George Pérez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George Pérez |
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Pérez at the 2012 New York Comic Con
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| Born | June 9, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 2022 (aged 67) Sanford, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Penciller, Inker |
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Notable works
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The Avengers Crisis on Infinite Earths New Teen Titans Wonder Woman (vol. 2) |
| Awards | Eagle Award, 1979, 1980, 1986, 2000 Inkpot Award, 1983 Jack Kirby Award, 1985, 1986 Inkwell Awards SASRA, 2022 |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Flynn |
George Pérez (born June 9, 1954 – died May 6, 2022) was a famous American comic book artist and writer. He was best known for drawing the pictures in comic books, a job called "penciller." He became very popular in the 1970s for his work on The Avengers for Marvel Comics.
In the 1980s, he drew The New Teen Titans for DC Comics. This comic became one of DC's most popular series. He also drew DC's big event comic Crisis on Infinite Earths. Later, he helped restart the Wonder Woman comic, both writing and drawing it. George Pérez was known for his very detailed drawings. He was also great at drawing large groups of characters in one scene.
Contents
Early Life and Art Dreams
George Pérez was born on June 9, 1954, in the South Bronx, New York City. His parents, Jorge Guzman Pérez and Luz Maria Izquierdo, were from Caguas, Puerto Rico. They met in New Jersey while looking for jobs. They moved to New York, where his father worked in meat packing and his mother was a homemaker.
George's younger brother, David, was born in 1955. Both brothers wanted to be artists from a young age. George started drawing when he was only five years old.
Becoming a Comic Artist
Starting Out in Comics
George Pérez started in the comic book world in 1973. He was an assistant to artist Rich Buckler. His first professional drawing job was for Marvel Comics in Astonishing Tales #25 in 1974. He drew a short, funny story.
Soon, Pérez became a regular artist for Marvel. He drew a series called "Sons of the Tiger" in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu magazine. He also helped create the White Tiger, who was the first Puerto Rican superhero in comics. This character soon appeared in Spider-Man comics.
Pérez became very well-known for his work on Marvel's superhero team comic, The Avengers. He started with issue #141. In the 1970s, he drew other Marvel comics like Creatures on the Loose and Fantastic Four. He also worked on "The Korvac Saga," which featured almost every Avenger.
The New Teen Titans
In 1980, George Pérez began working for DC Comics, Marvel's main competitor. He was offered the chance to draw a new comic called The New Teen Titans, written by Marv Wolfman. Pérez was also excited to draw Justice League of America.
The New Teen Titans was a huge success. It was DC's answer to Marvel's popular X-Men comic. Pérez's drawing skills improved greatly during his four years on the book. He became one of the most popular artists in comics. He won many awards during this time.
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Pérez took a break from The New Teen Titans in 1984. He wanted to focus on a big project with writer Marv Wolfman. This project was DC's 50th-anniversary event, Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Crisis was a massive story that featured almost every character DC owned. It completely changed the history of the DC universe. After Crisis, Pérez drew the last issue of Superman (issue #423) in 1986. Wolfman and Pérez then created the History of the DC Universe series. This series summarized the new history of their fictional world.
Wonder Woman's New Look
Pérez played a key role in restarting the Wonder Woman comic in 1987. He became the artist and helped plan the stories. He made Wonder Woman's story more connected to Greek mythology.
Pérez worked on the Wonder Woman comic for five years. He left as the artist after issue #24 but continued as the writer until issue #62 in 1992. In 2001, he returned to co-write a two-part story. The director of the 2017 Wonder Woman movie, Patty Jenkins, said that Pérez's work was a major influence on the film.
Return to the Titans
Pérez returned to The New Teen Titans as a co-plotter and artist with issue #50 in 1988. The series was renamed The New Titans. He helped rewrite the origin story of Wonder Girl.
He continued to draw for the book for several issues. He also helped introduce Tim Drake as the new Robin in a story that crossed over with the Batman series.
Working on Superman
Pérez worked on Superman comics at different times. In 1983, he designed Lex Luthor's famous battlesuit. These designs are still used in DC Comics today.
Pérez drew parts of Action Comics Annual #2 in 1989. He then took over the main Action Comics title with issue #643. He worked as a writer and artist, or helped with the story and layouts. He drew all the covers during his time on the title. He also briefly wrote Adventures of Superman. He left Action Comics in 1990 because he had too much work drawing both Wonder Woman and Superman.
Big Crossover Events
In 1991, Pérez faced some challenges while working on the War of the Gods storyline for DC. He felt there were too many editorial problems. Also, DC did not sell War of the Gods in regular newsstands, only in comic shops. Pérez eventually left DC for several years due to these issues.
Also in 1991, Pérez started drawing the six-issue series Infinity Gauntlet for Marvel Comics. This was written by Jim Starlin. However, because of the problems with War of the Gods, Pérez was under a lot of stress. He could not finish drawing the entire Infinity Gauntlet series. Another artist, Ron Lim, finished the project.
