Legendary comic artist George Pérez has been diagnosed with end-stage stage 3 pancreatic cancer, as reported in an article posted to his public Facebook page.

“On November 29, I received confirmation that after undergoing surgery for a blockage in my liver, I have stage 3 pancreatic cancer,” the statement from Pérez read. “It is surgically inoperable and my estimated life expectancy is between 6 months and a year.”

Pérez goes on to state that he plans to spend the remaining time with his friends and family, and hopes to have one final signing event for his many fans.

Pérez made his industry debut in the early ’70s at Marvel Comics, writing stories in titles such as Astonishing Tales and Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu, in which he co-created Puerto Rican superhero White Tiger. alongside writer Bill Mantlo, to celebrate his own legacy.

He quickly became the regular artist of The Avengers for over 20 issues, co-creating the Taskmaster and shaping part of the storyline for “Korvac Saga,” one of Pérez’s first big storylines.

After stints at Marvel on Fantastic Four and Inhumans, Pérez moved to DC where he took on pencil duties for Justice League of America following the death of longtime JLA artist Dick Dillin.

From there, Pérez became the artist of New Teen Titans, revamping the team of teens alongside writer Marv Wolfman into one of the most popular comics of its time. In his run on Teen Titans, Pérez designed the first Nightwing costume, perhaps the most famous of the quirky, hyper-detailed costumes he became known for during his career.

After New Teen Titans, Pérez cemented his reputation as a go-to artist for top superhero event stores as a lead artist on DC Crisis on Infinite Earths, where he developed his fondness for still photography. massive group with dozens and dozens of highly detailed, intricately rendered characters and dynamic layouts.

After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Pérez revamped Wonder Woman with a new origin and style, once again becoming a fan-favorite character after several years of slowing down, and bringing her back to her roots in Greek mythology.

In the early ’90s, Pérez returned to Marvel Comics for another major crossover event as the lead artist in the Infinity Gauntlet story. For a few years, Pérez took on selective projects, including Peter David’s Hulk: Future Imperfect in which he co-created Maestro, the future evil version of the Hulk. But in the late ’90s, Pérez returned to the limelight as the “Heroes Return” era artist Avengers relaunched alongside writer Kurt Busiek.

Busiek and Pérez returned the Avengers to a more classic status quo after the controversial “Heroes Reborn” relaunch, elevating the title to one of Marvel’s flagship books for a multi-year partnership.

Perez’s time on the Avengers ended in the fulfillment of a dream that had been brewing for the artist since the early ’80s, with the release of Avengers vs. JLA alongside his Avengers creative partner, Busiek. Perhaps the best and most definitive story of any official Marvel / DC crossover over the years, Avengers vs. JLA is a crowning achievement in Pérez’s superhero career.

Although he continued to undertake new projects after Avengers vs JLA, including his titles Crimson Plague and Sirens owned by its creator, Pérez announced his retirement from the comics in 2019, citing his health as the main factor in his decision. .

Pérez’s statement about his diagnosis invites fans to contact him via Facebook and promises to resend as many messages as he can.

“I just want to be able to say goodbye with smiles and tears,” Pérez says.