Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 435

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 435

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

 

The figure is the 1:12 scale TBLeague TM01A, in case you're curious.

At long last, the day is finally here. Amazing Spider-Man #1000 is out!

Can you believe it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When my editor floated the idea of working with John Romita, Jr., it was an instant "yes," as I'm a huge fan, but I was worried I couldn't hit the deadline. Half a year later, I realize I needn't have worried. At the time, though, things were tight.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000. 2026. Pencils by John Romita, Jr.
Gouache, watercolor, & acrylic on illustration board, 11 × 17″.

I got the email in March, started in April, and had to finish it before I flew to Italy for the Lake Como Comic Art Festival. Technically, the original art still isn't finished, as I had to do the final touches in Photoshop, but it's pretty close. You can see the raw scan near the end of the post.

JRJR's pencils

Then things got weird. And internet-y. I shan't go into the details, but let's just say this cover made the rounds. Videos were made. People started doing their own versions. Could Marvel have done a better job communicating what happened with the solicitations? Probably. But I know from experience that's it's crazy just getting a single comic done, let alone cat-herding an entire company of creatives across an entire line of books.

digital color study of JRJR's pencils

At the end of the day, I got to work with a true comic art legend, not to mention a man of utmost dignity and grace. Painting the piece also unlocked a memory: the first time I ever saw JRJR's art wasn't on a floppy comic — it was the Marvel Comics Tryout Book. This was a gorgeous, 11x17 bible, too thick to bag and board, too tall to fit on any shelf. My Dad most likely bought it for himself, and he kept it where there was room, to the side of his roll-top desk. Neither of us ever built up the courage to color, ink, or pencil on the bristol board pages, but the assembly line breakdown showed me something important from an early age. Comics is collaboration, and it's often a family affair.

It's always an honor to work on a Spider-Man book of any number, and I consider myself unreasonably lucky to be part of the Spider-Verse.

the original painting as it stands today

detail of scan

⊡ 12:00:00 AM