RIP George Perez
I can’t tell you that I remember the first time that I saw something drawn by George Perez. But I can tell you the first comic that I owned that was drawn by him. It was a giveaway comic from the Keebler Elf company, and I couldn’t tell you how it came to be in my possession. It was published in 1983, and I can vividly remember spending hours poring over each page, mesmerized by the rawness of the imagery and the story combined.
I never had any personal experience with drug addiction, but the stories in this book still resonated with me. Stories of being lost, looking for acceptance, and rejection, it was universal. I don’t think this book would have been nearly as impactful without the art of George Perez at the forefront.
Of course, as I got older, I became more aware of just how much George Perez meant to the world of comics. The New Teen Titans, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by Perez, grew to be my favorite book of all time.
I can’t say I was the biggest George Perez fan, but I definitely had a deep love for his work.George Perez died on May 6 after a long battle with cancer. If the photos he’s shared on social media over the last six months of so are any indication, cancer robbed him of his strength, but not his joy. He seemed to seriously love his fans, and in the last months of his life, made sure that they knew that. His death will leave a giant canyon of a hole in the world of comic books now.
In his honor, do yourself a favor and check out his work if you haven’t already. Much like me, when I was a kid looking for any kind of escape from the real world, maybe you’ll find some lifelong friends as well.
Thank you George. Godspeed.
It’s the only older comic series that I am trying to collect a complete run of. I don’t care about the condition, but I still need the first few issues, which include the first appearance of Deathstroke, so I guess I will have to wait a while to pick those up.