George Pérez

George is one of my personal favorites.  He's probably best known for the amount of detail he crams into every page he draws, but in my opinion, that's a one-dimensional view of George's work.  George has an exciting approach to storytelling and graphic design that is all his own.  He is also a master at giving each character a certain personality through the use of his or her facial features and body language -- each character is unique.  Plus, I've had the pleasure of meeting him several times at comic conventions and shows, and not only is he a masterful artist, but he's a genuinely nice guy.

• New Titans #61 cover:  It seemed like I'd been looking for a really good example of George's artwork for the longest time when I finally got the chance to acquire this cover.  I'm still kicking myself for not getting a gorgeous Fantastic Four pinup when it was not only offered to me, but when I later saw that it was still available at the San Diego Comic Convention years ago.  Having said that, I love this cover.  There's tremendous detail in the figurework and backgrounds; the cover design is classic Pérez.  There are shards of glass flying everywhere, the texture behind Batman and Nightwing is hand-drawn (not zip), the cover also features the other Titans, and there's even a trademark cityscape in the background.  The only thing missing is the trademark Pérez crowd scene with a zillion people! (Inks: George Pérez)