June 1, 2000
GEORGE PEREZ LEAVES ‘AVENGERS’
Gorilla, CrossGen and Stan Lee/DC in Penciler’s Future
By Jim McLauchlin

The old order changeth!

Lineup shuffles are the order of the day for Marvel Comics’ mighty Avengers. But the latest in a long and storied line of roster changes involves a longtime, storied artist.

George Pérez, fan-favorite Avengers artist, has announced that September’s double-sized #34 will be his last on the book. No replacement artist has yet been named. By the time Pérez assembles the Avengers one last time, he will have done an extensive run in the 1970s, and 30 of 34 issues in the current series. Pérez cited health as the reason for his departure.

"That’s got to be my first and foremost concern," the artist said. "I just had a checkup and my blood pressure was too high. I’m a diabetic, so that’s a concern. My doctor said a lot of the difficulty is stress and lack of exercise. The only way for me to fit in a regimen of regular exercise is to get away from the monthly grind."

Pérez will replace ongoing monthly work with a boatload of smaller projects, starting with his creator-owned Crimson Plague from Gorilla Comics in June. Pérez plans eight issues in all, shipping bimonthly. From there, Pérez will move on to work with new publisher CrossGENERATION Comics.

"I just sent in an agreement to work with CrossGEN upon completion of my contract with Marvel," Pérez stated. "I’ll be doing a four-part series of specials, similar in format to the old Tales of the Teen Titans Marv Wolfman and I did in the ’80s." Pérez said the books will feature stories that serve as background to CrossGEN’s ongoing monthly series -- Meridian, Mystic, Scion and Sigil. To fit his schedule, Pérez’ first CrossGen release won’t see the light of day until summer, 2001. "So I’ve got time on those deadlines," Pérez joked.

He’ll need it. Pérez, artist for DC Comics’ massive time-cleansing Crisis on Infinite Earths mini-series back in 1985, has a special DC one-shot in the works. "I’ll be one of the artists on the Stan Lee DC project," Pérez said. "Appropriately enough, I’ll be doing a little book called Crisis." Crisis is scheduled as the last in a series of 12 DC books written by legendary Marvel founder Stan Lee, giving Pérez a good head start once again.

And Pérez will spread yet more love around. He’s doing the cover for August’s Spawn #101. "I like being able to say ‘yes’ to something like that as a freelancer if I want," Pérez said.

Hey, George! That still seems like a lot of work!

"Only because I’m saying it all in one breath," Pérez countered. "Most of this won’t be out for over a year. Doing a lot of work on varied projects seems a lot less stressful than the same thing every month."

Still, Pérez is sad to let Avengers go. "I’m extremely grateful for what this run of Avengers has done," he said. "I loved it. And I think it’s helped resuscitate my career." Many agree. Perez won a Wizard Fan Award as "Favorite Penciler" for his 1998 work on Avengers.

But new challenges await, including breaking new ground at CrossGen, where Pérez had been wooed for months. "They offered me an incredibly significant amount of money which I cannot disclose, but their original offer of doing business with them involved being there in-house and being exclusive," Pérez said. "After 26 years in this business, I just couldn’t see myself being a staffer again. When they came back to me with a different offer working strictly as a freelancer, I was flattered."

That offer, and a few added perks, pushed Pérez over the edge. "I like the fantasy element in their books, and I think that’s something the industry needs more of right now," Pérez said. "And for years, [CrossGEN Head Writer] Barbara Kesel and I have been friends. I’ve always wanted to work with Barbara, and now’s my chance."

Pérez also hinted more CrossGEN work may be coming. "This may just be the opening serve in the game of me playing with them," he teased.

But that’s all well down the line. Pérez has plenty to keep him busy. Oh, yeah–Did we mention he’s planning the sequel to Crimson Plague, too? "I have planned a one-shot for Gorilla called The Sisterhood," he said. Just like in Crimson Plague, all the supporting characters will be real people. But this time, they’ll be decidedly feminine. "It’s got a lot of girls," Pérez laughed. "I know a lot of models out in California, and they’d love to be immortalized as comic book characters."

Just like Pérez is immortalized in comic fandom. "With the CrossGEN and Gorilla publicity machines, and just the high-profile nature of the Stan Lee project, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about fading into obscurity in the absence of an ongoing monthly book," Pérez concluded. "Fans should have no trouble finding me at all."