2019 Comic Book News Archives
January 31, 2019: Paying Tribute to Retiring Comic Book Legend George Pérez
Superman Homepage writer Michael Bailey pays tribute to long-time comic book creator George Pérez, who announced his formal retirement via his Facebook page last week.Back when I first started reading and collecting comics, I acquired a copy of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #5. I had only been reading comics for a little over a year and my knowledge of DC Comics was limited. This was the fall of 1988, so not only was this the fifth issue of a maxi-series that was designed to get rid of the DC Multiverse and establish a new, streamlined universe but I was reading it three years after it came out. I should have been lost and to a certain extent I was. The dense writing provided some explanation to what was going on, but it was the art that kept me going back to the issue again and again. I poured over that book and was gob smacked at how awesome every hero and villain looked, particularly the older Superman that had a different (and, to my mind, cooler) version of the S symbol.
That issue was my introduction to the art of George Perez.
To say that George Perez is a legendary comics creator is an understatement. He has drawn virtually every DC and Marvel character ever thanks to his runs on both AVENGERS and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, the previously mentioned CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, several issues of INFINITY GAUNTLET, and the epic four issue JLA/AVENGERS mini-series. Along with writer Marv Wolfman, he revamped the Teen Titans as the NEW TEEN TITANS and co-created Raven, Starfire and Cyborg for that title. He relaunched WONDER WOMAN after CRISIS ended and stayed with that character for five years. Perez also worked on creator owned books and projects for other publishers, like Image and Ultraverse.
The word prolific doesn't come close to describing his resume.
His style was clean, and his storytelling abilities were strong, even at the beginning. His characters all had a distinctive look. Hawkeye and Captain America may have been similar in height but their faces and body types were unique. Batman wasn't Superman with a cape and cowl on. He designed incredibly complicated costumes and he crammed his pages with background details. If Perez drew a crumbled brick wall there was enough debris to rebuild five of them. He would add characters that the artist didn't ask for to give his pages a more dramatic look but never at the expense of the story.
Perez was and is a master of the form and has inspired several generations of comic book artists.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the two occasions where he worked on Superman, considering this is the Superman Homepage. Perez came on board in 1989 at the tail end of the EXILE storyline that saw Superman leaving Earth after believing himself to be a threat to the people he protected with ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #2. Soon after that he was drawing and plotting ACTION COMICS and produced some of the most amazing covers the title had ever seen. From his homage to SUPERMAN #1 on ACTION #643 to the black and white, George Reeves inspired color scheme on ACTION #644 to the sinister visage of Brainiac on ACTION #647 these covers all stood out on the stands and are worthy of posters in and of themselves. Perez's time with the Superman books was brief but noteworthy and it was a shame he didn't stick around a bit longer.
His second time with Superman was even shorter. George was the writer on SUPERMAN during the first six issues of the NEW 52 and left due to the changes he was asked to make from issue to issue. At the 2012 Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois Perez was asked about experiences he had where he wasn't happy with the work he was being asked to do. Perez responded, "Unfortunately when you are writing major characters, you sometimes have to make a lot of compromises and I was made certain promises, and unfortunately not through any fault of Dan DiDio, he was no longer the last word, lot of people making decisions, going against each other, contradicting, again in mid story. The people who love my Superman arc, I thank you. What you read, I don't know. After I wrote it... I told them here's my script, if you change it, that's your prerogative, don't tell me. Don't ask me to edit it, don't ask me to correct it, I don't want to change something that you're going to change again if you disagree..."
I would also be remiss if I failed to mention what a genuinely nice guy George Perez is. I've had the opportunity to meet him several times at Dragon Con, a four-day fantasy/science fiction convention that takes place on Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia and even had the pleasure to sit on a Wonder Woman panel with him in 2016. Perez is a fixture at Dragon Con and when he isn't signing and sketching, he's mingling with the crowds and posing for pictures. I always got the sense that he was as much of a fan as the people going to the con. One year I was standing in line waiting to get a sketch and have some books signed when George spotted a cosplayer dressed as Herbie, The Fat Fuy, a character from the late fifties and early sixties that was published by the American Comics Group. Upon seeing the costume he yelled, "Herbie Popnecker!" and, to my memory, leapt from his table to get a picture with the cosplayer. It was one of the most endearing things I had ever seen at a convention. Here was George Perez...superstar artist and writer George Perez...geeking out because someone walked by dressed as one of his favorite characters.
