George Pérez's legendary career at both DC and Marvel include classic comic book storylines like 1985-1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths and 1991's Infinity Gauntlet. In a Facebook post, Pérez announced that he had been diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer.
In the post, Pérez wrote that he received the diagnosis on November 27 and that the cancer is inoperable. Pérez, 67, was told by doctors that he has six months to a year to live. "I have been given the option of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy," Pérez wrote in the post, "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 possible with my family, friends, and fans." Pérez is currently planning on making one last public appearance to meet fans and will continue signing autographs.
Pérez's career includes working with writer Marv Wolfman on The New Teen Titans for DC. During their run on the book, the two evolved the Titans into the team they are known as today, creating such characters as Cyborg/Victor Stone, Starfire/Princess Koriand'r, and Raven. They also introduced the villains Trigon, Deathstroke, and the organization known as H.I.V.E. The run also had Dick Grayson retire his persona as Robin and take up the mantle of Nightwing. The Judas Contract storyline was later adapted for the animated Teen Titans series and a 2017 animated film (directed by Sam Liu).
From 1985 to 1986, Pérez and Wolfman worked on DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, which rebooted the DC Universe. The storyline was adapted for The CW's Arrowverse 2019-2020 crossover. After Crisis, Pérez was a writer and artist for Wonder Woman, which reinvented the character's history. Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins said that Pérez's run on the comic was an influence on her films. In 1991, Pérez and Ron Lim did the art for Jim Starlin's Infinity Gauntlet for Marvel. The storyline was later the inspiration for 2018's Avengers: Infinity War (directed by Anthony and Joe Russo).
Towards the end of his post, Pérez wrote, "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 a part of it." His impact on the world of comics cannot be understated, and our thoughts go out to Pérez, as well as his family, friends, and loved ones in this time.