By d. emerson eddy — The end of year often brings about a bit of reflection. Thinking about the past in the dark hours of the night, sometimes with fondness, sometimes with sadness, remembering all the things that were and all the things that could have been. These past couple of years have been hard on many people, dealing with isolation, grief, losing loved ones to a horrible pandemic in a number of ways, bringing about possibly even more introspection. It doesn't take nearly slowly dying from a spider bite (you don't get spider powers, sorry to say) to kick in those reminiscences. Though it, coupled with a sad announcement from a luminary in the comics industry, sparked off a reminder that we should thank the people who have brought us joy over the years, who have given us so much entertainment and enlightenment through their creativity, while they're still around. To never take for granted their contributions to the world.

Undoubtedly you've seen the many tributes and gushing memories, the sheer outpouring of love for George Pérez when he made his announcement of his cancer diagnosis. I'm personally of the opinion that there can never be enough for him, as a sheer legend in the industry with a massive influence on artists and writers, showing just what heights you can take the medium to. Also, as to how you can be a master and still be genuinely one of the kindest, humblest people in the world.

People have shared their favourites from Pérez's work, ranging from the blockbusters in The New Teen Titans and The Infinity Gauntlet to smaller, more personal works like Sirens, and everything in between. I probably first really noticed him with Crisis on Infinite Earths and then Wonder Woman (I was not a Titans reader for the most part while it was coming out) and was amazed by his ability to tell a story in quite possibly the most dynamic way. And I wanted to spotlight a work that had its genesis in the '80s but wasn't completed until more than 20 years later in the original graphic novel, The New Teen Titans: Games from Pérez, Marv Wolfman, Mike Perkins, Al Vey, Hi-Fi, and Travis Lanham.

Games sets out to tell a tale of a twisted “game” of life and death being played by the mysterious Gamesmaster, pitting the Titans against a batch of villainous metahumans to highlight weak points in society, and bring down the government agent King Faraday. The story is steeped in deep Titans lore, including branching out in Deathstroke and Checkmate territory, acting as a treat to long time readers of The New Teen Titans, but it's still quite enjoyable for someone just walking in relatively blind to the characters and backstory. It's a tale of the lengths that people will go to in order to get what they want and also which buttons you can press in someone's personal life to possibly take them to the edge. It's as much about the threat to the Titans' families and friends as it is about the intrigue and action that threatens the destruction of New York City.

Through it all is Pérez's gorgeous artwork. Many probably know him for the feats he can do just for being able to draw so many people on the page at once while still making things interesting and not feel cluttered, but Games truly shows where he shines with compelling storytelling. There aren't a lot of artists out there who seem to have Pérez's capability to always deliver on panel transitions, insets, and reveals quite like him. Reaction panel overlap atop a tier of explosions, discrete panel blocks giving complete information on a character, Jericho talking over another character by “ghosting” across a page, visually it's just stunning. And rewarding to just sit back and take in all of the different techniques that he uses to tell the story perfectly. 

You can learn a lot about sequential art here from Pérez, even if the overall package wasn't as good as it is on its own. Because the rest of team Wolfman, Perkins, Vey, Hi-Fi, and Lanham are no slouches either. I sadly do them an injustice focusing largely on Pérez's artwork, since they're all integral parts in how good this story is and incredible in their own right.

So, please, take a look at The New Teen Titans: Games from Wolfman, Pérez, Perkins, Vey, Hi-Fi, and Lanham. It's a wonderful encapsulation of much of the magic that went into the long Titans run from Wolfman and Pérez, while standing as its own thing to be enjoyed. And also take a moment to reflect on other artists, writers, musicians, entertainers, whoever, that have enriched your life and, if possible, send them a thanks. Let people know that you care about them while you and they're still around.

The New Teen Titans - Games

The New Teen Titans: Games
Writers: Marv Wolfman & George Pérez
Artist: George Pérez
Inkers: Mike Perkins, Al Vey & George Pérez
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Publisher: DC Comics
Harking back to the era when NEW TEEN TITANS was the best-selling monthly comic series comes this lost tale from legendary creators Marv Wolfman (CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS) and George Perez (FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS) starring their fan-favorite characters just in time for the NEW TEEN TITANS 30th anniversary! Set in the 1980s during the height of New Teen Titans popularity, this stand-alone story features a mysterious villain playing a deadly game with New York City as the gameboard, and the Teen Titans as the pieces! TEEN TITANS: GAMES is a can't miss for fans new and old.
Release Date: September 21, 2011
Price: $5.99
Buy It Here: The New Teen Titans - Games

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.