Oracle #1, pg. 1 splash - Topaz

I'd been on a mad hunt for George Perez fanzines I'd missed or had never even heard about. Then, just a couple months later these pages hit ComicLink. Before that I only had some classic Perez collections like "Accent On", "Focus On", and "Storyteller". I was particularly interested in George's early zine work where he was creating brand new characters and stories. An instant favorite from those days was "Oracle: The Magazine of Graphic Science-Fiction & Fantasy #1" from 1978 (and reprinted in 1986).

Really loved the opening splash to the "Death Star" tale, but immediately thought the Topaz character had to of been the basis for Starfire's sister Blackfire, maybe even a little more than just visually. Would have been cool to see Perez return to Katrae Villassé, Princess Royal of Massada (Topaz for short), even if it was just for some sketches or pin-ups.

Art from 1978 with an image area of 11x14.5 on an 11x17 board.