R.I.P. Stephen Perry

May 28, 2010 12:18

On May 9, Stephen J Perry, a comic book an cartoon writer best known for his work on Thundercats and Silverhawks,  vanished from his home under suspicious circumstances that strongly suggested foul play.  Now, the local police have confirmed that they are treating his disappearance as homicide, ending weeks of frenzied speculation.

Now, Thundercats and Silverhawks were not imported to Russia when I was growing up, so I don't have the same affinity for those shows as lots of English-speaking fans. The only reason why I know about Perry at all is that Hero Initiative, a charity dedicated to aiding aging comic book writers, sent out an appeal for donations on his behalf a couple of months ago. It seems that, over the past few years, work has dried up, leaving him in dire financial straits. The fact that he's been battling cancer hasn't helped. The donations helped Perry get back on his feet. He was able to repay his debts and move into an actual house with honest-to-goodness appliances (he was living in his van up to that point). And while his cancer wasn't getting any better, he started to feel better about himself. According to his friends, he was going to get back to writing with renewed vigor. It seemed like a poor guy finally got a second chance.

And now he's dead.

That's not fair. That's not fair at all.

The worst part is that Perry left behind his five-year-old son, who now has to deal with what no kid his age should ever have to deal with.

This really is sad news all around.

Rest in peace, Mr Stephen Perry. You deserved so much better.

I would like to close this post with links to a very touching, insightful retrospective on Perry's life in work from Steve Bissette, his life-long friend and a masterful comic book artist who worked with Perry on many projects:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
RIP, Old Friend

comics, culture, cartoons, rip

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