Perez Appreciation Post
This is the post I didn't want to have to make, but knew that I would at some point.
George Perez, The Maestro, died yesterday.
He was at home, surrounded by his wife and family. From the notice I saw, he passed peacefully.
We knew this day was coming since last December, when he announced he had pancreatic cancer and decided to not get treatment for it and let it take its course.
I'm damn near tears as I type this. He was SO MUCH to me as a teen, and really throughout my whole life. The Avengers in the 70s, a stint on the Justice League and co-creating the New Teen Titans in the early 80s, Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985 rebooting Wonder Woman in the late 80s all on his own and totally reinvigorating her title. If Perez's artwork was on the cover of comic book, the chances of me buying it shot up exponentially.
And from what I've seen he was such a giving man, spending hour upon hour at conventions, signing things, drawing things, talking with, taking pictures with, laughing with all the fans. Even when he had to cut back on the art due to complications from his diabetes, he still loved conventions and meeting the fans.
I regret that I never had the honor of meeting him. I do have a program, from a Toronto comic book Convention he was at probably 15-18 years ago. A friend of mine up there stood in line to get him to autograph the program and then sent it to me. That's the closest I ever got physically to him.
But I've felt close to him since i was a teenager, since I was a preteen: with his eye popping art, and details and just amazing portfolio of work he's done.
The world is a dimmer, darker, less of a place than it was, because he's not in it.
Today, I post a pic of The Maestro himself, and one of my favorite pieces he did showing the Avengers and JLA big guns standing together.
Wonder Woman, Captain America, The Atom, Superman, The Waso, Iron Man
Hawkeye, Batman, Green Lantern
The Flash, Vision
Scarlet Witch, Aquaman
Martian Manhunter, Giant Man, Thor
Ironically, George Perez died the day of the premiere of the latest Doctor Strange movie and the day before the annual Free Comic Book Day. I think, in some way, that's appropriate, and probably something George Perez could have appreciated.
Anyway, Rest In Peace, George Perez., godspeed to the Valhalla of comic book creators.
POLT
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