REMEMBERING MIKE WIERINGO - MARK WAID AND TODD DEZAGO

[MattBrady]

As the news of Mike Wieringo's tragic death on Sunday percolates throughout the comics industry, we asked Mark Waid and Todd Dezago, two of his best-known collaborators for their thoughts on the loss and reactions.

Mark Waid

This doesn't make any sense.

Mike Wieringo, one of the best friends I have ever had, died yesterday of a heart attack. He was forty-four. Let me repeat that. He was FORTY-FOUR YEARS YOUNG. He was in great shape, worked out religiously, ate sensibly...and now he's gone, and this doesn't make any sense. We're supposed to be doing something at Marvel that will make FF pale by comparison. We're supposed to be working together on our own stuff until we're old men, too feeble to pick up our pencils, but that's okay, because they can't fall too far when you're sitting on a mountain of cash earned from all the comics publishers, animation producers, and film studios who have finally recognized and rewarded Mike's unique genius.

I could spend the rest of the day writing and writing and writing to explain how empty this makes the world and I wouldn't come close to getting it across. Mike's artistic style quietly influenced an entire generation of artists that followed. I could never get it into his thick, humble head in what regard he was held by his fellow professionals. Mike was a member of a very small club of illustrators--among them, Alex Toth, Michael Golden, Kevin Nowlan--who were so revered by their peers that the brilliance of their work was never a matter of debate.

I have more to say--much, much more--but I'm just not up to it right this second. I'm fielding calls, I'm making calls, and I'm trying to adjust to this feeling that I've lost my right arm. I've never done better work than with Mike, and I probably never will. I miss you, buddy. Thanks for letting me be your partner.

From Todd Dezago

my best friend, mike wieringo, died yesterday.

he was a vegetarian.
he worked out everyday.
sometimes these things just happen.

he loved comics.
he loved drawing comics.
he felt very, very fortunate to have been working in
comics.
he was very good at it.

his comics, like him, were full of life.
full of energy. full of fun and hope.

he was my best friend.

we worked together on spider-man, the x-men, tellos,
and several other projects that will now never come to
pass.
we grew up together with comics, though we were
hundreds of miles away. we enjoyed all the same things
about comics; the action, the adventure, the fun. he
was a joy to work with. we laughed all the time. all
the time.

comics were his life and he worked very hard on them.
sometimes 16 or 18 hours a day.
he loved comics and loved the people who read them.
he loved you.

he was my best friend.
he was my brother.
i will miss him more than i can say.

todd

From Karl Kesel

When the phone rings before 7 AM, a small pit forms in your stomach as you scramble out of bed thinking "this can't be good news." Of course, nine times out of ten it's a wrong number or empty air.

Today was that one other time.

I can't really believe Mike Wieringo is gone. It isn't real to me yet. He was in great shape. He exercised regularly. He complained about working long hours (like all of us!) but never about feeling tired or weak. Hell, we talked on the phone two days ago and it was just another chat with 'Ringo. I had no idea what was around the corner. Neither did Mike.

I had the honor of working with Mike as a writer and as an inker-- in fact, I probably inked more of his pages than any other penciler-- and he was a joy to work with, every panel, every time. His work was deceptively simple--there was so much knowledge and thought in every single line he put on paper. His work had a subtlety and sophistication that I really wasn't aware of until I began inking him on a regular basis. Then I noticed things like a small waver in a line indicating a muscle just starting to tense, or a tiny nick next to an eye to show slight annoyance or the beginning of a smile. His characters moved and breathed. His storytelling was crystal-clear. The worlds he brought to life were breath-taking. And whenever I inked him I tried my damnedest to capture all of that; to not screw up anything he'd given me.

Mike was one of my biggest boosters. God love him, he thought I was the very best inker for his pencils. The first time I worked with 'Ringo was as a writer/inker on a one-shot called Spider-Boy, and we were always trying to think up other projects that I could write-and-ink for him. More recently, I'd been stretching my penciling muscles, and Mike was nothing but encouraging and supportive. As I've developed my own sense of storytelling and pacing, the fact is no one has influenced me more than Mike.

The last time I talked to Mike we agreed that both he and I drew "action" not "violence" and, unfortunately, that limited our commercial viability in today's market. Mike commented, a bit bewildered, that only a few years ago his style was "The Look" that all the editors wanted to give their characters, but somehow, suddenly, that had changed. I'd been thinking about that a lot, even before I got the news about Mike, and this is what I decided-- this is what I was going to tell Mike the next time we talked:

Mike's art was about hope, not hopelessness. He drew heroes, not martyrs. And if that was wrong, thank you Mike for never being right.

I have a lot of framed original art on my walls, almost none of it pieces I've worked on. It just seems out of place to me to hang something I've worked on next to a Caniff or Kirby. The one exception is the cover to Fantastic Four #517, penciled by Mike Wieringo. It's my all-time favorite comic-book series, from a run I am very proud to have been a small part of, penciled by an exceptional artist and dear friend.

And it's never coming off the wall.

Karl Kesel
August 13, 2007

[Mike Bullock]

God bless you, Mike.

