George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

artist and writer, who worked primarily as a

penciller A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...

. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 (cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first s ...

'' and '' The Avengers'' for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

. In the 1980s he penciled ''

The New Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'', which became one of

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

' top-selling series. He penciled DC's landmark limited series ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to Mar ...

'', followed by relaunching ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

'' as both writer and penciller for the rebooted series. In the meantime, he worked on other comics published by Marvel, DC, and other companies into the 2010s. He was known for his detailed and realistic rendering, and his facility with complex crowd scenes.

Early life

George Pérez was born on June 9, 1954,"Contributors: George Pérez," ''The New Teen Titans Archives, Volume 1'' (DC Comics, 1999). in the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Mott Haven, Melrose, and Port Morris. In the early 1900s, the South Bronx was orig ...

, New York City, to Jorge Guzman Pérez and Luz Maria Izquierdo, who were both from Caguas, Puerto Rico, but met after settling in New Jersey while searching for job opportunities. They married in October 1954 and subsequently moved to New York, where Jorge worked in the meat packing industry while Luz was a homemaker. George's younger brother David was born in May 1955. Both brothers aspired at a young age to be artists with George beginning to draw at the age of five.

Career

Early career

Pérez's first involvement with the professional comics industry was as artist Rich Buckler's assistant in 1973, and he made his professional debut in

' '' Astonishing Tales'' #25 (Aug. 1974) as penciler of an untitled two-page satire of Buckler's character Deathlok, star of that comic's main feature. Soon Pérez became a Marvel regular, penciling a run of " Sons of the Tiger", a serialized action-adventure strip published in Marvel's long-running '' Deadly Hands of Kung Fu'' magazine and authored by Bill Mantlo. He and Mantlo co-created the

White Tiger The white tiger or bleached tiger is a leucistic pigmentation variant of the Mainland tiger. It is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, in the Sunderbans region and ...

(comics' first Puerto Rican superhero), a character that soon appeared in Marvel's color comics, most notably the

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

titles. Pérez came to prominence with Marvel's superhero-team comic '' The Avengers'', starting with issue #141. In the 1970s, Pérez illustrated several other Marvel titles, including '' Creatures on the Loose'', featuring the

Man-Wolf John Jonah Jameson III (also known as Colonel Jupiter, the Man-Wolf and the Stargod) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the son of J. Jonah Jameson, and a friend to ...

; ''The Inhumans''; and ''

''. Writer

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly ...

and Pérez crafted a

metafiction Metafiction is a form of fiction which emphasises its own narrative structure in a way that continually reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and stor ...

al story for ''Fantastic Four'' #176 (Nov. 1976) in which the Impossible Man visited the offices of Marvel Comics and met numerous comics creators. While most of Pérez' ''Fantastic Four'' issues were written by Roy Thomas or

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men ...

, it would be a ''Fantastic Four Annual'' where he would have his first major collaboration with writer Marv Wolfman. Pérez drew the first part of writer

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comi ...

's "The Korvac Saga", which featured nearly every Avenger who had joined the team up to that point. Shooter and Pérez introduced the character of Henry Peter Gyrich, the Avengers' liaison to the

United States National Security Council The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Ex ...

in the second chapter of that same storyline. Writer David Michelinie and Pérez created the Taskmaster in ''The Avengers'' #195 (May 1980).

''The New Teen Titans''

In 1980, while still drawing ''The Avengers'' for Marvel, Pérez began working for their rival DC Comics. Offered the art chores for the launch of ''

'', written by Wolfman, Pérez's real incentive was the opportunity to draw ''

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...

'' (an ambition of Pérez's which "seemed like a natural progress from the ''Avengers''").O'Neill, Patrick Daniel. "Career Moves" (Pérez interview), '' Wizard'' #35 (July 1994). Long-time ''Justice League'' artist

Dick Dillin Richard Allen Dillin (December 17, 1928 – March 1, 1980)Richard Dillin
at the United States

While Pérez's stint on the ''JLA'' was popular with fans, he received greater attention for his work on ''The New Teen Titans'', which was launched in a special preview in '' DC Comics Presents'' #26 (October 1980). This incarnation of the Titans was intended to be DC's answer to Marvel's increasingly popular ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

'' comic, and it became highly successful. A ''New Teen Titans'' drug awareness comic book sponsored by the Keebler Company and drawn by Pérez was published in cooperation with The President's Drug Awareness Campaign in 1983. In August 1984, a second series of ''The New Teen Titans'' was launched by Wolfman and Pérez. Moreover, Pérez's facility with layouts, details, and faces improved enormously during his four years on the book, making him one of the most popular artists in comics as evidenced by the numerous industry awards he would receive during this time. (See

Awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

section below.)

