FW Presents – George Perez

Shag, Rob, Chris, Paul, and special guests Jarrod Alberich and Steve Givens pay tribute to one of the greatest comic book artists of all time, George Perez.

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12 responses to “FW Presents – George Perez

  1. Bravo! A wonderful retrospective on a fine artist and a real gentleman. There’s nothing I can add to your glowing praise of George Perez, other than to say he was my favorite creator during my early comics collecting days. The first poster I ever bought was of his Teen Titans and I then framed his set of JLA postcards. I also have a framed copy of that Crisis poster he did with Alex Ross and I continue to recall the excitement of that series. Nothing else really ever came close.

    Just one cover image not mentioned in your discussion: Tales of the Teen Titans #45 featuring Aqualad and Aquagirl. I distinctly recall picking up this issue, That cover drew me into the Titans’ world and I stayed there happily for many years.
    http://notahoaxnotadream.blogspot.com/2015/04/tales-of-the-teen-titans-45.html

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  2. One aspect of Perez’s career that we didn’t talk about was his work as an inker. Understandably, his work as a penciler and writer far outweighs anything he ever did as an inker, but he was pretty gifted in that area as well. In particular, I am thinking of his inks over Dan Jurgens’ pencils in the Teen Titans series from the 1990s. He brought out a crispness and specificity in Jurgens’ art that enhanced Jurgens’ own personal style. As Rob said repeatedly on the episode, George Perez could do anything.

    1. I almost mentioned the Jurgens Titans run which Perez inked. In particular the storyline where the original Titans returned and teamed with the kids is a great showcase to show how Jurgens chocolate and Perez peanut butter tasted great together.

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  3. Thanks for doing this, gentlemen. It was nice listening to your thoughts and also, in the case of those of you who were lucky enough to meet him, your experiences of him in real life. It seems like everything I’ve ever heard or read about Perez indicates that he was not only one of the finest comic book artists ever, but just an absolutely wonderful, loving human being.
    I’m not absolutely certain, but I think I first saw his art in an issue of Avengers during the Serpent Crown arc – although that was before I was paying attention to the creator credits. I really took notice of his art when I picked up Marvel Premiere #45 (the first of a Man-Wolf two-parter – which I only later learned was the conclusion to a long-running story in Creatures on the Loose).
    As to favorite covers, there’s too many to list, but besides, yes, JLA #200, I’d say one of my all-time favorites is New Teen Titans #13. Probably my favorite work by him is X-men Annual #3 (simply the best annual ever).
    One thing I have to add, which has only been confirmed by the photo of him with Shagg posted on your gallery page: he always had the best shirts.

  4. Great show honoring one of the greatest artists ever. Figure I could play the game as well.

    1) Covers:
    Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 – such an obvious pic for me as a Supergirl fan. I have come full circle with my feelings on the decision to kill Supergirl here. But there is no denying the power and impact of the cover. I think this has become the image of Crisis for many people, and as said in the episode, subject to many homages.

    2) Costume:
    Kole – I unabashedly love Kole, despite her short run. But only Perez could create a walking chandelier costume and make it look good. Luckily for the character, the storyline where she is most involved was drawn by JLGL who could also make it good.

    3) Best ‘work’ –
    Crisis overall – I mean, he basically drew every character in the DCU. He drew new characters introduced into the DCU. He recreated the DCU. And he did it with such aplomb, mixing in big splashes with small inset panels. No one could construct a page like Perez.

    But within the Crisis, I ask you to consider the Monitor Satellite scene in issue #5
    ( https://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2015/05/30th-anniversary-crisis-on-infinite_23.html ).
    Somehow he stuffs a billion characters into this scene. They are all tiny given the viewpoint of the page. And yet, you can easily still make out who everyone is. That is amazing. But more important, I think Perez took the time to figure out who would hang out with who in the satellite. Having Supergirl talking to Brainiac 5 is such a nice tiny little touch. We talk about Perez crowd scenes. This is THE CROWD SCENE.

    4) Personal moments –
    Like many, I met Perez at a convention. The line was incredible as everyone wanted to meet him, a testament to his greatness. I got a Supergirl head sketch commission which, as Shag said, he drew on the spot in sharpie. Incredible. But he somehow gave me the time to tell him how important I thought Crisis #7 was to Supergirl’s legacy and how much I loved the emotion he put into the pages. He was so gracious.

    Anyways, thanks for this show. Perez is one of the greatest ever,

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  5. Like Chris Franklin, my first encounter with the art of George Perez was the house ad for New Teen Titans #1. My comic book collecting heyday was 1986-1995 and I was a committed Marvel guy so I didn’t see much of Mr. Perez’s art. But I read the occasional DC comic, and that house ad really struck me. I knew who Robin was thanks to the Super Friends cartoon and general pop culture osmosis, but I had no clue who the others were. I remember how striking the team looked. The green guy turning into a wolf, the half-metal guy with energy crackling from one hand, the robed and hooded lady with the giant shadow-bird projecting from her.

