Memorial program front - portrait by Phil Noto
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It was with heavy heart but great admiration to be present for the George Pérez memorial service hosted at MegaCon Orlando inside the sprawling Orange County Convention Center.
The service was the last event of the four-day convention, that brought well over 100,000 to the biggest comics and pop culture event in the Southeast. Living in nearby Sanford, FL, Pérez had been a longtime friend of the show and built up many personal and professional relationships from his regular appearances there.
During the four-day show, a table was set up adorned with a large floral bouquet and a recent tribute art piece done by fellow artist and fan Bill Sienkiewicz with two guestbooks that the public could use to enter their well wishes and thoughts.
A Friday fan-centric Remembering George Pérez panel also allowed fans to reminisce, share, and let everyone know what an impact his art, legacy, and good character, left on them.
As the crowd filed in, acoustic Beatles music played and a slideshow featuring George, his friends and family, and his recent trip to DC headquarters in Burbank, was shown.
The memorial service began with words from Constance Eza, a longtime friend of George and wife Carol, as well as a medical professional and comics event promoter.
George’s brother, David (barely over a year younger) and his ninety-one year-old mother, Luz Maria Izquierdo took to the stage to each tell stories and thank the fans for all their support over the years. George’s father unfortunately was not in enough good health to attend.
Growing up in the South Bronx, David told tales of the brothers riding red tricycles together, and both drawing at an early age, even coming up with their own heroes, one being the Kleptomaniac Kid, who could make items teleport right into his hand. Both brothers were also proud of their Puerto Rican heritage as well as assimilating as first-generation Nuyorican immigrants.
DC ex-publisher Dan Didio and a surprise guest, current DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee each remembered George in their own ways. Lee recalled being starstruck and tongue-tied not only the first time they met at a convention, but for the second time as well. In particular, Lee was amazed at the details with which George drew Avengers Mansion in 1977’s issue 162.
Didio felt it had only been recently to sink in with him that George was really gone. He also remarked that he previously hired Marv Wolfman for an animation project in hopes of also potentially meeting George, and that the first time he had really wished he could be back in the DC offices since his departure, was in January when he heard Wolfman and Pérez would be visiting in Burbank.
Another longtime family friend, Shannon Lower spoke of George taking her to her first comic convention when she was nineteen, and altering the course of her life, as a result. She spoke of times and the kindness that George and wife Carol provided, both to she and her family, as well as the comic community, specifically his efforts with Hero Initiative.
Eza spoke briefly near the end, and the ceremony would finish with words and a quick story or two from George himself, courtesy of clips from a previous appearance at Amazing Con and also a segment filmed for a documentary.
(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)
Program Interior |
Program back |
George’s brother and mother |
Constance Eza |
Shannon Lower |
Dan Didio |
Jim Lee |
Dan Didio and Jim Lee at George Perez Memorial Service, MegaCon Orlando (2022-05-22) |
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