''Crisis on Infinite Earths''

Pérez took a leave of absence from ''The New Teen Titans'' in 1984 to focus on his next project with Marv Wolfman, DC's 1985 50th-anniversary event, ''

''. ''Crisis'' purportedly featured every single character DC owned, in a story which radically restructured the DC universe's continuity. Pérez was inked on the series by

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early ...

, Mike DeCarlo, and Jerry Ordway. After ''Crisis'', Pérez inked the final issue of ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

'' (issue #423) in September 1986, over

Curt Swan Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 195 ...

's pencils, for part one of the two-part story " Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" by writer

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

. The following month, Pérez was one of the artists on ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

'' #400 (October 1986). Wolfman and Pérez teamed again to produce the ''

History of the DC Universe ''History of the DC Universe'' is a two-issue comic book limited series created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez which was published by DC Comics following the end of ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. Publication history ''History o ...

'' limited series to summarize the revised history of their fictional universe. Pérez drew the cover for the ''

DC Heroes ''DC Heroes'' is an out-of-print superhero role-playing game set in the DC Universe and published by Mayfair Games. Other than sharing the same licensed setting, ''DC Heroes'' is unrelated to the West End Games ''DC Universe'' or the more recent ...

'' roleplaying game (1985) from

Mayfair Games Mayfair Games was an American publisher of board, card, and roleplaying games that also licensed Euro-style board games to publish them in English. The company licensed worldwide English-language publishing rights to '' The Settlers of Catan'' s ...

as well as the cover for the fourth edition of the '' Champions'' roleplaying game (1989) from Hero Games.

''Wonder Woman''

Pérez played a key role in the 1987 reboot of the

franchise. Writer

Greg Potter Gregory Paul Potter is an American comic book writer best known for co-creating the DC Comics series '' Jemm, Son of Saturn'' with artist Gene Colan. Biography Greg Potter began writing comics stories for Warren Publishing's black-and-white ho ...

spent several months working with editor

Janice Race Janice Race is an American former comic book editor best known for her work at DC Comics in the 1980s. Biography Raised in The Bronx,Race, Janice, brief autobiographical essay for Dick Giordano's "Meanwhile" column, ''Wonder Woman'' #317 (July 19 ...

on new concepts for the character, before being joined by Pérez. Inspired by John Byrne and Frank Miller's work on refashioning

and

, Pérez came in as the plotter and penciler of the series, which tied the character more closely to the Greek gods and jettisoned many other elements of her history. Pérez at first worked with Potter and

on the stories, but eventually took over the full scripting chores. Later,

Mindy Newell Mindy Newell (born October 24, 1953) is an American comic book writer and editor, best known for her work with DC Comics. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, Newell graduated from high school in 1971. She then attended the Beth Israel Deacon ...

joined Pérez as co-writer for nearly a year. While not as popular as either ''Titans'' or ''Crisis'', the series was a very successful relaunch of one of DC's flagship characters. Pérez would work on the title for five years, leaving as artist after issue #24, but remaining as writer up to issue #62, leaving in 1992. Pérez returned to the character in 2001, co-writing a two-part story in issues #168–169 with writer/artist Phil Jimenez. Pérez also drew the cover for ''Wonder Woman'' #600 (Aug. 2010) as well as some interior art. For the successful 2017 ''

'' feature film, director Patty Jenkins would credit Pérez's work on the title character as a major influence, on par with the work of the original creator, William Moulton Marston.

''The New Titans''

Pérez returned as co-plotter/penciller of ''The New Teen Titans'' with issue #50 (Dec. 1988), with the series being renamed ''The New Titans'', rewriting the origin of Wonder Girl, following the

retcons Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

in ''

''. Pérez remained as

with the book through to issue #55, 57, and 60, while only providing layouts for issues 58–59, and 61, with artist Tom Grummett finishing pencils and Bob McLeod as

inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. The penciller creates a drawing, the inker outlines, interprets, finalizes, retraces this drawing by using a pencil ...

