George Perez has been staple of the comic industry for decades now. His characters, stories, and artwork have provided genre defining moments that people still fawn over to this day. From his work on Justice league, The Avengers, and Teen Titans, to iconic event series like Infinity Gauntlet and Crisis on Infinite Earths, George has literally been the artist of our childhood dreams and has brought countless young people into the wonderfully vibrant world of Superheroes.
Since the shocking revelation of Mr. Perez's terminal cancer diagnosis; prayers, praise, and admirations have poured in like a tidal wave from fans and creators alike. Marvel comics recently released a special tribute panel in in the pages of Avengers #55, appropriately titled "George Pérez: Once An Avengers... Always An Avenger". The panel featured some of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes (many of whom featured in George's Avengers run) raising a glass in toast to the artist. Furthermore, in an act that many thought impossible, DC and Marvel recently announced a partnership with Hero Inititative to produce a limited rerelease of Jurt Busiek and George Perez's iconic JLA/Avengers crossover. Proceed for the sale of this reprinting will be going to the Initiative's general fundraiser (of which Perez is a founding member).
Now, DC Comics has announced that they intend to honor Perez further by celebrating his 68th birthday in style this June. The comic company has commissioned a massive 2 page spread that will grace the pages of all of the companies June releases, and will feature work from fellow legends Alex Ross, Walter Simonson, Dan Jurgens, and many more.
When asked about the tribute, Jurgen's gushed about his friend and former partner, saying "When I was asked to come up with a design and layout that would honor George Pérez and his many incredible contributions to DC Comics over the years, I was truly honored," He would go on to add,. "I have admired George’s work since I first saw it and have had the good fortune to work with him in different capacities, on a number of projects. More importantly, I’ve been able to see the way George treats fans and readers, always smiling, gregarious and approachable. It was a joy to watch this cover come together and I’m sure everyone who contributed feels the same way."
On top of this, fans can look forward to a special variant cover of for DC's Dark Crisis #7, coming later this year. Each Dark Crisis issue is set to feature special covers highilighting all previous "crisis" events, beginning with Marv Wolfman and George Perez's Crisis on Infinite Earths in issue #1. The special issue 7 variant will be offered by The Hero Initiative and will help to raise funds for some or George's favorite charity organizations.
"George Pérez is one of my favorite comic storytellers of all time." said Joshua Williamson, the writer of the Dark Crisis series. "To say he’s a ‘great artist’ is a massive understatement. His work on the original Crisis of Infinite Earths inspired so much of my love for DC Comics. When I saw DC editors pull together this incredible piece with so many amazing legendary artists celebrating George, I won't lie, it was emotional. And now it's an honor to have this tribute be a cover to Dark Crisis."
See below for the full list of characters and artists you can look forward to on this amazing tribute!