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

[dancj]

I never did get the "Perez work looks dated" argument. What exactly about it looks dated to people? I was reading World's Finest last night, and it looked good to me. If there was anything I noticed about it, it was that it seemed rushed in places.

It's hard to put my finger on what makes his current work look dated. I think the stiffness and ropy anatomy could be part of it. Erik Larsen once said he had poor perspective. That's not so bad that I can consciously notice it myself, but maybe that's contributing to the problem as well.

[themac]

I've been following George Perez since his White Tiger, and Man-Wolf days. He's just one of the legends that the newbies take for granted. The seeming necessity of this thread is indeed ridiculous!
His influence is simply enormous in the industry, and along with a few of his contemporaries like Byrne and Simonson, easily compete with the current flavours of the day. We shall judge their contributions when they've racked up a forty-year career. And I certainly don't mean to slam any of the newer luminaries!
We also have to consider the new technologies that the newer artists have 'grown up' with, the better presentation, and increasing importance and versatility the the colourists add to the modern comic. I believe that gives them a certain 'edge', that they make better use of techniques available to them. (We see Perez playing around with 'new' stuff as well, as in the covers to Legion of 3 Worlds.)
Yes, I think George has 'peaked', with some of his past work...he is his worst 'competitor'! But, with almost every book he puts out, there is a page, or a nuance, a choreography, SOMETHING!---that just makes me >sigh<, and think, "Now, THAT'S how you do it!". Examples that immediately spring to mind are anything set in a snowstorm (a la recent Brave and Bold, with Waid), or the aforementioned Starro spread from JLA/Avengers.
Given his omnipresence in the industy, we see his influence everywhere...Phil Jimenez, Nicola Scott are two obvious examples to my eye. I feel they're the torchbearers.
Would I like to see Perez on Flash over Manapul, in 2012? No.
Would I prefer Perez on Batman over Capullo, in 2012? No.
Would I take Perez over Mandrake on Night Force in 2012, or 1991? No.
Give an Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, and let George go nuts....that'd be my cup o' tea!
I think given a world-building project like this, Mr. Perez would better contribute to the new 52.
MY comicdom will always include George Perez...from Project Peagasus to Judas Contract, Impossible Man to Azarath, White Tiger to "Who Killed Myndi Mayer?".......Korvac Saga to Koriand'r.......you get the picture?
Crimson Plague to Past Imperfect...
Crisis to Crisis to Crisis...
Salem Seven to Bride of Ultron...

ok, I'll stop there.

[squashmaster]

Hmm, no...See people who like Perez' art will be partially drawn to his immense attention to details in more or less every panel, Jim Lee on the other hand provides the same amount of details in the big splash pages where things look really good , but normal pages quickly becomes something that looks half-finished (which shouldn't surprise, Lee is nearly notorious for not making deadlines after a while).

Just to clarify, I'm not really talking about Perez' approach to art specifically, just his approach to the comic as a whole. Which I still back up what I said, he is pop and plays to a pop audience. His stuff is big in scale, maybe sometimes substance, but not necessarily. Tropes, but tropes done well.

Specifically as an artist, of course Perez is one of the best in the business, I'd compare him to John Byrne or even Art Adams, very classy, formal style but it's just very majestic.

[Starry]

Hmm, well it's hard to wager to be honest.

George Perez in certain aspects is fantastic. He has an incredible ability for composition and panel placement for exciting ways of storytelling.
That aspect is true.

However, his facial construction and definitely anatomy has some issues.

However that's not his biggest problem or issue, and I think this is why people claim it looks dated. It's due to the lack of accurate light to shadow placement
on the body. Most of George Perez drawings is based on heavy outline of the figures. To go into small detail but not to overwhelm, when light hits a specific surface,
the area of the plane that changes direction has the darkest area, and past that area is somewhat lighter due to the reflection of light from it's perspective surface.
For Perez, a lot of his shadowing are big blotches of black, with no gradation or transition from a dark to lighter dark.

Let's use another art piece for example

This is Ben Oliver, previous batwing artist. And while he's not a fan on background, his realistic human drawing is a site to behold.



Now look at the last panel, you see how the light comes from the side, and than you have this really dark line before it transcends to lighter color.
That's accurate shadow placement.

Ultimately, my biggest critique of George Perez is that he needs some lesson under the works of chiaroscuro,

If he can do some studies like these



IMO, he would be able to pull off light and shadow more convince ably.

This, this, exactly this! Thank you for posting!
I couldn't find the words myself, but that's what bugs me about Perez' modern illustrations. It is also the reason why I find his older stuff (especially his art on early issues of New Teen Titans) better looking than his recent works.
There are anatomy issues, but I can live with them since he had some operation on his eyes (right?)... But it's the way he draws details of the faces (= marking too much of it with ink and leaving too little of it to the colouring) that I dislike the most about his modern style. Not to the point of not liking what I read when it's good written, but still.

And like I said, I love his older work - to me, it was obvious from the start (aka the time when I was reading the NTT) how amazing his work on making the characters look different was. I adore this aspect in all of his works, older and modern!

[protonik]

There's certainly a sense of energy he brings to each and every panel in any book he's working on I think sometimes goes unappreciated. Also, like Byrne, I generally think he doesn't get a lot of credit for the detail of his backgrounds. Seriously, look at the tables, chairs, desks and such in his art; it's really well done.

Byrne still gets a ton of flack for the lack of backgrounds in work from 20 years ago that even he admitted was not his best *cough*alphaflight*cough*

[theflyingfrogunderdog]

Still have my NTT #2 that i bought off a wall rack at 7-Eleven back in the day:

[Phil3940]

Hey Everyone,
Anyone post your favorite George Perez's Picture

http://hqrock.files.wordpress.com/20...x-superman.jpg

http://www.myfreewallpapers.net/comi...e-perez%29.jpg

http://s3.amazonaws.com/images.hitfi...rOne2011PT.jpg

http://www.pinkkryptonite.com/images...%20legions.jpg

[FIFTY-TWO (52)]

[FIFTY-TWO (52)]

[FIFTY-TWO (52)]

[marshal99]

[marshal99]

[Johnny P. Sartre]

Out of everything here, this is my favorite; absolutely beautiful composition and ingenuity.

[Flashpoint]

Out of everything here, this is my favorite; absolutely beautiful composition and ingenuity.

And totally modern, too.

Dated, my @$$.

[Buried Alien]

Not sure if this is one of Perez's (but it sure looks like his style), but he's one of the very few illustrators capable of making the original Robin costume actually look cool (no mean feat).



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)