Image: George Marston
George Perez, the famous comic book writer and artist behind works such as Crisis of the Endless Lands, has died at the age of 67.
The news erupted on Saturday afternoon from a message on his Facebook page, which said that he passed on May 6 “peacefully at home with his wife [Carol] from 490 months and a family next to him. ” In December, Perez revealed his diagnosis of stage 3 cancer, a message that led the comics industry to come together behind the creator and talk about his experience with him and his work. More recently, many DC Comics artists have come together to celebrate the comic book titan in a legendary work of art that includes a set of characters he has illustrated for the publisher over the years. This two-page distribution will be published in each issue in June, in honor of his birthday on June 9. Both DC and Marvel posted their own tweets celebrating Perez, calling it a staple of their respective stories.
Born on June 9, 1954, Perez began his career in the early 1970s at Marvel Comics as a backup story pencil in Astonishing Tales # 25 from 1974. He would later create White Tiger, the publisher’s first Puerto Rican superhero. with Bill Mantlo, and went on to paint The Avengers for over 20, creating the villain Taskmaster with David Michelin in Avengers # 175 of 1980 and drawing half of writer Jim Shooter’s “Korvac Saga” as one of his first major storylines.
Perez would later ship to DC and help launch The New Teen Titans with Marv Wolfman in 1980, leading to a de facto lineup of Robin (Dick Grayson), Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg, along with Kid Flash (Wally West) and Wonder Girl (Donna Troy). Although he was also involved in art in the Justice League of America during the same period, it was the Titans who attracted the most attention and became very successful as a result. In addition to partnering with Wolfman again for the aforementioned crisis, several highlights of Perez’s career include restarting Wonder Woman in 1987, returning to Marvel to draw on Jim Starlin’s 1991 Infinity Gauntlet limited edition, and forming the short-lived imprint held by creator Gorilla Comics with fellow comic book creators such as Kurt Busieck, Stuart Imonen and Mark Wade. He even had to combine his career with the crossover JLA / Avengers crossover with writer Kurt Busiek in 2003-2004.
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Image: George Perez / DC Comics
Perez retired from the industry in January 2019 due to various health problems, although he will occasionally attend a limited number of congresses. After announcing his diagnosis, he expressed a desire to spend the rest of his time with his family and in the public appearances he left, he will let his fans know that they mean as much to him as he means to them. “I feel the Christmas spirit more now than I did many years ago,” Perez said in December. “Maybe because it will probably be my last. Or maybe because I am surrounded by the loving embraces of so many who love me as much as I love them. ”
At the moment, our thoughts are with Perez’s family. A memorial service will be held for all who will attend the MEGACon in Orlando on Sunday, May 22 at 6 p.m. Further details will arrive in the coming weeks.
In the comments below, let us know some of your favorite works by George Perez.
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