Legendary comic book artist and industry icon George Pérez has passed away at the age of 67. His work was an inspiration and left its mark throughout both Marvel and DC comics. That work made Perez one of the most celebrated and acclaimed American comic book artists of recent years. He passed peacefully on Friday due to complications from pancreatic cancer.
Remembering George Pérez
George Pérez built quite the resume during his decades-long career. It all began at Marvel, where Perez got his start. While at the publisher, Perez worked on two memorable Avengers runs. The first was with Steve Englehart in the ’70s and again with Kurt Busiek in the ’90s.
However, the artist is most likely best known for launching New Teen Titans. Back in 1980, Perez and writer Marv Wolfman was responsible for the creation of Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire. These three characters would join the original members, most notably Dick Grayson. This series became an instant hit, becoming DC’s highest-selling title at the time. The duo would go on to further change the DC Universe with Crisis on Infinite Earths. This series led to Perez rebooting Wonder Woman in 1987 with Greg Potter.
After working with DC and Marvel, Perez went on to work for Malibu Comics. There, he helped create the Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Here, he also began dabbling in writing as well as drawing. For years he continued to leave his mark on the comics industry. In 2017, he was inducted into The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame. Then, two years later, he officially retired from comics due to his declining health.
Paying Tribute to the Legendary Comic Book Artist
We reported last month that a tribute to the great artist was already in the works at DC comics. In honor of George Perez’s 68th birthday in June, DC Comics will run a tribute throughout its June issues. This tribute will take the form of a two-page spread featuring Perez’s most beloved characters. Each of the characters Perez helped to establish is being drawn by some of the top artists in the biz and colored bi Hi-Fi. Of course, Perez is included in the tribute, standing amongst his life’s work. The spread will feature in each of DC’s June periodical releases.
It is a sad day in comics. George Pérez was not only a great comic book artist but a great human being as well. As a statement from his family declares, “To know George was to love him, and he loved back.”
