When Mr. Pérez announced in a Facebook post in December 2021 that he had a life expectancy of only 6 to 12 months following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, the testimonials came quickly. They included articles like “How George Pérez Changed Comics Forever,” which noted his enjoyment of comics that teamed up superheros, his depiction of female characters with a diversity of body types, his positive interactions with his fans and his charitable initiatives.
“We lost another of the absolute greats this weekend,” Jim Lee, the chief creative officer and publisher of DC Comics, wrote in an Instagram post. “His career is truly a testament to what one can achieve in life when singularly focused on what one loves to do.”
George Pérez was born in the South Bronx, on June 9, 1954, to Jorge Guzman Pérez, who worked in the meatpacking industry, and Luz Maria Izquierdo, a homemaker. Both were from Puerto Rico, and met in New Jersey. Besides his parents, he is survived by his wife, Carol Flynn, and his brother, David.
Mr. Pérez was a self-taught artist who got his start in 1973 as an assistant to the comic book artist Rich Buckler. He received his first professional credit the next year for a two-page satirical story for Marvel about the character Deathlok.
In 1975, he and the writer Bill Mantlo created the White Tiger, the first Puerto Rican superhero in the series Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu. The editor of the series was Mr. Wolfman, who was initially critical of Mr. Pérez’s grasp of anatomy and perspective.
“He asked me years later why, considering I had problems with his art in those early days, did I continue to use him,” Mr. Wolfman recalled in a telephone interview. “Perspective is something you can learn, but you can’t teach storytelling. George was a natural storyteller from Day 1,” he said. One of Mr. Pérez’s attempts to prove his skills to his editor was a full page aerial shot of the White Tiger, crouched above an urban skyline, with the buildings forming the letters of his name.
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