It was amazing.
This is why Perez announcing his retirement gets to me. It's not just that we won't be getting any new writing or art from him. It's not even that we're losing him as a person, thankfully. I'm sure he'll still attend conventions and meet with the people that love and appreciate his work. It's that an era is ending. Characters Perez helped create are now fixtures in pop culture. His art is still held up as a standard to meet. His run on Wonder Woman comes up on nearly every "Best Of" list that you read on the Internet.
George Perez was and always will be a legend. I wish him well on his retirement and I hope to see him at Dragon Con, mingling with fans and getting all excited when a Herbie cosplayer walks by.
Michael Bailey
2019 Comic News
Listed below are all the Comic News items archived for 2019.- January 14, 2019: “Action Comics #1000” Tops Sales Charts for 2018
- January 17, 2019: Brian Michael Bendis Talks About Aging Jon Kent/Superboy
- January 18, 2019: ‘DC Primal Age' One-Shot Now Available at Target Stores
- January 20, 2019: Walmart Customers Outraged Over Violent Superman Comic Book
- January 21, 2019: Tom King Responds to Complaints About Walmart Superman Comic Book
- January 23, 2019: Was Walmart “Superman 100-Page Giant #7” Story Too Violent? (The S Files)
- January 24, 2019: Fan Reactions to the Ageing of Jon Kent/Superboy - Poll Results
- January 25, 2019: DC Comics Announces Free Comic Book Day Offerings
- January 31, 2019: Paying Tribute to Retiring Comic Book Legend George Pérez
- February 2, 2019: Preview Marv Wolfman's Unpublished Superman Story
- February 5, 2019: Marv Wolfman Talks About Writing Superman
- February 13, 2019: DC Dubs 2019 “Year of the Villain” with Special Offering on FCBD
- February 17, 2019: Where is “Doomsday Clock #9”?
- February 18, 2019: DC Comics Set to Announce Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen Comic Books
- February 20, 2019: Bendis Reveals His Plans for the DCU's Two Superboys
- February 28, 2019: Jump On Board the Superman Comics Books with “Superman Vol. 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth”
- February 28, 2019: Current Comic Book Enjoyment - Poll Results
- March 10, 2019: Frank Miller's “Superman: Year One” Cover and Release Date
- March 11, 2019: DC Announces New “DC Super Hero Girls” Graphic Novels
- March 13, 2019: Black Hammer/Justice League Comic Book Crossover
- March 14, 2019: Best Current Superman-Related Comic Book - Poll Results
- March 15, 2019: DC Announces “Superman: Year One”
- March 18, 2019: “Super Sons: The Polarshield Project” Official Trailer
- March 18, 2019: DC Zoom and DC Ink Titles Debuting October 2019
- March 20, 2019: Superman Writers Panel at ITHACON 2019
- March 28, 2019: DC Launches New “DC Super Hero Girls” Digital First Series
- April 3, 2019: Take a Look at the “DCeased #1” Variant Cover by Inhyuk Lee
- April 6, 2019: DC's Walmart Stories Coming to Comic Book Stores
- April 11, 2019: “Year of the Villain #1” Spotlights the DCU's Most Notorious Evildoers
- April 12, 2019: DC Writers Discuss Upcoming Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen Books
- April 18, 2019: Fan Anticipation for “DCeased” Comic Book Series - Poll Results
- April 25, 2019: “Doomsday Clock #10” Delayed
- April 25, 2019: Fan Anticipation for “Lois Lane” and “Jimmy Olsen” Comic Books - Poll Results
- April 26, 2019: “Doomsday Clock - Part One” Coming in October
- April 29, 2019: DC Announces New BATMAN/SUPERMAN Monthly Series
- April 30, 2019: First Look at DC Zoom's “Dear Justice League” Book
- May 9, 2019: Fan Reaction to “Doomsday Clock” Delays - Poll Results
- May 15, 2019: Frank Miller and JRJr Discuss “Superman: Year One”
- May 20, 2019: Preview Pages for “Event Leviathan”
- May 23, 2019: “Justice League” Comic Book Gets New Logo
- May 29, Read a 3-Page “Krypton” Digital Comic - “Tales From The Phantom Zone”
- June 10, 2019: Interview - Marc Andreyko Talks About “Supergirl #31”
- June 11, 2019: Bendis Excited About Superman/Supergirl Crossover
- June 12, 2018: “Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain” One-Shot Coming in September
