always
May 7, 2022 11:14 AM Subscribe
George Perez, comic book artist and cornerstone of the industry, has died aged 67. George had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2021. Official obituary at CBR. DC comics remembers him. Marvel pays tribute.
Other than John Byrne and possibly Carmine Infantino, it's hard to think of two other artists that defined the post-Golden-Age comics world like Adams and Perez, as Ipsifendus says above. Perez and Byrne (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Alpha Flight) were comics art for me as a kid, and Perez (to my knowledge) managed to maintain a long and successful career with grace and poise without ever turning into a crank.
So many iconic Perez moments, but even the mention of the name -- the Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 cover is indelibly burned into my brain. So many of those bonkers "every hero and villain ever, drawn incredibly small" spreads and posters. Man, he was great.
posted by Shepherd at 12:25 PM on May 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
So many iconic Perez moments, but even the mention of the name -- the Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 cover is indelibly burned into my brain. So many of those bonkers "every hero and villain ever, drawn incredibly small" spreads and posters. Man, he was great.
posted by Shepherd at 12:25 PM on May 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:33 PM on May 7, 2022
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:33 PM on May 7, 2022
.
He was never my favourite, but he was undeniably both skilled and talented. Every character he ever drew was distinctive and individualistic. There was no confusing one character for another, even in their civilian identities. And thanks to George, we now have what has become known as the infamous "Discowing" version of Dick's first post-Robin suit.
posted by sardonyx at 12:34 PM on May 7, 2022
He was never my favourite, but he was undeniably both skilled and talented. Every character he ever drew was distinctive and individualistic. There was no confusing one character for another, even in their civilian identities. And thanks to George, we now have what has become known as the infamous "Discowing" version of Dick's first post-Robin suit.
posted by sardonyx at 12:34 PM on May 7, 2022
I have the idea is my head that Perez used to draw while lying on his couch, with the board propped up against his raised knees. Is that true, or have I imagined it?
posted by Paul Slade at 12:38 PM on May 7, 2022
posted by Paul Slade at 12:38 PM on May 7, 2022
A clip of George starring in Teen Titans Go! with the characters he helped create.
Tom King:
Tom King:
My enduring memory of George Perez is him at NYCC in the front of artist’s alley with an infinite line doing signings and sketches for 10 hours straight for 4 days. Other pros whispering to each other, “Is he still going? Does he ever even get lunch? Is this possible?”posted by fight or flight at 12:45 PM on May 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
As a Marvel-only kid, the Perez-Wolfman combo enticed me to buy my first and only DC title when New Teen Titans came out. Literally the only DC comics I ever bought, versus over 2000 late 70s-early 80s Marvel issues.
Damn.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 1:07 PM on May 7, 2022
Damn.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 1:07 PM on May 7, 2022
.
Perez's version is the default image in my brain for so many characters. He really had an incredible gift: a distinctive style that never came off as repetitive, and the ability to draw massive scenes, small emotional moments, and anything in between and make them all sing.
posted by protocoach at 1:36 PM on May 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Perez's version is the default image in my brain for so many characters. He really had an incredible gift: a distinctive style that never came off as repetitive, and the ability to draw massive scenes, small emotional moments, and anything in between and make them all sing.
posted by protocoach at 1:36 PM on May 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Damn.
His comics meant so much to me, especially Titans and his Wonder Woman run.
An artist with no equal
posted by cheshyre at 1:50 PM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
His comics meant so much to me, especially Titans and his Wonder Woman run.
An artist with no equal
posted by cheshyre at 1:50 PM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
On the one hand, fuck cancer. On the other hand, I'm glad that Pérez got a few months for people to tell him how much he meant to them. I hope that brought him any fraction of the pleasure he brought to millions of kids over the decades.
.
posted by Etrigan at 1:52 PM on May 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
.
posted by Etrigan at 1:52 PM on May 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
No one ever drew Wonder Woman better: noble, strong, compassionate. Much like Perez himself.
posted by SPrintF at 2:36 PM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by SPrintF at 2:36 PM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
.
posted by jameaterblues at 4:23 PM on May 7, 2022
posted by jameaterblues at 4:23 PM on May 7, 2022
.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 6:17 PM on May 7, 2022
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 6:17 PM on May 7, 2022
Part of the impact of Perez is that he, like John Byrne, seemed to understand how to draw virtually every single comic book character well. That's a vastly underestimated talent, and one that a number of otherwise talented comics artists don't necessarily have. I've also heard that he was a tremendously nice guy.
But one thing that impressed me hugely was his revamp of Wonder Woman. The eighties was quite a decade for doing new, even somewhat revisionist versions of legacy characters; Byrne on Superman, Frank Miller on Batman, Alan Moore on various minor characters, different people at Marvel, etc. Some of those changes stuck and had big impacts on the characters and comics history, others, not so much. But the thing that was special about Perez's Wonder Woman was that he seemed to believe in what he was doing, that even as he was doing different things with the character (I think that he was the first to show her in full armor and wielding edged weapons), he argued for the essential goodness and necessity of the character that's been the hallmark, not of every portrayal of Diana since, but all the ones worth reading. He seemed to really believe in her.
.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:14 PM on May 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
But one thing that impressed me hugely was his revamp of Wonder Woman. The eighties was quite a decade for doing new, even somewhat revisionist versions of legacy characters; Byrne on Superman, Frank Miller on Batman, Alan Moore on various minor characters, different people at Marvel, etc. Some of those changes stuck and had big impacts on the characters and comics history, others, not so much. But the thing that was special about Perez's Wonder Woman was that he seemed to believe in what he was doing, that even as he was doing different things with the character (I think that he was the first to show her in full armor and wielding edged weapons), he argued for the essential goodness and necessity of the character that's been the hallmark, not of every portrayal of Diana since, but all the ones worth reading. He seemed to really believe in her.
.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:14 PM on May 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
.
posted by May Kasahara at 8:18 AM on May 8, 2022
posted by May Kasahara at 8:18 AM on May 8, 2022
.
posted by the sobsister at 9:26 AM on May 8, 2022
posted by the sobsister at 9:26 AM on May 8, 2022
Mark Evanier began his obituary with the observation:
posted by cheshyre at 9:30 AM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
George Perez was a real good guy and real good artist and if you administered Sodium Pentothal to everyone who ever worked with or even knew him, I don't think you could find a single negative thought about the guy. Maybe — just maybe — you could find a little jealousy at his popularity and his skills.DC Comics already commissioned artwork celebrating George Perez to be printed in all their June releases. It's a gorgeous collaboration by the top artists in the field.
posted by cheshyre at 9:30 AM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
.
posted by filtergik at 10:32 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by filtergik at 10:32 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
« Older Devs Explain Why Forced Updates Are A Preservation... | Undersea Geologists Discover Road to Oz Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Ipsifendus at 11:21 AM on May 7, 2022 [6 favorites]