    I eventually got into DC and heard a ton about this “Crisis on Infinite Earths Event” and got a hold of the collected edition in the early 2000s. That was my first real experience with George Perez’s art and I was blown away by the sheer scope, spectacle, and number of characters of that series. He is the undisputed master of the group shot, the team book. No one, not even the most obscure or neglected character, looked anything less than powerful and cool. If you look at his work on the JLA/Avengers series, he makes Blue Jay, Jack of Hearts, and Maya look just as awesome as Superman, Captain America, and Wonder Woman. I’ve since gone back and read the back issues of New Teen Titans, Avengers (Volumes 1 AND 2), and JLA vs. Avengers that he drew, and am just floored by his art. It’s amazing I collected comics for so long and missed seeing his work.

    I noted this on my Twitter but I figure it bears repeating here, an artistic achievement of Mr. Perez that bears appreciation is Avengers vol. 3 #2, the re-imagining of all the Avengers to date in altered, medieval guises (thanks to the magic of Morgan le Fey). Everyone had a new codename and costume, and wow didn’t they all look amazing. Other artists would have turned in something half-baked, but not George Perez. He seemed to give every assignment, every project his all, and our imaginations are all the better for it. RIP.

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  6. What a fantastic tribute, everyone. You all shared some incredibly beautiful stories about a giant in the comics industry and it was a joy to hear. I was never lucky enough to meet the man but from your accounts (and many others), it sounded like he was an amazing person. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Having said all that, someone else remembers NOW Comics and Ralph Snart?!?!?!?!? Growing up, I thought I was the only one who ever bought those comics! I really did enjoy NOW’s lineup. It felt like it was a mix of licensed properties and experimental concepts and I am still waiting for the unpublished Mirror Walker #2! I know this show is about George Perez, but did any of you have any favourite NOW Comics? Or any independent comic favourites pre-Image?

    Back to George Perez…… as a kid, I recognized his work from Who’s Who probably more than anything. I loved seeing all those heroes and villains on the cover and it made me buy those comics. A close second would be anything associated with the Teen Titans. I never read the title but could instantly recognize his style with Robin, Raven’s smoke, and all those rocks.

    Issues – I have a spotty memory but I do love JLA 207. I’m a sucker for all things Crime Syndicate (after learning about them from Who’s Who) and I think I picked this up in a second hand bookstore somewhere and just absolutely loved it.

    Covers – My lord, there’s just too many to name. But I think I can say this, I don’t think there’s a dud in the bunch! It seems like every single cover he did is a winner and it pulls you in to buying the book. Mission accomplished!

    Costumes – He definitely has more iconic designs, but for me, it’s the Lex Luthor battle suit. He turned this bald weirdo into a formidable opponent for Superman, or at least that’s what seemed when I played with my Super Powers action figures.

    Single greatest work – I mean, every answer has to be Crisis of Infinite Earths, does it not? What a seminal series that redefined everything we knew about the DC universe and was chok-a-blok full of every hero and villain you could every think of! I also have that poster, too, Shag, hanging by my dining room table. My kids like to quiz me every so often about if I can find a certain character, or if I know the name of a certain character (“That, kids, is Ultra…… the Multi-Alien!”). If I had to pick a second place entry, it would be Infinity Gauntlet. What an amazing series that was, as well.

    It was so fun to reminisce about such an incredible talent. I’m saddened that he has passed on too soon but buoyed by the fact that his legacy will live on forever.

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    1. I was a big fan of NOW’s Green Hornet series. They pulled the reluctant brother switcheroo years before Robinson did on Starman. And my ex-brother-in-law LOVED Ralph Snart!

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  7. I had the pleasure of meeting George Perez at many conventions over the years, and he was always incredibly friendly and funny. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity of buying a couple of pages of original art directly from Perez: A two-page sequence from New Titans #55, a great “quiet” civilian scene of Jericho looking over several of his paintings while listening to answering-machine messages from his models.

    I also got two of his convention head-sketches over the years: The Golden Age beak-masked Hawkman in 1999, and Madame Rouge (from Doom Patrol and New Teen Titans) in 2016. Here’s a link to the Perez pieces in my Comic Art Fans gallery, if the link works:

    https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerydetailsearch.asp?artist=george+perez&gcat=107268

    After his passing, I saw many people posting their convention sketches from him, and I loved seeing some of the more unusual character choices. I wish I could find it again, but I particularly loved his sketch of the Roadrunner…yes, the Roadrunner from the Chuck Jones cartoons with Wile E. Coyote!

    I’m grateful for the two sketches I got, but in retrospect I wish I had taken more opportunities at the conventions I attended. Considering that Roadrunner sketch, I would have loved seeing him sketch more humor characters. I wish I had gotten a sketch of Will Elder’s “Woman Wonder” (from a 1950s Mad parody) and Don Martin’s super-hero spoof Captain Klutz…I wonder if anyone had ever asked him for those characters? (Since someone asked for Roadrunner, I wouldn’t be surprised by any other character he would have drawn…and he would have drawn them beautifully.)

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  8. You did a great job with this, guys.

    My first Perez cover was JLofA 217’s (love for which Rob and I share, I know), but the first full comic was DC Comics Presents 61 (Superman and OMAC) which I covered on FW Team-Up with another beloved human being lost to us, Xum Yukinori.

    These were back to back on the stands in May and June of 1983, the second and third months of my buying and reading American comics, so it’s all impulse purchases to see what sticks at this point, and already gravitating to Perez’s work. Just goes to show.

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