Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jun 9, 2023 | 1 comment

The late, great artist was born 69 years ago…

By PETER BOSCH

We lost George Pérez (born June 9, 1954), one of the greatest artists comics fans have ever seen, on May 6, 2022, and I think we are still getting over it. He gave so much over the years, so much to amaze us. We lost a man of genius.

I had the opportunity to meet him one time, at the Superman convention in Cleveland in 1988, and I was thrilled at the opportunity. He was sitting behind a dealer’s table upon which were binders of his original art he was selling. Most of it was beyond my wallet’s capacity. He also had a box with pages of his artwork, items with fewer main heroes on them. I looked through them, while another fan was at my shoulder also trying to see into the box as I considered each page one by one. And then I came across a Crisis on Infinite Earths page featuring the death of the Losers. I didn’t see any price on it and asked him how much it was. Pérez said $5. I said, “SOLD!” before the other guy jumped on it. Over the years, I sold that page but I still regret doing so.

For now, though, I can still look back at his great work and miss him.

Here are 13 of my favorite George Pérez illustrations:

One of three prints in a special Superman 50th anniversary portfolio in 1988. The other two were by Curt Swan and José Luis García-López.

Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. II (Apr. 1985)

Wonder Woman #1 (Feb. 1987)

Wonder Woman #22 (Nov. 1988)

Amazing Heroes #106 (Nov. 1986)

The Avengers #201 (Nov. 1980). Inked by Terry Austin

Amazing Heroes #91 (Mar. 1986)

The Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index #1 (Mar. 1986)

Justice League of America #200 (Mar. 1982)

JLA/Avengers #3 (Dec. 2003)

Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (Feb. 1985)

Back Issue #147 (Oct. 2023) – forthcoming issue saluting George Pérez

Crisis on Infinite Earths #3 (June 1985). To think that I once owned the original art to this page.

—

MORE

— GEORGE PEREZ to Be Honored With Special BACK ISSUE Edition. Click here.

— MARVEL Unveils Line of GEORGE PEREZ Variant Covers — With Never-Published Art. Click here.

—

13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, has just been published by TwoMorrows. He has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. Peter lives in Hollywood.