George Perez

When I did 'Wonder Woman,' I was especially proud that I had both a very large straight female and gay male following.

I grew up on comics in the 1960s era, when 'Wonder Woman' was rather silly. She was an interchangeable female character plagued by bad stereotypes. She cried at the drop of a hat, she was worried about how she looked, all of that.

There was a time when I was 23 years old that I thought my career was over because I couldn't move my hand. It turned out it was just a pinched nerve.

Wonder Woman is most definitely a feminist, or a humanist, in no uncertain terms. Her prime goal in life is to teach peaceful coexistence and equality.

While I've been well-known for trying to keep my fictional characters individual in their looks, it's an even greater challenge not only to make them individual but also identifiable.

The difference between Superman and Wonder Woman is not strength or power level or origin but the fact that she is a woman.

One thing I'm particularly proud of is that a convention will usually ask me back for the next year, after I've only been at the show for a day or two, because of my rapport with the fans.

Looking back, my style was pretty much Marvel house style - very large, thick characters, very musclebound, not very flexible.

I think one of the problems that comics has in dealing with superheroines is that they try to hard to make them superheroes. All they're doing is the same thing that men do. Just the idea that they're no different than men, except in how they look, always seemed a bit off to me.

Moonlight is my theater group. They are my home. I feel greatly appreciated there. That type of satisfaction, money can't buy.

Pretty much all I ever expected out of comics was page rate. You could make money doing sketches at conventions, and that could supplement your income. But page rate and some supplement, maybe, was all I ever expected.

Most of my best friends ended up being women, most notably my wife, and I learn a lot by simply listening.