. The storyline "A Lonely Place of Dying" crossed over with the ''

'' series and introduced

Tim Drake Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick, he first appeared in ''Batman'' #436 (August 19 ...

as the new

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest r ...

. Pérez remained as inker for the cover art to issues #62–67 and co-plotted the stories for #66–67 before departing from the ''Titans'' series once again.

Superman

Pérez was involved with Superman in various times over his career, including his tenure on ''Justice League of America'' years before. In '' Action Comics'' #544 (June 1983), he designed

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...

's trademark battlesuit. These new designs for the villain were featured as part of the licensed action figure toyline the ''

Super Powers Collection The Super Powers Collection was a line of action figures based on DC Comics superheroes and supervillains that was created by Kenner Products in the 1980s. History In 1984, DC Comics awarded the master toy license of their characters to Kenner ...

'' and remain in use in today's DC Comics continuity. Pérez pencilled '' DC Comics Presents'' #61 (Sept. 1983) which featured a Superman/ OMAC team-up. A few years later, Pérez inked John Byrne's pencils for the Superman/Wonder Woman story in ''Action Comics'' #600 (March 1988). He drew portions of ''Action Comics Annual'' #2 (1989) before taking over the title with issue #643 (July 1989). His work duties on ''Action Comics'' would change from writer/penciller, to co-writer/breakdowns, to providing breakdowns, with writer Roger Stern scripting stories and artists

Brett Breeding Brett Breeding (June 13, 1961) is an American comic book artist who was active in the industry in the 1980s and 1990s, primarily as an inker. He is most well known for his work on the DC Comics character Superman. A freelancer, Breeding worked fo ...

and

Kerry Gammill Kerry Gammill (born April 26, 1954) is an American artist who has worked in the fields of comic books, special effects, storyboards, and character designs. As a comic book artist, he is best known for his work on '' Power Man and Iron Fist'' fo ...

provided finishing art, while Pérez drew all covers during his run on the title, with the exception for issue #646 with interior pencils by

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their '' Legion of Super-Heroes'' and '' Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biograp ...

. With writer Stern, he co-created the character Maxima who first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #645 (September 1989). In the double-size anniversary issue #650 in February 1990, Pérez penciled and inked an eight page flashback story depicting Superman's first post-''Crisis'' encounter with the

. Pérez briefly wrote '' Adventures of Superman'', providing plots for issues #457–59 (Aug. 1989 – Oct. 1989), and inks for issue #461 (Dec. 1989). Due to an already heavy workload while doing both ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Superman'' at the same time, he left ''Action Comics'' with issue #652 (April 1990).

''War of the Gods'' / ''Infinity Gauntlet''

It was during this run in 1991 that Pérez encountered problems working with DC. Pérez has stated that since the storyline's inception, which ran through the ''Wonder Woman'' comic and crossed over into others, he had trouble writing the '' War of the Gods'' storyline, mostly due to editorial problems.O'Neil, Patrick Danie
''David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview'' #104 (Winter 1991)
pp. 21–35. Cover title: "Pérez Quits DC!" Pérez felt that DC was not doing enough to celebrate Wonder Woman's 50-year anniversary. To make matters worse in his eyes, DC did not place ''War of the Gods'' in newsstand distribution, which meant that the comic book could only be found in comics specialty shops. Pérez had built up a plot to marry the characters Steve Trevor and

Etta Candy Etta Candy is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as the best friend of the superhero Wonder Woman. Spirited and vivacious, with a devil-may-care attitude, Etta debuted as a young white woman with ...

in his final issue. When he discovered that DC editors had decided to not only pass the ''Wonder Woman'' title's writing to William Messner-Loebs and have Messner-Loebs write the final wedding scene, Pérez quit the title and separated himself from DC for several years. In 1992, he was guest inker on ''

Deathstroke Deathstroke (Slade Joseph Wilson) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character debuted in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 in December 1980 as Deathstroke th ...

the Terminator'' issues #10–11. Also in 1991, Pérez signed on to pencil the six-issue limited series '' Infinity Gauntlet'' for

, which was written by

Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...

