Over the weekend, legendary comic book artist George Perez used his Facebook page to announce his retirement. Perez, whose career in comics goes back to 1974, noted that his health issues played a part in his decision.
“With respect to future published work in comics and such … while I know it’s been no secret that I’ve been dealing with a myriad number of health issues (diabetes, heart ailments, vision issues, etc.), they have indeed have forced me to, for all intents and purposes, formally retire from the business of creating new comic stories,” wrote Perez.
Perez first rose to prominence as the artist for Marvel’s Avengers in the ’70s. Following his initial stint at Marvel, Perez left for DC and had a run on Justice League of America. He went on to co-create the New Teen Titans alongside writer Marv Wolfman. In the mid-’80s, Wolfman and Perez re-teamed for the Crisis on Infinite Earths event miniseries. That epic tale united all of DC’s multiverses into a single reality, and infamously killed off the Flash and Supergirl. Perez followed that event with a long run as the writer and artist of Wonder Woman.
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In the ’90s, Perez returned to Marvel and illustrated the first three issues of Infinity Gauntlet. That story served as an inspiration for both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Perez also returned to the Avengers for a second run on that title. While Perez eventually left Marvel for CrossGen Comics, he included a contract provision that allowed him to illustrate his dream project: a crossover between the Avengers and the Justice League.
Perez re-teamed with his second Avengers writer, Kurt Busiek, for JLA/Avengers, a four-issue crossover, in 2003. Perez remained active as a writer and an artist in the years that followed. He also wrote the Superman relaunch for DC’s New 52 reboot in 2011. His last published work, Sirens, was released in 2016 by Boom! Studios. In his retirement statement, Perez indicated that he would also step away from touring conventions after this year.
“Long story short, I will be just fine,” wrote Perez. “I’ve had a wonderfully good run doing exactly what I have wanted to do since I was a child. Now I can sit back and watch the stuff I helped create entertain whole new generations. That’s a pretty nice legacy to look back on. And so much of that is thanks to all of you, the GREATEST fans in the world. I am humbled and forever grateful.”
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