George Perez and the Teen Titans
2007-01-04 12:20:00

OK, so I am going to be posting some artwork by the great George Perez, the master comicbook artist that does the famed Teen Titans (not the cartoon TT). I hope you guys enjoy his work as much as I do....Damon

This month's Heritage Auction turned up some interesting Perez-related items. Although they have more listing, these are the most interesting that heritagegalleriesandauctioneers is offering on ebay.

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George Perez - Original Pin Up Art for Wonder Woman Annual #2 (DC, 1989). A superb, iconic image of the Amazon Princess by the legendary George Perez, complete with golden lasso motif. Perez is a master of the female form, and nowhere is this more evident than when he's drawing Wonder Woman. This powerfully sexy image would make a great addition to any WW collection. 11" x 17", in excellent condition. Estimate: $1,000-up

George Perez - Original Shi and Crimson Plague Pin Up (1996). George Perez shows his mastery at drawing the beautiful female form as Shi faces off against Crimson Plague in this dramatic design. The image was used as the basis for a poster given out at The New York International Sci-Fi & Fantasy Creators Convention in 2003. George Perez excels at creating a totally unique body type, face, and even individualized body language for each of his characters. As a superbly talented artist, he does not rely on a formula or schemata for his figure work. The art paper is 12" x 17.5" with an image area of 11" x 16". George has signed the piece in the lower right corner and autographed it again, below that. The condition of the art is excellent, no paper damage or white-out at all. A gorgeous piece of art featuring two lovely heroines in action! Estimate: $2,000-up

THE NEW TEEN TITANS ARCHIVES #1 (1999) DC Comics

George Perez - Original Art Teen Titans Pin Up (DC, 1998). George Perez has assembled the Teen Titans together for this dramatic pin-up image! The art is in exceptional condition, no white-out, or paper quality flaws, with super-clean inking. All of the Titans are in full costume and having lots of fun, judging by the smiles on their faces. The art paper is 11.25" x 17" with an image area of 9.75" x 14". George Perez has signed the piece twice, once inside the circular form, and again in the lower right corner of the page. A treasure for any George Perez fan. Estimate: $2,500-up Estimate: $2,000-up

Chris Sprouse and George Perez - Original Pin-Up Art for War of the Gods #2 (DC, 1992). Four harpies screech and gnash their teeth in this superb pin-up from War of the Gods #2 by Chris Sprouse (best known for his work on Supreme and Tom Strong), slicked-over with lustrous inks by the great George Perez. This piece is wicked-cool any way you slice it. Measures 11" x 17" on standard DC stock. Estimate: $500-up

Teen Titans Essential Tale: "The Judas Contract"
from Wizard #0, 2003
transcribed by Bill Walko

If anything, "The Judas Contract" shreds superteam ideals by asking, "Who do you trust?"

Co-plotting creators Wolfman and Perez craft an all-new art of deception with their iconic version of the Teen Titans.

In fact, a true appreciation of this tale (which DC recently collected into a TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS trade paperback) comes from knowing that it comprises only a patch among a larger, more sinister tapestry.

Approximately a year before "Judas Contract" begins, a snarky young girl named Terra joins the Teen Titans under peculiar - and as a result, sympathetic - circumstances. At first, the earth-manipulating teen fights them, claiming she's a pawn of terrorists who have kidnapped her parents. The Titans resolve the issue, but not before learning the kidnappers had killed Terra's parents long ago without her knowledge. All alone in the world, Terra seeks refuge with the Titans.

Over the course of the next year, Terra's sarcastic 'tude wins her teammates over. They let her in on all of their secrets - their real identities, their personal lives, their day job - severything. The lead-in to "Judas" serves up the ultimate whammy: Terra serves under the employ of the Titans' No. 1 nemesis, Deathstroke the Terminator... and has been from the start. And now the pair - hired by the nefarious organization known as the HIVE - know exactly how, where and when to strike at the start of "Judas."

And pounce they do, systematically taking out each Titan, one by one, for eventual execution at the hands of the HIVE. With one exception: the ex-Robin, Dick Grayson, who outmanuevers the far superior Deathstroke to escape and plan his team-mates' liberation in a then-new guise of Nightwing.

The ensuing battle for the Titans' freedom comes at a high cost, and Terra's duplicity cuts too deep, as one Titan perishes by story's end. Perhaps the deepest wound went to Changeling (now called Beast Boy) - before "Judas," he believed that he and Terra had a blossoming romance; instead her deception devastated him with a broken heart.

