June 9th marks the 68th birthday of George Pérez, and DC Comics announced today they will be honoring the legendary artist for the occasion with a new spread from a who’s-who of high-profile artists, featuring an assortment of the creator’s most memorable characters. Todd McFarlane, Alex Ross, Nicola Scott, Joëlle Jones, Jerry Ordway, and José Luis García-López are among the artists contributing to the spread, which features characters from iconic Pérez works like The New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, and Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Here’s the full spread, which will appear across DC’s titles in June:
And here’s a full breakdown of the characters and creators involved:
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- 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 Rapmund
- 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
…all laid out by Jurgens and colored by HiFi. In a statement announcing the spread, Jurgens described his thought process in putting the George Pérez tribute piece together:
“When I was asked to come up with a design and layout that would honor George Pérez and his many incredible contributions to DC Comics over the years, I was truly honored,” said Dan Jurgens. “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.”
Along with appearing in DC’s titles for June, the art for the spread will also be available as a variant cover for Dark Crisis #7, following variants on the previous issues of the series that commemorate DC’s prior Crisis events. Dark Crisis writer Joshua Williamson described the impact that Pérez has had on his fandom and career:
“George Pérez is one of my favorite comic storytellers of all time. To say he’s a ‘great artist’ is a massive understatement,” said Dark Crisis Writer Joshua Williamson. “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.”
A special edition version of the variant cover featuring the new artwork will also be available through The Hero Initiative, an organization for which Pérez is a founding member of the Board of Directors. This marks the second time that DC has partnered with The Hero Initiative to honor the legacy of George Pérez following the new printing of JLA/Avengers the non-profit organization released earlier this year.
Look for the new spread to appear throughout DC’s titles in June, the full list of which can be found here.
