George Perez has a lot to expect this coming June by DC Comics besides his birthday.
The legendary comic artist and writer turns 68 this June, and DC celebrates his life with a two-page insert in specific titles for that month. With a layout by Dan Jurgens, the spread will feature iconic heroes and villains George has helped create or impacted during the course of his career. Contributors to this image will be creators such as Jerry Ordway, Todd McFarlane, Dave Gibbons, Walter Simonson, Jim Lee, and many others. A complete list of the contributors will be on the back page of this spread.
But for those of you who cannot wait, here is a list of characters featured in this spread, and the artists responsible:
- The Monitor & Anti-Monitor – Jim Lee & Scott Williams
- Trigon – Todd McFarlane
- The Spectre – Alex Ross
- Darkseid – Walter Simonson
- Firestorm & The Justice League Satellite – Scott Kolins
- Ares & Hippolyta – Phil Jimenez
- Cheetah & The Amazons – Colleen Doran
- Lady H.I.V.E. & H.I.V.E. Agents – Scott Koblish
- Vigilante – Dave Gibbons
- Cheshire – Joëlle Jones
- Brother Blood – Darryl Banks
- Blackfire – Mike McKone
- Gizmo & Mammoth – Klaus Janson
- Shimmer – Bruno Redondo
- Psimon – Mikel Janín
- Neutron & Jinx – Dan Mora
- The Legion of Super-Heroes – Francis Manapul
- The Justice Society of America – Jerry Ordway
- Power Girl & Huntress – Kevin Maguire
- The Justice League of America (and the background) – Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapamund
- Superboy-Prime & Alexander Luthor – Ivan Reis
- Supergirl – Gary Frank
- Harbinger – Adam Hughes
- Pariah – Daniel Sampere
- Jericho & Kole – Nicola Scott
- The New Teen Titans, Deathstroke & George Pérez – José Luis García-López
George Perez’s Birthday – A Time To Celebrate a Legend
Jurgens expresses how much the honor of being assigned this project has meant to him
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.
The tribute will also be featured as a wraparound variant cover of Dark Crisis #7. Series writer Joshua Williamson (The Flash) praises the influence George’s work has had on him as a storyteller, as does his own miniseries.
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.
In December, George Perez had announced his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and his decision to not pursue treatment, opting to let nature take its course. To that end, through his agent, he had cancelled scheduled convention appearances and commissions (with full refunds to clients) due also to his failing eyesight. Since that time, he has been in hospice and has been showered with praise and visited by old friends and family. His wife has since been updating his social media accounts on his health.
The Hero Initiative Fund intends to release a special variant of Dark Crisis #7 to raise funds for George’s favorite charities. Perez is a founding member of the organization and served as chair of its Disbursement Committee.
Official Source – DC Celebrating George Perez for all of June | DC (dccomics.com)