"The Judas Contract" proves that innocence can be lost at any time, and things aren't always what they seem. The teenage life still walks its road of hard knocks...but for the Teen Titans, "Judas" left them a world more dangerous than ever.

ALSO CHECK OUT: If it's got the names "Wolfman and Perez" on the cover, then it's gotta be good. And the following three examples kick ass. Pick up the first four issues of New Teen Titans (vol. I) and see how these Titans ain't a Junior JLA. New Teen Titans (vol. I) #20 serves as a touching one-shot story where Wally West (then going by Kid Flash) writes his parents describing what it means to be a Titan. Finally, the "Who Killed Trident?" storyarc in Titans (vol. I) #33 presents a unique murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

Newsarama reported:

"DC Comics announced Thursday that a “staggering” 200 titles from the DC Comics backlist are showcased online now at dccomics.com/collect/, each with cover art, three interior story pages, and content descriptions. The newly-posted site updates the previous version of the DC Graphic Novels webpage and last year's DC Comics Collected Editions Library CD-ROM, reflecting the upcoming Version 2.0 of the CD-ROM."

I went to the link and there are information on CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TP (one of DC's most popular trade paperback), HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE (popular), WONDER WOMAN: PARADISE LOST TP, NEW TEEN TITANS ARCHIVES HC #1, and SUPERMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW?.

Letters. We’ve Got Letters!
By Marv Wolfman

THE NEW TEEN TITANS ARCHIVES #1 (1999) DC Comics

(excerpt)

The following came from someone whose name I stupidly lost. Tell me who sent this and I'll publicly apologize.

What is your opinion of the different segments of your lengthy run on Titans? What was your best story arc? What was your worst? At what point did you realize you didn't want to write it anymore? Discuss generally your long run on the book and how it affected you as a writer and the concept of the team book in the comic medium. Also compare your run on Titans to the Claremont period on X-Men and the results on both books.

The New Teen Titans was the best of times and the worst of times. I loved writing the book, especially the first eight to ten years where I was in charge of it, either unofficially or officially. Those were the issues where I did what I truly believed in. Once someone else comes in - even if they are a great editor - things change. Sometimes for the best. Sometimes not so for the best. There are a number comics where I truly believe the editor makes the series much, much better, but a very few series where I feel the creators should be left alone. For me those series would be Titans, Crisis and Tomb Of Dracula. Everything else I've worked on has been helped by working with good editors. I don't think it's at all surprising that things weren't quite the same on Titans once that control changed.

Best runs: The first 50 issues. Or anytime I worked with the incredible George Perez. He wasn't just the artist. He was the co-creator. Favorite stories: "Who is Donna Troy?", the Terra storyline. And a story nobody ever brings up which is my all time favorite, "Shades of Gray," the culmination of the Changeling/Terminator story. There are dozens of smaller stories that I also love, especially "A Day In The Life," and "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Maladi." I loved the Kole stories and many others.

Where did it go wrong? The last year or two. The reason? See my note in paragraph one above. Also, along the way I lost interest in the series and thought of quitting, but then Jon Peterson became editor and reminded me what I loved about the book. We did "Titans Hunt" together which was as close to the 'classic' Titans as I had done in a long time. It would have been a lot better if it hadn't had to be broken up by two maxi-series, turning what should have been a four-five part story where Vic Stone would have been rebuilt to a year and a half storyline where he got lost in the mix.

I finally had it during that final year and decided to quit the book. I hated every story. Every issue. I wasn't even the plotter. So, at a DC Christmas out here in LA, I went up to DCU Editor-in-Chief Mike Carlin and said I wanted to quit and asked if DC would bring back Night Force and let me write that instead, but with a different editor. I thought there might have been a problem, but Mike said yes but asked me to stay on the Titans a few issues longer. He said he thought it would be best to cancel the Titans with my run rather than just hand it over to someone else. They would then restart it with new characters, concepts and a new number one, which I thought was a great idea. After sixteen years, a new voice and approach was needed. Mike assigned a new editor to my last four issues, and, with the exception of not being able to use Nightwing - who had been returned to Batman continuity - let me end the series pretty much the way I wanted. I still thank Mike for rescuing me from what had turned into a hellish nightmare.

I still love the Titans and would love to do individual stories about them, but DC hasn't seemed that interested. I recently proposed a character-driven Titans-3 series featuring an approximately 24 year old Cyborg, Raven and Starfire trying to figure out what they are about when they aren't being super, but nobody seems to be banging down my door for it. I also have tried to jumpstart the Games graphic novel George and I started a dozen years ago - of which he drew 80 incredible pages that have never been seen - but again, no interest.

[ Read more We've Got Letters (Aug 11) ]