. However, due to the turbulence happening concurrently with ''War of the Gods'', this was a very stressful personal period for Pérez, and he was not able to finish penciling the entire run of ''Infinity Gauntlet'', leaving the project part way through issue #4. The ''Infinity Gauntlet'' editorial team decided to find a replacement artist to finish the miniseries, and Ron Lim was the artist chosen (although Pérez offered to remain on as the inker over Lim's cover art for the remainder of the miniseries). Because of the debacles over ''War of the Gods'' and ''The Infinity Gauntlet'', Pérez began to gain a reputation as a creator who could not finish projects as planned. Furthering that impression, he worked with independent comic book publishers Malibu Comics, drawing '' Break-Thru'' and '' Ultraforce'' (both titles were part of Malibu's Ultraverse imprint), and then working at Tekno Comix drawing ''I-Bots''. However, despite being paid well by both publishers, he had no enthusiasm drawing the characters, and lost interest in drawing the titles.

1990s and return to ''The Avengers''

In the 1990s, Pérez left the spotlight, although he worked on several projects, including working on the ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...

'' comic book adaptation of the movie for Topps Comics in 1993, adapted by Walt Simonson and pencilled by Gil Kane, with Pérez as inker, but most notably at

with '' Sachs and Violens'' and ''Hulk: Future Imperfect'', both written by

Peter David Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...

. David has named Pérez his favorite artistic collaborator,

David, Peter Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...

(March 7, 2014)
"Getting by with a little help from his friends…"
peterdavid.net. Reprinted from ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1383 (May 19, 2000). and one of the three artists whose art has mostly closely matched the visuals he conceived when writing a comic book script (the others being Leonard Kirk and Dale Keown). Pérez returned to DC Comics in October 1996 for another incarnation of the ''Teen Titans''. ''Teen Titans'' vol. 2 was written and penciled by Dan Jurgens, with Pérez as inker for the first 15 issues of its twenty four-issue run. The series ended in September 1998. Pérez had a stint as writer of '' Silver Surfer'' vol. 2 #111–123 (December 1995 – December 1996). He would also write the

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

special ''Silver Surfer/Superman'' in 1996. Pérez finally returned to a major ongoing title for the third series of '' The Avengers'', written by

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the ''Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled '' Astro City'', a four-year run on '' The Avengers, Thunderbolts'' and '' Superman.'' Early life ...

, where he remained for nearly three years, again receiving critical and fan acclaim for his polished and dynamic art. After leaving the series, he and Busiek produced the long-awaited '' JLA/Avengers'' inter-company crossover, which saw print in late 2003. A JLA/Avengers crossover was to have been published in the 1980s, but differences between DC and Marvel forced the comic to be canceled. As the artist on the story, Pérez had drawn approximately 21 pages of the original crossover, which were not published until the 2004 hardcover edition of ''JLA/Avengers: The Collector's Edition''.

Gorilla Comics and CrossGen

In 1997, Pérez began writing and illustrating ''Crimson Plague'', a creator-owned science fiction story about an alien with ultra-toxic blood, with the first issue published by Event Comics. In June 2000, that issue was re-published by Gorilla Comics – a publishing imprint he co-owned with several other creators – with additional material and pages, with a follow-up issue published in September. Pérez cited the debt he'd acquired self-publishing as the reason for discontinuing the series. Artwork from the unpublished third issue was included in ''George Pérez Storyteller''. Pérez worked for new publisher

CrossGen Cross Generation Entertainment or CrossGen was an American comic book publisher and entertainment company that operated from 1998 to 2004. The company's assets were acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2004, and designated to Disney Publishing ...

early in the 2000s, penciling four issues of ''CrossGen Chronicles''. His main project for the company was penciling ''

Solus Solus may refer to: *Solus or Soluntum, an ancient city of Sicily * ''Solus'' (comics), an American comic book series *Solus (operating system), an operating system based on the Linux kernel * ''Solus'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Saturn ...

'', which was intended to be an ongoing series, but was cancelled after eight issues due to CrossGen's bankruptcy.

Return to DC

In May 2006, Pérez illustrated the cover art to one of the alternative covers to the

direct market The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of: * four major comic distributors: ** Lunar ...

release of the annual '' Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (36th edition) featuring ''Wonder Woman''. He was guest artist for an issue of '' JSA'' #82 (April 2006) and was cover artist from issues #82–87. He drew the first ten issues of DC's ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varie ...

