Timespirits6.jpg
Over the weekend, writer Stephen Perry — best known for working on the Thundercats cartoon show in the ’80s, but also the author of many comics, including the Epic series (and possibly Avatar-influencing) TIMESPIRITS, shown above, was announced as missing, and given the grisly details surrounding the disappearance — a severed arm, a truck full of decomposing blood and two roommates with long criminal records who went on the lam and are now persons of interest — the worst is being feared.

Perry had been in ill health in recent months, diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer, and went through a grim homeless period living in a car with his 5-year-old son, Leo. Thanks to help from the Hero Initiative, things had began to improve for him, with a roof over his head and increased professional commitments. However, tragically, even with this turn for the better, bad fortune seems to have dogged Perry.

Perry and his two roommates, 46-year-old James Davis and 49-year-old Roxanne Davis, went missing several days ago. The two Davises have been found and arrested on drug charges, and police say they are persons of interest in the Perry disappearance. Also found, Perry’s van,  which had been reported to the police because of a foul smell coming from it. A severed arm was found nearby.

Perry’s recent troubles included an attempt at a restraining order against a woman, believed to be Leo’s birth mother, who now has custody of the child.

Perry had been in contact with a number of comics professionals recently; many of them write about him in the comments to this thread at Robot 6. Nat Gertler writes of working to acquire the rights to SALIMBA, Perry’s collaboration with Paul Chadwick, as he writes more on Perryhere.

Steve Bissette, a long time friend and colleague of Perry’s has much more here in the first part of a reminiscence on Perry.

Perry had recently had a video for the Hero Initiative, explaining how the organization had helped him get back on his feet, and several prominent comics professionals, including Gail Simone, are urging people to make a contribution to this very worthy organization, a suggestion we can only repeat with equal fervor. The person it helps may be you.

1 COMMENT

  1. Or they could just unionize like every other group of artists on the planet. But whatever.

    This story is sad. Terribly sad.

    And thank you for including his full name so it didn’t look like the lead singer of Journey died. No one needs that confusion.

  2. James Davis, Perrys Roomate robbed my via gun point the dave before Christmass. James is a scumb bag. I’m sure James killed him

  3. This is terrible news, I was the original publisher of SALIMBA, Stephen Perry was always great to work with and a very nice person. I hope he is found soon.
    This news really hurts.

  4. I don’t understand – how did he get mixed up with those two in the first place?

    I remember during my prime when I first got started in the industry; writing pieces for CBG and managing a comic book store, my life was still tied to some shady characters that I’m even embarassed to admit to of knowing. One of these shady characters even went to as far to break into my house and steal all my McFarlane Amazing Spider-mans and then peddled them for money in order to shoot up heroin. Well, he od’ed and died months later – so I guess that taught him a valuable lesson.

    Then years later, Scott Goodell showed up in my life. the epitome of a snake oil salesman, if I ever saw one- but luckily I severed all ties with him long before he went on with his criminal stalking of female comic creators. I never ever want to be associated with that kind of riff raff again.

    It just goes to show that many comic book creators don’t lead the extravagant lifestyles that many people are led to believe when they are seeking that fabled autograph.

    I’m just glad to hear that Steve Perry’s five year son wasn’t hurt and kudos to the mom for exercising some restraint on his visitations issue.

    I’m going to start taking some serious thought in making several contributions to this Hero’s Inititive. I’ve been unemployed for fourteen goddamn months now and my unemployment checks are about to run out soon – I wouldn’t be surprised that if from a month from now- that I’ll probably joining the ‘shopping cart’ pushing ranks with my entire Deposit Man inventory in tow.

    Or worse: move back in with my mom out in New Jersey.

    ~

    Coat

  5. Quote:

    “Saturday, Carroll talked of Perry in the past tense. She would not say what detectives told her, as she doesn’t want to hurt the case.

    But she did say her son “knows that Daddy is in heaven.”

    “So I’ll never see him again?” her son said.

    She wept. She didn’t know what to say.”