James R. Novak (September 14, 1955 - April 2018)[1][2] was a comic book creator, primarily working as a letterer for Marvel Comics, where he worked on almost every one of their ongoing series,[citation needed] and contributed to the development of the iconic Star Wars logo.
[1][2][5] He broke into the comics industry in 1975 with Marvel Spotlight #25, as a member of the "third wave" of creators at the company,[citation needed] which included artists John Byrne and Frank Miller, and writers Roger Stern, Jo Duffy, Mark Gruenwald, and Ralph Macchio.
He became a staff letterer (and occasional logo designer)[6] at Marvel, ascending to production manager in the mid-1980s.
[8] In the 1980s and early 1990s (and even in 2000–2001), Novak was often paired with writer/artist Byrne, on such titles as The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Wolverine, Sensational She-Hulk, and Marvel: The Lost Generation.
Over the years, Novak also lettered a number of titles written by Stern, including Captain America, The Avengers, Doctor Strange, Marvel Universe, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Marvel: The Lost Generation.