'' (vol. 2) in 2007 with writer Mark Waid. Pérez worked on '' Infinite Crisis'', a follow-up to ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', as a fill-in artist. He worked on '' Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'' in 2008–2009, thus contributing to every chapter of DC's ''Crisis'' trilogy. He worked with Marv Wolfman on a direct-to-DVD movie adaptation of the "Judas Contract" story arc from ''Teen Titans'', scheduled for 2017. He was co-chair of the board of the comic industry charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee. In 2005, an animated version of Pérez made a cameo appearance in the ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to ...

'' episode titled "Go", which was an adaptation of his ''The New Teen Titans'' #1. In the episode "For Real" André LeBlanc attacks a bank called "Bank of Pérez". In ''

City of Heroes ''City of Heroes'' (''CoH'') was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game which was developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCSOFT. The game was launched in North America on April 28, 2004, and in Europe by NCsoft Europe on Febru ...

'', an

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

about superheroes, an entire zone within the game (Pérez Park) is named after him.

2010s

In September 2011, DC launched a new ''

'' series written by Pérez, who also provided breakdowns and cover art, with interior art by Jesús Merino and Nicola Scott. Pérez remained until issue #6. The ''

New Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

: Games'' hardcover graphic novel was published the same month reuniting the creative team of Wolfman and Pérez. He was the inker of the new ''

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His real name is Oliver Jonas Quee ...

'' series, also launched in the same timeframe, over artist Dan Jurgens' pencils, reuniting the mid-1990s ''Teen Titans'' art team. Pérez and Kevin Maguire were alternating artists on a ''

Worlds' Finest ''Worlds' Finest'' is a comic book published by DC Comics, a reimagining of the classic ''World's Finest Comics'', with a similar name but a differently-placed apostrophe. It was launched in May 2012 with a July 2012 cover date. The series was pa ...

'' revival written by Paul Levitz. In July 2012, Pérez explained his departure from ''Superman'' as a reaction to the level of editorial oversight he experienced. This included inconsistent reasons given for rewrites of his material, the inability of editors to explain to him basic aspects of the New 52 Superman's status quo (such as whether his adoptive parents were still alive), and restrictions imposed by having to be consistent with ''Action Comics'', which was set five years earlier than ''Superman'', a situation complicated by ''Action'' writer Grant Morrison having not been forthcoming about their plans. From September 2014 to December 2016, Pérez wrote and drew six issues of his own creation ''Sirens'', published by

BOOM! Studios Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Origins In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in ...

. It is a science fiction miniseries dedicated to a group of women with extraordinary powers, who fight against evil across time and space. In January 2019, Pérez announced that he was formally retiring due to various health issues, and would continue to produce only a limited number of convention-style head sketches on commission, and attend a limited number of conventions.

Personal life and death

Pérez was married to Carol Flynn. He had no children. He had a brother David, and a niece and nephew. In October 2013, Pérez revealed that he would soon undergo laser and injection surgeries to address hemorrhaging in his left eye that had effectively made him blind in that eye. By the following June, the procedures were not yet completed, but his condition had improved to the point that he was able to resume his work. In May 2017, he was admitted to a hospital with chest pains due to a heart attack while traveling to a convention, and had a coronary stent fitted. By January 2019, Perez was dealing with multiple health issues, including

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

and problems with his vision and his heart. In December 2021, he revealed that after undergoing surgery for a blockage in his liver, he had been diagnosed with inoperable

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

. Given a prognosis of 6 to 12 months, he chose not to pursue treatment. In early 2022, both DC and Marvel included tributes to him and his work in their comics, and jointly approved a limited-run reprint of the 2003 ''JLA/Avengers'' story he illustrated (long tied up by disagreements between the rival publishers), as a benefit for The Hero Initiative. Pérez died on May 6, 2022, due to complications from pancreatic cancer. His friend Constance Eza wrote the next day that the 67-year-old artist "passed away yesterday, peacefully at home" with his wife Carol and their family by his side. An open memorial service was held at

MegaCon MegaCon, short for Mega Convention, is a large speculative fiction convention that caters to the comic book, sci-fi, anime, fantasy, and gaming communities, often occurring in spring at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The ...

Orlando on May 22.

