, ugly costume.

Regarding JRjr, his style has been trending this way for about 20 years now. It's just how he's chosen to develop it. I personally don't like it nearly as much as his old stuff, but he seems to remain extremely popular.

 

[A beaker full of death]

^ As is Liefeld. I don't get it. It seems the consuming audience can't tell the difference between trained artists and hacks. For my money, product likes this puts JRJr firmly in the latter camp.
I dropped out of comics in '86, and am still getting back into them. I haven't paid attention to Romita since I've been back, and was stunned to see the artist whose name was synonymous with Spider-man in my teen years produce such... work.

 

[A beaker full of death]

Oh, and speaking of untrained hacks, am I the only person who thinks Denys Cowan needs to become a statistic of the economy?

Seriously. I saw better work than this from the people who were drummed out of my art school.

And he seems to know only one pose.

 

[Nick Ryder]

Wow those are kinda crappy... trying to ape the "Romita Jr" style with a smidge of Keown... never liked him either.

I miss Avengers artists like George Perez, or Sean Chen hell I'd even take Salvador Larocca or one of the Kuberts.

 

[Forbin]

Hey, at least Al Milgrom isn't drawing Avengers any more. I actually stopped collecting it during his run, for the first time since the mid-1960s!

Maybe Romita just has his ups and downs. He usually doesn't disappoint me. But yeah, that cover sucks.

 

[CaptainCanada]

^ As is Liefeld. I don't get it.

Liefeld isn't popular; hasn't been in like a decade plus.

It seems the consuming audience can't tell the difference between trained artists and hacks. For my money, product likes this puts JRJr firmly in the latter camp.

Not at all. He's an extremely proficient artist, as you can tell by his lengthy history. He's just evolved a style that is very divisive; tons of people love it, others don't (I'm among the latter).

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Oh, and speaking of untrained hacks, am I the only person who thinks Denys Cowan needs to become a statistic of the economy?


Seriously. I saw better work than this from the people who were drummed out of my art school.

People are drummed out of art schools? Are they branded, too?

What do you do when you're branded and you know you can draw?

 

[A beaker full of death]

^ Apparently you go to work for Marvel Comics.

 

[A beaker full of death]

Not at all. He's an extremely proficient artist, as you can tell by his lengthy history. He's just evolved a style that is very divisive; tons of people love it, others don't (I'm among the latter).

He was indeed proficient, but this isn't a matter of style. One might hate Kirby or Steranko for their style. This is crap work. He seems to have forgotten an awful lot. It happens. When I look back at some of my old drawings, I'm surprised by how good I was -- which is to say, I can't do that stuff anymore. Of course, Romita doesn't have the excuse of decades of inactivity.

Either that, or he stopped giving a damn and just started cranking out the work. I'd be amazed if he spent more than ten minutes on that cover.
An ostensible first issue of so prestigious a title as The Avengers deserved better.

 

[A beaker full of death]

I'd even take ... one of the Kuberts.

How about both?

 

[Nick Ryder]

Well gee... not a whole lot of difference between JRJr... lol but... at least from what I remember I liked about them during the post Jim Lee X-Men run and the work I think Adam did on Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance - it was dynamic. JRJr looks kinda flat of late and he's gotten way boxy.

 

[A beaker full of death]

^Do you mean there's not much difference between the Kubert stuff above and the JRJr stuff? They're night and day. The Kubert work is anatomically correct, has flowing, interesting composition (as you say, more dynamic), and is simply competent, finished work. Romita's looks like a scribble in comparison.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Never cared for JRjrs work. Looks about the same as he he ever was, except for when he was inked by Layton. He does have a Kirby like energy, which is odd considering who his dad is.

Joe Kubert is a God!

 

[Forbin]

Oh, and speaking of untrained hacks, am I the only person who thinks Denys Cowan needs to become a statistic of the economy?


Seriously. I saw better work than this from the people who were drummed out of my art school.

People are drummed out of art schools? Are they branded, too?

What do you do when you're branded and you know you can draw?

They... they broke my rapidograph in half.

 

[Forbin]

He was indeed proficient, but this isn't a matter of style. One might hate Kirby or Steranko for their style. This is crap work. He seems to have forgotten an awful lot. It happens. When I look back at some of my old drawings, I'm surprised by how good I was -- which is to say, I can't do that stuff anymore. Of course, Romita doesn't have the excuse of decades of inactivity.

You too? I was afraid it was just me. 20 years ago I harbored some asperations toward comic book art, and I think I got halfway to good. A friend and I were working up some stuff for self-publishing. Then life got in the way, and all I've been doing since then is corporate graphics - diagrams, flyers, presentations, proposals... Whenever I try to draw by hand these days it's an excercise in frustration that always ends badly.