In praise & defense of George Perez: the man who transformed DC Comics

[tingray]

I'll still take his current work before many of the artists working in the industry today. I hear a lot of praise for guys like Scalera (Secret Avengers) and Leinil Yu, and while I have nothing against them, to me there work is sketchy and hard to follow. Honestly, if the characters aren't in costume, I have a difficult time figuring out who is who in any given panel. Perez' interpretations of characters was always consistent, and you could always readily identify who everyone was. When he did those sketches for me last weekend, Simon looked like Simon, and Hank Pym looked like Hank Pym. He told me that he always had a specific technique for drawing each character, and even though he hadn't drawn Avengers for years, it was so ingrained in him that these guys looked like they walked out of an old Avengers comic.

[Judge-Dredd]

I recently picked up the New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 1 and 2. Damn Perez was a good artist, you really get your bang for your buck, he fits so much onto a page. Reading those awesome comics made me kinda sad that their history was erased in the New 52 to make way for the terrible current incarnation.

[Jabare]

George Perez is a top 10 talent without question. He's responsible for some of the greatest DC works to this day. You can't question, without Perez the DC Universe I knew and loved for years would not have existed/been the same

[destro]

I'm always puzzled when people call anything dated. Good is good to me.

People still listen to the Beatles. People still enjoy the art of Picasso (and of course comic books artists like Kirby and Ditko). People still watch movies like Frankenstein, Gone With the Wind and Casablanca. People still read Mark Twain, Poe, Shakespeare, etc...

Now you can also give examples of older things that many people no longer enjoy. But I don't think it's because they are "dated". Tastes do change, but sometimes something good remains good.

[asiansupes]

I'm always puzzled when people call anything dated. Good is good to me.

People still listen to the Beatles. People still enjoy the art of Picasso (and of course comic books artists like Kirby and Ditko). People still watch movies like Frankenstein, Gone With the Wind and Casablanca. People still read Mark Twain, Poe, Shakespeare, etc...

Now you can also give examples of older things that many people no longer enjoy. But I don't think it's because they are "dated". Tastes do change, but sometimes something good remains good.

Perez was a great artist and still is. The fundamentals and basic structure of the artwork is still good but the window dressing of the art is perceived as dated. His art helped define a whole era (1980s-mid 90s) and his style remained consistent and very similar at this time. For better or worse, his work screams his era.

Picasso is an interesting case. He started out in a more traditional style but he let his art evolve in a more expressionitic matter and defied the rules. Not many comic artists change their style so drastically. Bill Sienkiewicz is one. Jack Kirby is another.

[Johnny P. Sartre]

Perez was a great artist and still is. The fundamentals and basic structure of the artwork is still good but the window dressing of the art is perceived as dated. His art helped define a whole era (1980s-mid 90s) and his style remained consistent and very similar at this time. For better or worse, his work screams his era.

Picasso is an interesting case. He started out in a more traditional style but he let his art evolve in a more expressionitic matter and defied the rules. Not many comic artists change their style so drastically. Bill Sienkiewicz is one. Jack Kirby is another.

I wish he was still drawing comics.

[dupersuper]

[klinton]

I haven't read the entire discussion here, so my comments have probs already been addressed, but...

I find the word 'defense' in reference to Perez absurd. The man's body of work defies any need for random internet posters to need to 'defend' him. He's drawn some of the most legendary images in comics, and especially in DC comics.

If you can't appreciate Perez art then you're quite seriously following the wrong hobby.

[asiansupes]

I haven't read the entire discussion here, so my comments have probs already been addressed, but...

I find the word 'defense' in reference to Perez absurd. The man's body of work defies any need for random internet posters to need to 'defend' him. He's drawn some of the most legendary images in comics, and especially in DC comics.

If you can't appreciate Perez art then you're quite seriously following the wrong hobby.

As much as i agree that Perez is a legend in super-hero comics, i can't get behind the wrong hobby statement. Some people's taste lie in a more expressive style, a totally cartoonist style, or even something more widen open. Perez isn't for everyone especially if superheroes aren't your thing.

[Cardinal!]

People dissing on George Perez? Man, what is the world coming to. I admit his more current art doesn't hold up as well for me as some of the stuff he was putting out 10-20 years ago, but give the guy a break! He's been doing this forever. While his action scenes could sometimes feel stiff, his attention to detail alone in backgrounds, faces, etc. shows far more mastery of the craft than a lot of current artists. I wish I had a scanner so that I could upload some images that come to mind in how well he could convey emotion in single panels just from facial expressions alone. Some of his Wonder Woman stories like "Last Will and Testament of Myndi Mayer" immediately come to mind, as does "Who is Donna Troy?" And hello, the covers to Crisis #7 and Crisis #8?

The one thing that I do fault Perez for is that I've always generally considered his character/costume designs to be largely terrible. I love Starfire, I love Raven, I love Cyborg. But Terra I's costume? Deathstroke? Jericho? Nightwing's original costume? Troia? Harbinger? It's like they're either terribly bland or garishly busy/ugly.

[klinton]

As much as i agree that Perez is a legend in super-hero comics, i can't get behind the wrong hobby statement. Some people's taste lie in a more expressive style, a totally cartoonist style, or even something more widen open. Perez isn't for everyone especially if superheroes aren't your thing.

First off: if superheroes aren't your thing, then you're on the wrong forum. This is the DC comics forum. Vertigo, indy books, and all of your comics options have thier own forums.

Secondly, taste is always going to be subjective. That doesn't address obvious technical skill. Love it or hate it, the actual skill is not open to debate.

[asiansupes]

First off: if superheroes aren't your thing, then you're on the wrong forum. This is the DC comics forum. Vertigo, indy books, and all of your comics options have thier own forums.

Secondly, taste is always going to be subjective. That doesn't address obvious technical skill. Love it or hate it, the actual skill is not open to debate.

Oh, Perez is obviously very skilled. He's probably at or near the top of his era (1980s-2000 peak). I'm just pointing out that you don't need to like his art to be a super-hero comic fan. Anyway, I'll always remember Perez for his Teen Titans run and for creating the Luthor armor's original look. However, i'll always appreciate his work on DC Comics Presents #61 when he teamed Superman with the O.G. OMAC and meeting him at a con this year. Watching him draw over my layouts on Brainiac was pretty awesome and a pretty cool lesson on pen control. He's a pretty humble guy, too.

[dancj]

I'm not sure which side of the argument that you're supposed to be supporting with those pictures. The Superman/Wonder Woman pic is quite good, but the other one really isn't (IMO).

[dupersuper]

I'm not sure which side of the argument that you're supposed to be supporting with those pictures. The Superman/Wonder Woman pic is quite good, but the other one really isn't (IMO).

Are you effin' with me? A pissed battle damaged Superman with glowing red eyes holding Thors hammer and Caps shield on a Crisis-like background???? That pic alone was worth all the $ I paid for JLA/Avengers 1 - 4.

[Comet Man]

Are you effin' with me? A pissed battle damaged Superman with glowing red eyes holding Thors hammer and Caps shield on a Crisis-like background???? That pic alone was worth all the $ I paid for JLA/Avengers 1 - 4.

Heh, I was wondering if he was seeing the same thing I was. Both pieces are gorgeous from Gorgeous George.