Awards

Pérez won a 1979 Eagle Award (with

, Sal Buscema, and David Wenzel) for Best Continued Story for his work on '' The Avengers'' #167–168 and 170–177. In 1980 he won the Eagle Award for Best Comicbook Cover for ''Avengers'' #185. He won the Eagle Award for Favourite Artist (penciller) in 1986. Pérez received an Inkpot Award in 1983. In 1985, DC Comics named Pérez as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication ''

Fifty Who Made DC Great ''Fifty Who Made DC Great'' is a one shot published by DC Comics to commemorate the company's 50th anniversary in 1985. It was published in comic book format but contained text articles with photographs and background caricatures. Publication h ...

''. His work (with Marv Wolfman and

Romeo Tanghal Romeo Tanghal (born July 24, 1947) is a Filipino comics artist who has worked primarily as an inker. He became well known in the industry in the 1980s for his work on DC Comics' ''The New Teen Titans''. Career Romeo Tanghal was born and raised ...

), earned ''

'' #50 a nomination for the 1985 Jack Kirby Award for Best Single Issue. His collaboration with Wolfman earned ''

'' the Jack Kirby Award for Best Finite Series in both 1985 and 1986. Pérez has won several '' Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards''.''Comics Buyer's Guide 1996 Annual''. Iola, Wisconsin:

Krause Publications Krause Publications is an American publisher of hobby magazines and books. Originally a company founded and based in Iola, Wisconsin, they relocated to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in April 2018. The company was started by Chester L. Krause (192 ...

1995 pp. 30–31 He won the "Favorite Artist" award in 1983 and 1985 and "Favorite Penciler" in 1987. In addition, he won the "Favorite Cover Artist" award three consecutive years 1985–1987. ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' won the award for "Favorite Limited Series" in 1985. Pérez worked on several stories which 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 was awarded the Inkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA) for his lifetime achievement in inking."First Comics News - 2022 Inkwell Awards Lifetime Achievement Winners"
/ref>

Bibliography

Interiors

Pencil art in all cases, except where noted:

BOOM! Studios

*''Sirens'' miniseries, #1–6 (2014–2016)

DC Comics

*'' 52'' #25 (

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin. Although ...

backup story) (2006) *'' Action Comics'' #643–645 (full pencils); #647-649, 651-652 (layouts only,

pencils); #650 (8 pages, pencil & inks; among other artists) (1989–1990) *''Action Comics Annual'' #2 (inks over Mike Mignola, among other artists) (1989) *'' Adventures of Superman'' #457-459 (plots with Dan Jurgens), 461 (inks over Dan Jurgens) (1989) *'' All-Star Squadron Annual'' #3 (among other artists) (1984) *''

'' #400 (among other artists) (1986) *''

'' vol. 2 #1–10 (2007–2008) *''

'' #1–12 (1985–1986) *'' DC Comics Presents'' #26 (

preview story), #61 (Superman/OMAC) (1980, 1983) *''

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green L ...

'' #0 (among other artists) (2008) *'' DC Universe: Legacies'' #5–6 (2010) *''

the Terminator'' #10–11 (inks over Art Nichols) (1992) *''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

'' ( Firestorm backup stories) #289–293 (1980–1981) *'' Flashpoint:

Secret Seven Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

'', miniseries, #1 (2011) *''

'' vol. 5 #1–4 (inks over Dan Jurgens) (2011) *'' Heroes Against Hunger'' (among other artists) (1986) *'' Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'', miniseries, #1–5 (2008–2009) *''

'' #1–2 (1987) *'' Infinite Crisis'', miniseries, #3–4, 6–7 (among other artists; 2006) *''

'' #184–186, 192–197, 200 (1980–1982) *''Justice League of America'' vol. 2 #0 (among other artists; 2006) *''

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...

'' vol. 2 #82 (2006) *''Justice Society of America'' vol. 3 #50 (among other artists) (2011) *''

'' (title then changes to ''Tales of the Teen Titans'') #1–4, 6–34, 37–50; ''Annual'' #1–3 (1980–1985) *''New Teen Titans'' vol. 2 (then ''New Titans'') #1–5 (1984–85); #50–55, 57–61 (1988–1989) *''New Teen Titans: The Drug Awareness'' (1983) *''New Teen Titans: Games'', graphic novel (2011) *''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the Origin story, origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a One-shot ( ...

