George Pérez, legendary animator for Marvel and DC Comics, has died at the age of 67

Best known for his well-stocked crossover books, George Pérez died on Friday at the age of 67 of complications from pancreatic cancer. Pérez’s work defined superhero comics in the 1980s and 1990s, and his influence on the genre still resonates in the superhero media today. Throughout the artist’s prolific comics career, he did his best to draw every iconic DC and Marvel superhero, preferably all at once on an epic spread.

Pérez is survived by his wife of over 40, Carol Flynn; his parents, Jorge and Luz; and his brother George. In December 2021, he announced that he had been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer and would not be continuing treatment. In the months since colleagues and fans to have paid tribute to his remarkable career and his continuous friendlinessa fitting farewell to the beloved icon.

“Introducing Our Newest Revenge Ace”

Image: George Pérez, Orzechowski / Marvel Comics

George Pérez was born in the South Bronx, New York, in 1954 to a Puerto Rican couple who had recently moved to the city. From an early age he discovered superheroes and comics helped him learn English. The colorful adventures also offered a break from the violence of his rough neighborhood, and by the time he was 5 he knew he wanted to be an artist when he grew up.

He was 19 when he started in the comic book business and got a job as an assistant to artist Rich Buckler in 1973. His first published work came the following year, a two-page Deathlok story in Marvel’s Amazing Stories #25. More Marvel appearances soon followed, and by 1975 he was a co-creator White Tiger

That same year, Pérez began his much-heralded tenure by drawing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes avenger #141. Team books were not popular with artists at the time; Compensation was minimal, and large numbers of characters meant a lot more work. But Pérez happily seized the opportunity to draw so many of his childhood idols, and channeled his artistic heroes like Sal Buscema and Curt Swan to create a distinctive and realistic take on the Avengers.

Titanic success

In 1980, writer Marv Wolfman offered Pérez a job at DC Comics The new teen titans, a contemporary update of the young team. Pérez wasn’t particularly interested in the project, but the offer came with an opportunity to draw Justice League of America too, so he agreed. Then, a few months into work The new teen titans, he fell in love with the gig. Wolfman was a generous collaborator, and Pérez felt a part of the team as they worked together to revamp existing characters like Beast Boy and Robin and introduce new ones like Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire.

The book focused as much on the characters’ civilian identities as it did on their superhero antics, and this combination of drama and action proved to be a surprise hit for DC, which needed a hit after a hit devastating wave of cancellations. Pérez and Wolfman won numerous industry and fan awards for classic storylines that are particularly popular today The Judas Treaty. In the sort of creative team consistency that has all but disappeared in modern superhero comics, Pérez stayed with the Teen Titans for the entire decade, returning for another run in the mid-1990s.

Wonderful reboot

Image: George Perez/DC Comics

Pérez earned a reputation as a master of team books, but one of his most popular projects was a solo project. As DC prepared to reboot wonder woman By the late 1980s, all the pitches the publisher received were violent and hypersexualized, an approach that didn’t sit well with Pérez’s feminist sensibilities. Despite the series’ poor sales figures for several years, he offered himself as an alternative: wonder woman had been a book DC needed to assign, not one the creators were asking for. Pérez traded all the prestige he had built at the publisher to create a different version of Wonder Woman, rooted in mythology and female power.

The relaunch debuted in 1987 and was an instant success. Pérez wrote and drew the book, bringing dignity and excitement to the long-faltering title. He rebuilt the mythos of Wonder Woman from the ground up, honoring her feminist origins while updating the character and her villain gallery for the present day. Its five-year run also brought female creators on board, including co-writer Mindy Newell and artists Colleen Doran and Jill Thompson. (Doran and Thompson went on to have Eisner Award-winning careers, with Doran winning Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman and Thompson for her Creepy Godmother.) Today, Pérez’s revival of Wonder Woman is widely regarded as the definitive version of the character, and his time on the book has remained an inspiration to all who have written or drawn her since.

Exciting excursions

Image: George Perez/DC Comics

In addition to his many years of character work, Pérez was also the master of epic event books. In 1985 he teamed up again with Wolfman Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 12-issue maxi-series that allowed him to draw every character in the DC Comics universe against a backdrop of multiverse destruction. He returned to Marvel in 1991 for the Infinite Gauntlet Miniseries starring Jim Starlin and Ron Lim in which Thanos destroyed half of all life in the universe. Then in 2003 he brought both universes together JLA/Avengersa massive crossover written by Kurt Busiek.

Pérez poured his heart into these projects, and his boundless passion for the characters was felt on every page. The union of all the heroes from DC and Marvel was particularly exciting for Pérez. who tackled JLA/Avengers with such passion that he developed tendonitis while drawing a cover featuring over 200 different superheroes.

The artist slowed down in his later years, trading long-term jobs for special gigs. After a series of medical problems throughout the 2010s, he officially announced his retirement in 2019.

A lasting legacy

Image: Jim Starlin, George Perez/Marvel Comics

If you’re a comics fanatic, you’ve no doubt come across Pérez’s work—but even if you’re not, you’ve likely seen his influence elsewhere. His Teen Titans have appeared in several television shows, both animated and live-action Crisis on Infinite Earths Ripped through the CW’s superhero programs in 2019. wonder woman Director Patty Jenkins credited his run on the character as a major inspiration for the film, and Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet played key roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

After Pérez announced his cancer diagnosis, comic book artists shared their thoughts on his legendary influence. avenger clerk Jason Aaron wrote: “George Pérez made me a comic book fanatic. His art grabbed me as a kid and forever imprinted on me what a comic should look like,” says the author Vita Ayala, who, like Pérez, is of Puerto Rican descent, said: “George Pérez’s impact, both on our culture and on an individual level, cannot be quantified. Perez is a legend. He helped shape the world as I know it.” His long-time employee Marv Wolfman wrote, “I can honestly say I’ve never known a better or more caring person,” and earlier wonder woman writer Steve Orlando reiterated these sentiments, calling Pérez “a great person and a role model for all creators.” writer Gail Simone summed it up succinctly, simply calling him “the best of all time, that’s all.”

In a message to fans, Pérez wrote: “It’s quite uplifting to know that you’ve lived a good life, that you’ve brought joy to so many lives and that you will leave this world in a better place because you were one.” Part of it.” He leaves a library of legendary superhero stories for new generations of fans to discover, all imbued with his enthusiasm and love for the genre. What is certain is that George Pérez will continue to please for many years to come.