After more than four decades in the comics industry, George Perez has announced he is retiring from the business.

Perez, who began his comics career in 1973, drew several beloved runs on the The New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Superman, Fantastic Four, and The Avengers, as well as the Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinity Gauntlet events. Perez was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2017 for his contributions to the format (see “'Saga' Stands Out at the 2017 Eisners”).

Perez cited health problems as the primary factor in his departure. “With respect to future published work in comics and such,” Perez said in a statement. “...while I know it’s been no secret that I’ve been dealing with a myriad number of health issues (diabetes, heart ailments, vision issues, etc.), they have indeed have forced me to, for all intents and purposes, formally retire from the business of creating new comic stories.”

Perez is also stepping back from commissions, and he is cutting back on convention sketches as well. He will not be sketching at the conventions themselves but will take orders through his art agent around 30 days in advance of an appearance for up to five 9” x 12” head sketches per day he is in attendance. Perez plans to attend six or seven conventions this year and a make-up convention in 2020. Beyond that, Perez hopes to continue participating in Dragon Con and Fetish Con annually as circumstances allow.

Perez plans to donate the money from head sketches and his appearances to charity, and he reminds fans that he’ll be just fine. “In closing, please don’t feel sorry for me about all these life and career changes,” Perez said. “Thankfully I earn more than enough income through royalties to have a comfortable life wherein I may never need to work again. Unless, of course, something really tempting comes along and I’m given sufficient lead time. Hey, you never know.”