Neal Adams

George Perez sought work at Neal Adams’ studio, Continuity Associates, but while he wasn’t hired, he received some invaluable - if painful - advice from the legendary Adams himself. “Neal was harsh and critical - but he was right,” Perez says. “The fact was that he was not my Dad, he was not going to take anything that I drew and put it on the refrigerator proudly.  No, he told me, if you want to be paid, you have to be worth paying. If you want to become an artist, you have to be willing to be criticized and you have to be willing to grow. He looked at my work, and I was trying to ink myself, and he said, ‘don’t ink yourself.’ He said you might get work for DC, but you are not ready for Marvel. He actually thought Marvel’s artwork was superior, even though he drew for both companies. I was shell-shocked and, for one brief instant, I felt maybe I was wasting my time. But, just as quickly, I said no. If I was able to survive his words, then I was already had the heart of an artist, I just needed that ounce more ability to match it. One of the things about that experience is that, as much as I joke about the fact I still have the scars and blisters to this day from Neal’s criticism, he was also one of the very first people to congratulate me when I got into the industry.”

- The Marvel Art of George Pérez (2021)