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Brian Morris
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 September 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 720
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| Posted: 09 May 2022 at 5:37pm | IP Logged | 1
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I first got to meet George as a young fan wanting to get a favorite book signed at the Phil Seuling shows in 1982 in NYC. I had not yet gotten bite by the original art bug. That was a year away. He had the big mane of black hair and a big beard. Waiting on his line to get my New Teen Titans preview in DC Comics Presents signed and his first issue of Justice League when he took over from Dick Dillan. He was pure joy, in a way that reminded me of the Ghost of Christmas Present, when he spoke to fans of all ages. I wish I had known to get a sketch from him at that point. That would not happen until 1996, at Heroes Con in Charlotte. I intended to get a Curt Swan Superman sketch and try to get on George's list. When my two friends and I arrived at the show, it was announced Curt Swan had just passed. I quickly went through the show to find George. I introduced myself, asked him if he was booked up which he was for the weekend. But he told me he did take a list for sketches done at home. And so I set up the Earth 2 Superman, which became the first of many, for many years to come. He filled out a pay slip, with a copy for each of us. I paid him and he said I would receive the piece in 2 weeks. I thanked him, asked a few comic related questions of him, then went on finding other artists. And true to his word, I received the piece 2 Saturdays later. A vanilla mailer envelope, which I still have to this day, with his Pacesetter studio PO Box on the return. I opened the piece and it was beautiful. I became a life long fan. I introduced my nephew Tim, to George on Tim's 12 birthday. At George's 2019 New Jersey East Coast comic con retirement dinner, George made his way around to each table, signing pieces, giving big hugs and he had something to say to each individual who attended. George called my nephew Tim, his spiritual nephew of whom he was proud to see grow into a good man. And George called me his Golden age character reference, because he used to go to my CAF page for reference for JSA and other golden age heroes/villains. It took my breath away. Like all of you, I was blessed to know the man. 
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Brian Morris
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 September 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 720
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| Posted: 09 May 2022 at 5:42pm | IP Logged | 2
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Mr. Byrne, when did you first meet George? And how did the both of you handle the chores on the Superman/Wonder Woman crossover? Thank you sir, for being a big part of my comic reading life.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133688
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| Posted: 09 May 2022 at 6:42pm | IP Logged | 3
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Met George VERY early on. Helped Duffy Vohland ink his first official penciling job. So we were sort of first published at the same time. We seemed to hit it off from the start—tho I was crazy with envy at those choice assignments he was getting. Fantastic Four? Avengers? Grrr!!
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Jim Burdo
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 April 2020
Location: United States
Posts: 377
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| Posted: 10 May 2022 at 3:33am | IP Logged | 4
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The Avengers tribute.
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Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 12787
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| Posted: 10 May 2022 at 11:47am | IP Logged | 5
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Among Mr. Perez' many particular skills, he was one of the few artists who seemed to draw any and every character equally well (which was very well).
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Robert Bradley
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 September 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4887
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| Posted: 10 May 2022 at 1:09pm | IP Logged | 6
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Among Mr. Perez' many particular skills, he was one of the few artists who seemed to draw any and every character equally well (which was very well).
* * * * * *
He also gave every face a unique look.
It's like at a certain point in his career he just decided he was drawing individuals.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 10 May 2022 at 1:40pm | IP Logged | 7
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While I didn’t always agree with his “casting” I was truly impressed by George’s constant efforts to individualize character faces. And when he drew faces that didn’t quite work for me, I appreciated the way even those made their own kind of sense. Unlike many contemporary artists who seem to be content to grab the closest photo reference and use that for whichever face they were drawing.
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Mike Benson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 January 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 835
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| Posted: 10 May 2022 at 1:52pm | IP Logged | 8
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One of my favorite comics "hell yes" moments:
The slow evolution of Raven's face in Titans as she moved more and more toward her dark heritage. We didn't notice and neither did the Titans. Took place over years and dozens of issues. Brilliant.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
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| Posted: 10 May 2022 at 4:10pm | IP Logged | 9
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When artists are called upon to draw the same character over a long period, those characters will often change in subtle ways, until the cumulative effect results in a look quite different from where the character started. Note how Kirby’s Fantastic Four bulked up over time, for instance. That’s what happened with Raven, until George and Marv Wolfman noticed what had been happening and turned it into a plot point. That’s what George told me, anyway.
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Mike Benson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 January 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 835
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| Posted: 10 May 2022 at 5:09pm | IP Logged | 10
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I always wondered about that - thanks for the insight!
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Brandon Carter
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2340
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| Posted: 11 May 2022 at 2:40pm | IP Logged | 11
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When artists are called upon to draw the same character over a long period, those characters will often change in subtle ways, until the cumulative effect results in a look quite different from where the character started.That’s what happened with Raven, until George and Marv Wolfman noticed what had been happening and turned it into a plot point. ********** DC serendipity!
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Mark Haslett
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6549
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| Posted: 11 May 2022 at 8:17pm | IP Logged | 12
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Great stories, Brian!
One thing I love about George Perez is that, (much like Neal Adams) he seemed to me to be totally original. I had no idea who his influences were and, honestly, still don't.
He escaped the shadow of so many who came before him and I can recognize his work from almost the smallest of sketches.
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