DC will celebrate the 68th birthday of one of the most influential artists in the history of the medium, George Pérez, with a two-page center spread in every DC comic book published this June.
The double-page center spread’s layout was designed by Dan Jurgens, and includes many of Pérez’s peers and admirers’ such as Jim Lee, Walter Simonson, Alex Ross, Dave Gibbons, Todd McFarlane, Daniel Sampere, Jerry Ordway, Nicola Scott and many more, collaborated on the colorful spread.
Accompanying the spread on a separate page will be a key highlighting some of Perez’s most famous characters and the many artists that added their artwork to the jam piece.
Jurgens says that he “…was truly honored,” to be the one laying out the tribute, as he has “…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.”
The tribute piece will also serve as a variant cover for Dark Crisis #7, and each issue of the event series will feature a cover inspired by one of the many previous crisis events, beginning with Pérez’s cover for the original (and dare we say, best) Crisis on Infinite Earths #1.
Dark Crisis Writer Joshua Williamson says that “George Pérez is one of my favorite comic storytellers of all time. To say he’s a ‘great artist’ is a massive understatement. 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 limited edition version of the Dark Crisis #7 variant cover will also be available for sale by The Hero Initiative to raise funds for one of Pérez’s favorite charities. Pérez is one of the founding member of Hero Initiative’s board of directors and has served as chair of its Disbursement Committee, helping dozens of his forbearers and contemporaries in the comic book industry over the years.
Check out the preview art and checklist for the tribute spread below.
