A post from my long-gone Marvel blog, this one published on the one-year anniversary of the passing of artist Mike Wieringo.
August 13, 2008 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort | In General
I hate to turn this blog into maudlin city all week, but that’s the luck of the draw. We’ve got one more person to remember before we can move on.
It’s been one year since artist Mike Wieringo passed away unexpectedly. Truly one of the nicest and most supportive individuals in the industry, Mike was just like his artwork—open, inviting, funny. His death at the far-too-young age of 44 was an absolute stunner, and reminds us all not to take anybody or anything in our lives for granted.
Despite the fact that he was often depressingly self-critical, working with Mike was an absolute blast. I loved his FLASH, his FANTASTIC FOUR, his SPIDER-MAN, and of course his co-creation TELLOS, done with his close friend Todd Dezago. Mike’s work very much cut against the grain of the times when he started, a period when most artists were struggling to make faces grimace more, add more and more hatch-lines, and bigger and more dangerous-looking weapons. That’s part of what made him stand apart, though, and what gave his work it’s appeal. He clearly had a distinctive approach, and he could tell a story like few others.
As luck would have it, I got this cover proof for the MARVEL APES #1 variant that we’re doing for the Hero Initiative today, featuring a drawing that Mike did for his art blog originally, before the MARVEL APES project was even fully-formed. It’s one last chance to see RIngo do his thing, and the proceeds go to a good cause.
On to more life-affirming subjects tomorrow.
Tom B
The Tom Brevoort Experience 
I loved his art. As I don’t have the eye for critiquing artists, it’s always interesting to hear people say what makes someone good (unless it’s someone I don’t like, then they’re just talking gibberish).
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