Did George Perez help or hinder the WW mythos?..

[JackBNimble]

Here is a nice Wondy guide post-COIE, covering most runs and most of the standalones. The guide to Pérez.

In any case, Gods and Mortals and Challenge of the Gods should be mandatory reading for any Wonder Woman fan. While far from perfect, they are arguably the seminal stories for modern Wonder Woman, and everything that has come after has touched on them, for good or ill.

what are the TPBs for Perez's tenure that are recommended?

Another option is to get copies of the Wonder Woman by George Perez. I think there are four or five volumes. What's great is they've "remastered" the pages so the art and colors really sing.