DC PROFILE #80, from DAILY PLANET vol 81, #11 (Aug 81)

DC PROFILE #80: GEORGE PEREZ
August 1981
written by Michael C. Carmichael
transcribed by Vu, thanks to ES

The instant success of THE NEW TEEN TITANS is not nearly so remarkable as the fact that one of the reasons behind that success, artist George Pérez, has never had any formal art training. "I've been drawing since I was five years old," recalled the black-bearded Pérez in a recent interview, "my first drawing board was the hamper in the bathroom."

That bathroom, along with the rest of George's house and family (his parents and a younger brother), was located in the South Bronx, New York, where George was born on June 9, 1954. "I learned to read from super-hero comics," admits George, "so it was natural that I turned to them for inspiration for my drawing. The first one I recall reading was DETECTIVE COMICS #270, it had Batman and Robin fighting a space creature, and there was Roy Raymond and the Martian manhunter. I loved the Martian Manhunter."

But it was to be years later before George was to get his chance to create, professionally, his own science fiction visual concepts. In the meantime, George created amateur super-heroes. "I didn't have any real favorites because I liked to make up my own. I remember creating Rubberband Man - a hero with a human head and a rubberband body. The body was the easiest thing to draw."

After the elementary school years at St. Luke's Catholic School, George entered the Cardinal Hayes High School. "The only art course they had there was a babysitting course," grumbled George, "they let you draw, but they never taught you anything."

But despite this disappointing art "training," it was doing this course that George made the acquaintance of Tom Sciacca, a comic book fan of the first order. "It was Tom who actually started me into the comic book business," claims George. "He took me to my first convention."

CREATURES ON THE LOOSE: FEATURING MAN-WOLF #33 (Jan 1975) Marvel Comics

In 1972, George graduated from high school and began working as a bank teller. But he still attended the comic conventions whenever he could, his portfolio in hand so he could show off his work just as often. "I got rejected by DC's 'Junior Bullpen' project in 1973, but artist Rich Buckler saw my work and soon hired me as an assistant." In 1974, George received his first solo penciling assignments. "It was a MAN-WOLF tale for Marvel," he remembers, "I only did the penciling while Klaus Janson did the inking."

Before long, George found it impossible to keep his bank teller's job - he was too busy drawing Marvel's top-selling book at the time, FANTASTIC FOUR and THE AVENGERS, along with the THE INHUMANS and SONS OF THE TIGER.

"It was Marv Wolfman who brought me over to DC," says George, "to specifically do the new Titans. I said that I'd only do it if I got the chance to do at least one JUSTICE LEAGUE issue. This was only a few weeks before the tragic and unexpected death of JLA artist Dick Dillin. I never wanted to get the JLA assignment for that reason!"

Soon George will take on a new assignment - his marriage to aspiring professional dancer, Carol Flynn. "My biggest fan!"

About his part in the incredible success of the THE NEW TEEN TITANS. George recalls happily, "Everyone laughed when they heard that I was going to be doing as my DC assignment. You know, they're not laughing any more!"

This is the profile that appeared in the back pages of World's Finest Comics #273 Nov '81.