Fandom is reeling. Many of us are weeping. Award-winning comic book artist George Perez announced that he has pancreatic cancer and it is inoperable. His doctors estimate he has six to twelve months left. George has been in poor health for some time, and was forced to retire when his diabetes cost him the sight in one eye. The cancer was discovered during an operation to correct a liver blockage.

Adoring fans have been taking this opportunity to say goodbye and thank you to George. He is doing likewise. “I just want to be able to say goodbye with smiles as well as tears,” he wrote. George has long been a popular guest at conventions. His artistic talent and his genial personality made him a fan favorite.

“I have been given the option of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy,” George said. “But after weighing all the variables and assessing just how much of my remaining days would be eaten up by doctor visits, treatments, hospital stays and dealing with the often stressful and frustrating bureaucracy of the medical system, I’ve opted to just let nature take its course and I will enjoy whatever time I have left as fully as possible with my beautiful wife of 40 years, my family, my friends and my fans.” George has always been appreciative of his fans, and we’ve been grateful for it. Even if we only saw him once a year for a few hours at a con, we regarded him like a favorite uncle. That’s why this news is hitting so hard.

George Perez said ” I am enveloped in the loving arms of so many who love me as much as I love them. It’s quite uplifting to be told that you’ve led a good life, that you’ve brought joy to so many lives and that you’ll be leaving this world a better place because you were part of it.”

Awards

George Perez has won multiple Eagle Awards and Comic Book Buyers Guide Fan Award several times, as well as the coveted Inkpot Award. He has also won the Jack Kirby Award for achievement in comic books.

In 1985 George was named as one of Fifty Who Made DC Great, and received the Comic Buyer’s Guide Fan Award for Favorite Artist that year.

George Perez has illustrated both DC and Marvel Comics, as well as CrossGen and Gorilla. There are few DC and Marvel characters he hasn’t drawn. He is best known for his work on the New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, The Avengers, and Crisis on Infinite Earths.

To say your own goodbyes to George Perez, follow this link. Make sure George’s last Christmas is a good one. Let him know how much he’s meant to you.

• Gregarious
• Energetic
• Outstanding
• Romantic
• Genial
• Excellent

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