Spider-Man Adventures (volume 1) number 11 cover art

My favorite comic book artist and art-hero, the late GREAT John Romita, passed away on June 12th of 2023. He is sorely missed.

Interesting back story regarding this magnificent artwork...

Spider-Man Adventures (volume 1) number 11 cover art (1995).

3-way cover collaboration by Alex Saviuk, yours truly and the legendary John Romita Sr. The first year of my 2-year run on the title. John was still Marvel's art director at the time, and my editor mentioned that he "added" a few things to my finished inks on this cover. Added? I was intrigued. I was inking (almost) exclusively with a brush back then, and sometimes felt my lines were too thick or "beefy." Apparantly not nearly as beefy as they could have, or should have been. John's touches, though minimal, were clearly evident, and added additional depth. It made the cover much better, in my opinion. And he probably did it in a few seconds! If you know anything about John Romita, you know that he's a master storyteller and a "brush guy."

From that point on, I inked everything with a brush.

Before beginning my run on this title, my editor facilitated a formal introduction/meeting with Mr. Romita during one of my many trips to New York in 1994. I met John in his office at noon, and by 1pm we were still chopping it up and talking shop like old friends. I received some of the best advice of my entire career that day. Comics or otherwise. Eternally grateful for that moment in time.

Thank You John