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GUEST OF HONOR 2003: GEORGE PEREZ
published in WIZARD WORLD TEXAS CONVENTION PROGRAM 2003 (CA)
transcribed by Vu
If any comic artist working today deserves the title of "living legend," that artist is George Pérez. How man citizens in the kingdom of comic creators have worked steadily over the last 30 years, growing more popular with each passing?
THE 1970s After an understated debut on Marvel Comics's Astonishing Tales #25 way back in 1973 - the first appearance of Deathlok, by the way - Pérez found he could write his own ticket, quickly jumping on titles like Avengers, Fantastic Four, Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu and Justice League of America.
THE 1980S The defining decade of Pérez's career, not only did the '80s see the debut of the hugely popular New Teen Titans - co-created with writer Marv Wolfman - and enduring villains like Deathstroke the Terminator and Brother Blood, it saw Pérez take on half the task of rewriting the reality of the DC Comics universe, Crisis on Infinite Earths simplified the chaos of DC continuity, killing off Supergirl and the Flash and making way for their modern successors. From Crisis, Pérez went straight to reworking the story of Wonder Woman, lending his writing skill as well as his art to the new, more mythology-centered character if there was one dark spot on the Pérez decade, it was the lost dream of the JLA/Avengers crossover…
THE 1990s A vision of the last days of the green goliath in Hulk: Future Imperfect with writer Peter David could stand alone as an artist's project of the decade. But Pérez, with sleek, bright art and an overwhelming need to draw every Avengers that has ever been, went on to relaunch the Avengers with Kurt (Marvels) Busiek as the '90s neared their close. More than 20 years after his start, Pérez transitioned easily into the new millennium and found a whole new generation of comic fans waiting for him.
TODAY As he near the half-century mark, George Pérez shows no signs of going gracefully into that good night (or whatever old comic artists go). With new, fantasty-themed art for such CrossGen books as CrossGen Chronicles and Solus, he's breaking new territory - even for him. And with the blockbuster success of JLA/Avengers, he's finally realized a dream nearly 20 years in the making.
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ESSENTIAL PEREZ READING
(excerpt)
In nearly 30 years in comics - THIRTY!- George Pérez has probably drawn every character you've ever heard of and a lot you haven't.
And written a few too. While it's impossible to show 'em all, here are some of the highlights you might want to pick up from dealers at the show. Thanks to GeorgePerez.com for the checklist; you can find a complete list of George's work there.
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WIZARD WORLD TEXAS CONVENTION PROGRAM 2003
(Nov 2003)
