Artist John Romita Jr worked on the Kick-Ass comic books (Picture: Getty)

The 57-year-old artist worked on the Kick-Ass comics. He can’t look at people in the street without imaging them in a costume.

My mother, Virginia, was Marvel’s traffic manager for many years, overseeing workflow. With my parents, my career would seem inevitable – but my father felt the hours were long and the pay was lousy. He told me to get a classically trained education and an art degree, which I did, but I still wanted to be a cartoonist.

Nowadays I get up at around 6am and take care of my pets before I exercise. I work until about 11pm or midnight every day but it’s not non-stop at my desk. That can change depending on deadline – I’ve worked 40 hours straight. Anybody in my business puts in those kind of hours. I guess it’s a blessing that we’re able to work at home. I’m so lucky I can be there for my family all the time – especially as my wife is disabled.



I can’t listen to music because I start enjoying it and moving around – I’m a blues fan. So I listen to news and it’s almost like grey noise in the background, although I do scream at politics because I hate politicians. On Fridays, I listen to comedies and sitcoms because it lightens the week.


My strength is telling a story through sequential art and I think that’s a difficult thing. But my art skills are average at best in my mind. I’m still learning. I picked up from my father never to get too full of yourself – there’s always someone better. I think that’s important to remember as the egos in this business are huge.

I collaborated with writer Mark Millar to create the original Kick-Ass comic books and acted as producer on the films. I just jumped up and down the minute I heard they were going to adapt them, and I’ve been giggling like a ten-year-old child ever since.

Although some things are getting digitised, I really don’t think traditional skills are under threat. I did some work for Disney with a digital pad using a stylus but you still need the same knack for brush strokes and line. Anyway, I hope they wait until I retire to advance things further, then they can do whatever the hell they want.

I love every bit about being an artist, I find it very therapeutic. If I wasn’t an artist I’d be a bartender, and very depressed. Sometimes I struggle for inspiration but then I look at the bills that come in the mail – that tends to get me going.

I wake up in the morning and my mind is racing, I go to bed and my mind is racing. I’ll see people in the street and imagine in a costume. It really is all-embracing.

John Romita Jr was an executive producer on action blockbuster Kick-Ass 2, available on Blu-ray and DVD.

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