'' vol. 2 (

) #50 (1990) *''

Annual'' #3 (writer/artist/inker, among other artists/cover art) (1989) *'' Supergirl'' vol. 6 #8 (2012) *''Supergirl Annual'' #1 (inks over Dick Giordano) (1996) *''

'' #423 (" Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" story, Part One) (inks over

) (1986) *''Superman'' vol. 3 #1–6 (2011–2012) (writer, layout breakdowns, and cover artist) *''

Swordquest ''Swordquest'' is a series of video games originally produced by Atari, Inc. in the 1980s as part of a contest, consisting of three finished games, ''Earthworld'', ''Fireworld'', and ''Waterworld'', and a planned fourth game, ''Airworld''. Each ...

'' miniseries, #1–3 (1982–1984) *''Tales of the New Teen Titans'', miniseries, #1–4 (1982) *''The Titans'' #25 (five pages, among other artists) (2001) *''

'' vol. 2 #1–15 (inks over Dan Jurgens) (1996–1997) *''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #50 (among other artists) (2007) *''

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'' is a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. They were an arm of the United Nations and were notable for their depiction of the heroes as everyday peop ...

'' #4 (with Cafu) (2011) *''

'' #600 (among other artists) (2010) *''Wonder Woman'' vol. 2 #1–24 (writer/pencils), #25–62 (writer), 168, 169, ''Annual'' #1 (writer/pencils, among other artists) (1987–1992) *'' War of the Gods'', miniseries, #1–4 (1991) *''

'' #1–7 (with Kevin Maguire), #8–9 (with Cafú) (2012–2013) *''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' (Teen Titans) #300 (1984)

Image Comics

*''Crimson Plague'' #1–2 (2000) *''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' #1 (backup-story, writer/artist) (2000) *'' Witchblade'' #92 (two pages, among other artists) (2005)

Marvel Comics

*'' Astonishing Tales'' ( Deathlok #25 (1974) *'' The Avengers'' #141–144, 147–151, 154-155, 160–162, 167-168, 170-171, 194–196, 198–202; ''Annual'' #6, 8 (1975–1980) *''The Avengers'' vol. 3 #1–15, 18–25, 27–34 (1998–2000) *''

Bizarre Adventures ''Marvel Preview'' is a black-and-white comics magazine published by Magazine Management for fourteen issues and the affiliated Marvel Comics Group for ten issues. The final issue additionally carried the imprint Marvel Magazines Group. Publica ...

'' ( Iceman) #27 (1981) *'' Creatures on the Loose'' (

) #33–37 (1975) *'' Deadly Hands of Kung Fu'' ( Sons of the Tiger) #6–14, 16–17, 19–21, 30 (1974–1976) *''

'' #164–167, 170–172, 176–178, 184–188, 191–192, ''Annual'' #14–15 (1975–1980) *''

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

: Future Imperfect'', miniseries, #1–2 (1992–1993) *'' Infinity Gauntlet'', six-issue miniseries, #1–3 (full pencils); #4 (with Ron Lim) (1991) *'' Inhumans'' #1–4, 8 (1975–1976) *'' Logan's Run'' #1–5 (1977) *''

Luke Cage, Power Man Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie G ...

'' #27 (1975) *'' Marvel Comics Super Special'' #4 (1978) *'' Marvel Fanfare'' ( Black Widow) #10–13 (1983–1984) *'' Marvel Premiere'' (Man-Wolf) #45–46 (1978–1979) *'' Marvel Preview'' #20 (1980) *'' Marvel Two-in-One'' #56–58, 60, 64–65 (1979–1980) *'' Monsters Unleashed'' (Gullivar Jones) #8 (1974) *'' Sachs and Violens'', miniseries, #1–4 (1994) *'' Silver Surfer'' vol. 3 #111–123 (1995–1996) (writer) *''

Thunderbolts A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...

Annual 1997'' (three pages, among other artists) (1997) *'' Ultraforce/Avengers'' (1995) *'' Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction'' #2–3 (1975) *''

What If What If may refer to: Film * ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy * ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film * ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film * ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film Telev ...

'' (

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

) #15 (1977) *''

Annual'' #3 (1979)

DC Comics and Marvel Comics together

*'' JLA/Avengers'', miniseries, #1–4 (2003)

Pacific Comics

* '' Alien Worlds'' #7 (1984) — short story, "Ride the Blue Bus" * ''Vanguard Illustrated'' #6 (1984) — short story, "The Trains Belong to Us"

Covers only

DC Comics

*'' Action Comics'' #529, 602, 643–652 (1982–1990) *''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #484–486, 490 (1981–1982) *''

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld is a superhero published in American comic books created by DC Comics. Created by writers Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn (comics), Gary Cohn and artist Ernie Colón, she debuted in ''The Legion of Superheroes'' #298 in Apri ...