- June 13, 2019: DC Announces “Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium” Comic Starting in September
- June 13, 2019: Fan Reaction to “Heroes in Crisis” - Poll Results
- June 14, 2019: Sneak Preview: Batman and Superman Unite to Uncover the Secret Six
- June 14, 2019: Trailer - “Superman: Year One”
- June 17, 2019: Superman Joins the Military in “Superman: Year One” Preview
- June 22, 2019: DC Comics Unites All Publishing Under One Banner
- June 26, 2018: First Look at “Lois Lane #1” by Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins
- June 27, 2019: DC Announces More Pages for “Zero Hour 25th Anniversary Omnibus”
- July 4, 2019: Fan Ratings for “Superman: Year One #1” - Poll Results
- July 10, 2019: Gene Luen Yang Talks “Superman Smashes the Klan”
- July 14, 2019: Ryan Sook Updates Superboy's Costume for “Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium”
- July 17, 2018: “Dear Justice League” Graphic Novel Now Available for Pre-Order
- July 18, 2019: Why Don't You Read Comic Books? - Poll Results
- July 19, 2019: “Doomsday Clock #11” and “Batman/Superman #1” Delayed
- August 2, 2019: Superman Battles Dark Shazam in Sneak Peek at “Batman/Superman #2”
- August 9, 2019: “Superman #14” and “Supergirl #33” Cover Changes
- August 14, 2018: DC Announces Dark Multiverse Versions of “Infinite Crisis” and “Blackest Night”
- August 15, 2019: Six DC Heroes Become Corrupted by The Batman Who Laughs
- August 21, 2019: “Jimmy Olsen” Creative Team Discuss Their Zany Comic Book Series
- September 6, 2019: Superman #17 Removed From “Year of the Villain”
- September 11, 2019: Bendis Talks “Event Leviathan” in New Interview
- September 15, 2019: Superman's Secret Identity: Revealed?
- September 17, 2019: Steve Lieber and Matt Fraction Jimmy Olsen Interview
- September 17, 2019: Robert Vinditti to Helm New “Superman Giant” Series
- September 20, 2019: “Svengoolie Meets the DC Universe” This October
- September 23, 2019: Gene Luen Yang to Celebrate Superman Smashing the Klan
- September 26, 2019: “Tales from the Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman #1” Preview
- October 3, 2019: Advanced Preview (with Spoilers) of –DCeased #6“
- October 4, 2019: New –Ultimate“ DC Universe Timeline Redefines Continuity
- October 10, 2019: Advanced Preview of –Tales of the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night“
- October 11, 2019: First Look - –Legion of Super-Heroes #1“
- October 16, 2019: First Look - “Justice League #35”
- October 18, 2019: Bendis Talks About Revealing Superman's Secret Identity
- October 24, 2019: “Superman Smashes The Klan #1” Fan Rating - Poll Results
- October 26, 2019: First Look - “Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis”
- October 31, 2019: Superman Fans React to Secret Identity Story - Poll Results
- November 6, 2019: Is Superman's Secret Identity Reveal the End of Clark Kent?
- November 6, 2019: First Look - Cruel Superman Featured in “Green Lantern: Blackstars #2”
- November 9, 2019: “K-Metal from Krypton” Restoration Project
- November 14, 2019: Brian Michael Bendis Talks About the Conceit of Secret Identities
- November 14, 2019: First Look - Superman's Secret Identity Reveal Press Conference
- November 15, 2019: First Look at Pages from “Superman #18”
- November 15, 2019: Video - How to Draw Superman
- November 22, 2019: First Look - “Doomsday Clock #12”
- November 22, 2019: First Look - “Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1 (of 4)”
- November 22, 2019: First Look at “Legion of Super-Heroes #2”
- November 26, 2019: First Look - “Action Comics #1018” and Beyond…
- December 2, 2019: Exclusive Interview with Comic Book Artist Joe Staton
- December 5, 2019: Walmart “Crisis on Infinite Earths” 100-Page Giant
- December 5, 2019: First Look - “Legion of Super-Heroes #3”
- December 5, 2019: First Look - “Young Justice #12”
- December 6, 2019: First Look - “Superman #19”
- December 12, 2019: Script to Page - Superman #18
- December 12, 2019: “Supermen: Behind the Cape” Biography Graphic Novel
- News Archive Contents page.
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