Because of these unfinished projects, some people thought Pérez couldn't finish his work. He then worked for smaller comic companies like Malibu Comics and Tekno Comix. But he didn't enjoy drawing those characters as much.
The 1990s and Back to The Avengers
In the 1990s, Pérez worked on several projects. He helped ink the Jurassic Park comic book in 1993. He also worked on Hulk: Future Imperfect for Marvel Comics. The writer, Peter David, said Pérez was his favorite artist to work with.
Pérez returned to DC Comics in 1996 for another version of the Teen Titans. He was the inker for the first 15 issues.
Pérez also wrote the Silver Surfer comic for a while. He wrote a crossover comic called Silver Surfer/Superman in 1996. Finally, he returned to a major comic, The Avengers, for its third series. He stayed on the series for almost three years. Fans and critics loved his detailed and exciting art.
After leaving The Avengers, he and writer Kurt Busiek created the long-awaited JLA/Avengers crossover. This comic brought together characters from both DC and Marvel. An earlier attempt at this crossover in the 1980s was canceled. Pérez had drawn about 21 pages of that original version, which were later published in 2004.
Later Career and Health
In the early 2000s, Pérez worked for a new publisher called CrossGen. He drew four issues of CrossGen Chronicles and eight issues of Solus.
He returned to DC Comics in 2006. He drew covers for JSA and the first ten issues of The Brave and the Bold. He also worked on Infinite Crisis, which was a follow-up to Crisis on Infinite Earths. This meant he contributed to every part of DC's "Crisis" story trilogy.
Pérez was also involved with The Hero Initiative, a charity for comic industry professionals. In 2005, a cartoon version of Pérez appeared in an episode of the Teen Titans animated series. A park in the City of Heroes video game is named after him.
2010s and Retirement
In 2011, DC launched a new Superman series. Pérez wrote it and provided layouts and cover art. He stayed on the series until issue #6. The graphic novel New Teen Titans: Games was also published, bringing together Wolfman and Pérez again.
In 2012, Pérez explained why he left Superman. He felt there was too much editing and confusion about the character's story.
From 2014 to 2016, Pérez wrote and drew six issues of his own comic called Sirens. It was a science fiction story about women with special powers fighting evil.
In January 2019, Pérez announced he was officially retiring from drawing comics. He had several health issues. He said he would only do a few drawings for fans and attend a limited number of conventions.
Personal Life and Passing
George Pérez was married to Carol Flynn. He did not have any children. He had a brother, David, and a niece and nephew.
In 2013, Pérez had surgery for bleeding in his left eye, which had made him almost blind in that eye. His vision improved later. In 2017, he had a heart attack and had a coronary stent placed. By 2019, he was dealing with several health problems, including diabetes and issues with his vision and heart.
In December 2021, Pérez shared that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that could not be treated. Doctors told him he had 6 to 12 months to live, and he chose not to get treatment. In early 2022, both DC and Marvel honored him in their comics. They also agreed to reprint the 2003 JLA/Avengers story he drew. The money from this reprint went to The Hero Initiative charity.
George Pérez passed away peacefully at home on May 6, 2022, at the age of 67. His wife, Carol, and their family were with him. A public memorial service was planned for him.
Awards and Recognition
George Pérez won many awards for his amazing work:
- He won an Eagle Award in 1979 for his work on The Avengers.
- In 1980, he won another Eagle Award for Best Comic Book Cover for Avengers #185.
- He won the Eagle Award for Favorite Artist (penciller) in 1986.
- Pérez received an Inkpot Award in 1983.
- In 1985, DC Comics honored Pérez as one of the "Fifty Who Made DC Great" for their 50th anniversary.
- His work on The New Teen Titans #50 was nominated for a Jack Kirby Award in 1985.
- His work with Marv Wolfman on Crisis on Infinite Earths won the Jack Kirby Award for Best Limited Series in both 1985 and 1986.
Pérez also won several Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards:
- He won "Favorite Artist" in 1983 and 1985.
- He won "Favorite Penciler" in 1987.
- He won "Favorite Cover Artist" three years in a row, from 1985 to 1987.
- Crisis on Infinite Earths won "Favorite Limited Series" in 1985.
He worked on several stories that won the CBG award for "Favorite Comic-Book Story":
- 1984: "The Judas Contract" in Tales of the Teen Titans #42–44 and Annual #3.
- 1985: "Beyond the Silent Night" in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.
- 1989: "A Lonely Place of Dying" in Batman #440–442 and The New Titans #60–61.
In 2022, Pérez received the Inkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA) for his lifetime achievements in inking.
Images for kids
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Cover of The New Teen Titans #1 (Nov. 1980).
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Cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April 1985).
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Cover of Wonder Woman vol. 2 #1 (February 1987).
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Cover of Hulk: Future Imperfect #1 (December 1992).
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Cover to Teen Titans vol. 2, #5, featuring the 1996–98 team.
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Pérez at the 2012 Phoenix Comicon.
See also
In Spanish: George Pérez para niños