[jza1218]

My condolences to you both and the Wieringo family for your loss.

Mike will be missed greatly

[superboy76]

This is so sad. You'll be missed Mike.

[avengingtitan]

Man this sucks.

[Red Turnado]

Hades! I'm 46, I am overweight, I have diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, and Wieringo goes like this. Sometimes the world just does not make sense. And I am sadder today then I have been in a long time.

Bobb

[-Armando523-]

damn that sucks

[dinohin22]

to me the worst part about this is that he was so young and seemed to take great care of himself. only 44 years old, people should not die from a heart attack at that young of an age. my heart goes out to his family.

the comics industry lost a great person. i loved his style as you could always tell it was his artwork.

[jaimeramirez]

Very nice words guys. My condolences.

Best,
Jaime Ramirez
http://thelastcomicblog.blogspot.com

[jacobi]

Rest in peace Mike. He was such a talented artist who definitely left his mark on this industry.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.

[caats19]

i have a lot of that terminal velocity run, and bart's first appearance. i guess my bros must have bought them cause i was like 6 or 7. but i remember reading them over and over again and really enjoying the art. so mike's art definitely has a place for me in my comics love.

[vbartilucci]

I'm planning to assemble a memorial collage of as many of Mike's con sketches as I can get in the next two weeks and either lay it on Mike's Artists' Alley table at Baltimore or just give it to the Concom to present to his family.

Either post the sketch, and anything you'd like to say, here, or PM me a link. I'll collect them up and do a collage on oaktag or foamcore, and probably provide a CD as well.

I'll list everyone's name on the back as well.

Feel free to spread the word to other boards you post on. Forgive me for cross-posting this everywhere, but I want to make sure everybody hears about the plan.

Anyone has any ideas, let me know.

[Nate28]

My condolences. .

[btjs]

The first Flash I ever bought was a Wieringo issue. I was enchanted by his art. He was one of the greats.

[BubbaKanoosh]

I got misty eyed reading this..
2nd time today..

bigtime suckage..

[Tom Daylight]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

he loved comics and loved the people who read them.
he loved you.

I love him back.

It's been a few hours and I still can't believe it. One of my very favourite artists, gone.

I think it's incredibly touching that in the other thread there have been over three hundred condolences in just a few short hours. It is a good thing to know that his talent is recognised. But damn it, he was too young.

[Mystery Man]

Everytime I read something that Mike had worked on with Mark or Todd, I always felt there was something special about it and was never disappointed

my thoughts and prayers to the both of you

[cyberspacer]

Tragic. Just tragic. His friendlyness and wonderful art will be missed by all in the community. Thanks for all the great books, Mike.

[dchart1]

Another great has passed into the great beyond. Blessings on your journey into the next Ringo. Hoepfully you will find the "creator" to be much like you depicted him in that great issue of Fantastic Four you and Waid did a couple years back.

[DarkKnight1013]

My deepest condolences to you, Mark and Todd, as well as the Wieringo family. I remeber the first time I saw Mike's work, on an issue of Flash, and just how much energy it had and how fun it was. I'll always think of him as one of my favorite artists.

[Hollywood Mike]

I never was fortunate to meet 'Ringo, but he was on the short list of people that I was hoping would attend a non SDCC west coast show.

I will say this: His was the first art that I ever gazed upon in relation to the Flash. Forever, his interpretation of that seminal character has been the reference that I use when I think about it. His blog balanced a love for the medium, cynicism for the system, and having a good time with pencils. It still hasn't hit me that I'll never get to see another Fantastic Four cover or Flash poster that 'Ringo drew.

You know it's bad when you feel like you lost someone like this and here you are, just a fan.

Condolences to his family, to Mark, Todd, and Peter and anyone else who was fortunate enough to be a frequent collaborator.

The decision of if I'll be buying the Tellos Omnibus just got easier.

[BillReed]

Fine remembrances from his friends, here.

God, I still can't really believe it. It's such a goddamn tragedy.

[LikeaPhoenix]

OMG, I saw the thread and told myself that it wasn't true, until I read it! My heart goes out to Mike's family with the greatest of sympathy and condolences. I still can't believe he's gone!

[Comic_Doctor]

Again, I am shocked by this news. I was lucky enough to meet Mike, and he was a gentleman and a great professional.

My condolences to his family, Mark, Todd, Karl, and everyone else lucky enough to work with him.

He will be greatly missed.

[Spaz_Monkey]

Originally Posted by Todd Dezago

he loved comics and loved the people who read them.
he loved you.

Originally Posted by Fetsur

I love him back.

It's hard to say it better than that. Mike was one of far too few artists today who could convay such a sense of fun in his art. You could look at what he was drawing, and you knew that every line was placed on the page out of love, a love for his job, a love for the industry, and a love of the fans.

I never had a chance to meet Mike, and from what I've read of him today, I feel that my life is a little poorer for not having that opportunity.

To those who knew him best, his friends and family, you have my deepest sympathy. Aside from being a hell of an artist, it seems like he was a hell of a guy. To lose someone that special at any age is painful. To lose him so young is just as heartbreaking as anything I can think of.