'' #5–11 (1983–1984) *''

'' #436–442 (1989) *''Batman and the Outsiders'' #5 (1983) *''Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest'' #17–18, 21–24, 35, 50, 61, 69 (1981–1986) *'' Blackest Night: Titans'', miniseries, #3 (2009) *''

'' vol. 2 #11-12 (2007–2008) *''

'' HC slipcase (1998; with artist

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wit ...

) *''Crisis on Multiple Earths'' Volume 5 TPB (2010) *''DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest'' #19 (1982) *'' DC Comics Presents'' #38, 94 (1981–1986) *''

'' vol. 2 #15–17 (cover artist), ''Annual'' #2 (cover art inker only) (1988) *'' Green Lantern'' #132, 141–144 (1980–1981) *'' Infinite Crisis'' #1–7 (variant covers; 2005–2006) *'' JSA'' #82–87 (2006) *''

'' #201–205, 207–209, 212–215, 217–220 (1982–1983) *''

Justice Leagues Justice Leagues was a storyline which ran through six one-shot comics published in 2001 by DC Comics, which introduced a revamped Justice League of America. In the arc, alien invaders, working through a human-seeming agent known as the "Advance ...

of: **''JL?'' (2001) **''Aliens'' (2001) **''Amazons'' (2001) **''Arkham'' (2001) **''Atlantis'' (2001) **''JLA'' (2001) *''

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cent ...

'' #268, 277–281, 300 (1980–1983) *''

'' #5 (1981) *''New Teen Titans Archives'' Volume 1 HC (1999) *''New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'' TPB (1988 edition) *''New Teen Titans: Who is Donna Troy?'' TPB (2005) *''

'' Annual #3 (cover art) (1989) *''

'' #364 (1981) *''Teen Titans Spotlight'' #1, 19 (1986–1988) *''

'' #283–284 (1981), #300 (b&w illustration on inside front cover) (1983) *''Wonder Woman'' vol. 2 #25–32, 45–60, 120, Annual #2 (1988–1997) *''Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals'' TPB (2004) *''Wonder Woman: Challenge of the Gods'' TPB (2004) *''Wonder Woman: Beauty and the Beasts'' TPB (2005) *''Wonder Woman: Destiny Calling'' TPB (2006) *''

'' #271, 276–278 (1981–1982)

Marvel Comics

*'' The Avengers'' #163–166, 172–174, 181, 183–185, 191–192, (1977–1980) *''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

'' #243, 246 (1980) *'' Defenders'' #51, 53, 54, 59, 64 (1977–1978) *''

'' #183, 194–197 (1977–1978) *''

FOOM ''FOOM'' was Marvel Comics' self-produced fan magazine of the mid-1970s, following the canceled '' Marvelmania'' and preceding ''Marvel Age''. Running 22 quarterly issues (February 1973 – Fall 1978), it was initially designed and edited by comic ...

'' #19 (1977) – wraparound Defenders cover *''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The cha ...

'' #102, 103 (1977) *'' Man Called Nova'' #14 (1977) *''Marvel Holiday Special'' #1 (1994) *'' Marvel Team-Up'' #65 (1978) *'' Marvel Two-in-One'' #32–33, 42, 50–52, 54, 61–63, 66, 70 (1977–1980) *'' Mighty Mouse'' #4 (1991) *'' Ultraforce/Avengers: Prelude'' (1995) *'' X-51'' #5 (1999) *''

'' #112, 128 (1979)

DC Comics and Marvel Comics together

*''Crossover Classics: The Marvel/DC Collection vol. 1'' TPB (1991)

Early life

Career

Early career

''The New Teen Titans''

''Crisis on Infinite Earths''

''Wonder Woman''

''The New Titans''

Superman

''War of the Gods'' / ''Infinity Gauntlet''

1990s and return to ''The Avengers''

Gorilla Comics and CrossGen

Return to DC

2010s

Personal life and death

Awards

Bibliography

Interiors

BOOM! Studios

DC Comics

Image Comics

Marvel Comics

DC Comics and Marvel Comics together

Pacific Comics

Covers only

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

DC Comics and Marvel Comics together

See also

Notes

References

External links