Mike Wieringo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mike Wieringo

Birth name Michael Lance Wieringo
Born June 24, 1963
Vicenza, Italy
Died August 12, 2007 (aged 44)
Durham, North Carolina, United States
Nationality Naturalised American
(immigrated Italian)
Area(s) Penciller, Inker, Writer
Notable works DC Comics (Flash), Image Comics (Tellos), Marvel Comics (Fantastic Four)

Michael Lance "Mike" Wieringo (June 24, 1963 – August 12, 2007),[1] who sometimes signed his work under the name 'Ringo, was an American comic book artist best known for his work on DC Comics' The Flash and Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life and career

Mike Wieringo was born in Italy and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia.[2] He attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, USA, graduating with a degree in Fashion Illustration[3], and broke into comics as a penciler with the Millennium Publications series Pat Savage and Doc Savage: Doom Dynasty in 1991. Two years later, he penciled the cover of the anthology comic book Negative Burn #1 (1993), from Caliber Press.

Wieringo broke into mainstream publisher DC Comics penciling the cover and co-penciling (with Lee Moder) the 30-page Justice League International lead story in Justice League Quarterly #11 (Summer 1993). Wieringo then penciled a 13-page backup feature starring the superheroines Doctor Light and Ice in Justice League Quarterly #12 (Autumn 1993). In a late 1990s interview, Wieringo recalled that

“ Brian Stelfreeze and Karl Story, the guys at Gaijin Studios ... lined the [Millennium] job up for me, because I had met them at [comics conventions] over the years and showed them my work. They got some of my samples and sent them to the guy and [he] liked them and gave me the job. ... From there, it was dry for a while, and I did some more samples and took them to [Comic-Con International in] San Diego in 1992, and about October that year, I got a call from Ruben Diaz, who was an assistant editor at DC at the time, [who] asked me to do a Justice League Quarterly story. When I started doing that, they asked me to do another one, and while I was in the process of finishing the second one, they asked me if I'd be interested in taking over The Flash because the artist had just left. ”

[edit] The Flash

Flash vol. 2, #97 (Jan. 1995), with Bart Allen (Impulse) second from left. Cover by Wieringo.
Flash vol. 2, #97 (Jan. 1995), with Bart Allen (Impulse) second from left. Cover by Wieringo.

Wieringo gained prominence working with writer Mark Waid on DC Comics' super-speedster series The Flash vol. 2, penciling all but two issues from #80–92 (Early Sept. 1993 – July 1994), plus #0 (Oct. 1994); he additionally penciled covers through #100, #118–124, and 128–129, and for Flash 80-Page Giant #2 (April 1999). Wieringo co-created, with Waid, the young speedster Bart Allen, a.k.a. Impulse, in The Flash vol. 2, #91 (cameo) and #92 (first full appearance).

Wieringo followed this with a short run on Robin, another DC title, with writer Chuck Dixon, while concurrently penciling Marvel Comics' Rogue #1–4 (Jan.–April 1995), a miniseries starring that X-Men superheroine. During this period, he also penciled occasional Marvel covers and small miscellaneous jobs for that company.

Other work around this time included, for the publisher Malibu Comics, penciling the cover and co-penciling (with Rob Haynes) the lead story of Firearm 0 (Nov. 1993) and penciling the back cover and one story in Godwheel #2 (Feb. 1995). For the small independent publisher Explorer Press, he penciled the cover of Explorers #2 (1995).

[edit] Marvel and Tellos

Promotional art for Tellos #1 (May 1999), by Wieringo.
Promotional art for Tellos #1 (May 1999), by Wieringo.

After having penciled the Spider-Boy #1 (April 1996) one-shot, which combined Spider-Man and Superboy as part of the Marvel Comics-DC Comics intercompany crossover series of one-shots Amalgam Comics, Wieringo became the regular artist on Marvel's The Sensational Spider-Man, beginning with issue #8 (Sept. 1996). Teaming with writer Todd DeZago, Wieringo penciled all but eight issues from #8-31 (Sept.1996 - Oct. 1998), and some covers on issues he did not pencil. Additionally, Wieringo co-plotted several issues and penciled the quirkily numbered flashback issue, # -1 (July 1997). During his run he signed a two-year contract with Marvel, beginning December 1997.

After Spider-Man, Wieringo's next major project was at Image Comics, where he reteamed with DeZago on their creator-owned fantasy series Tellos. The comic, a coming-of-age adventure sent in a magical, piratical world, ran 10 issues (May 1999 – Nov. 2000). The last three issues were released by Gorilla Comics, a short-lived Image imprint co-founded by Wieringo and several other creators in 2000.[4] Following the demise of the series, Wieringo also penciled one 13-page story in a post-series one-shot, Tellos: Maiden Voyage #1 (March 2001).

Wieringo's promotional art for Fantastic Four #509 (March 2004).
Wieringo's promotional art for Fantastic Four #509 (March 2004).

Wieringo returned to DC Comics for all but one issue of Adventures of Superman #592–600 (July 2001 – March 2002), with writer Joe Casey. He then returned to Marvel and reunited with writer Mark Waid on Fantastic Four. Beginning with #51 (March 2002), Wieringo eventually drew 27 issues of Waid's 36 issues, wrapping up their run with #524, by which time the previously relaunched series had returned to its original numbering. The comics-hobbyist webzine Newsarama.com commented that the Waid-Wieringo run "was perhaps best known for fan outcry when Marvel announced that [it was] going to replace the team. Marvel quickly reversed [its] decision, and the two completed their run on the series".[5]

Wieringo penciled the interior art on issues #1–5, #8–10 of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and was the cover artist of #1–19 (Dec. 2005 – June 2007). He and writer Jeff Parker began work on the miniseries Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four in April 2007.

[edit] Death and legacy

Wieringo died of an aortic dissection at his home in Durham, North Carolina, at age 44.[1] He was survived by his parents, Cecil and Shirley Dean Wieringo, and his brother Matt.[6]

Mirage Comics' Tales Of TMNT #40, Image Comics' Elephantmen #11, and Marvel Comics' Spider-Man: Family #7 were dedicated to his memory.

At the time of his passing, Wieringo had completed seven pages of a What If? story featuring the temporary "replacement" Fantastic Four of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider that had originally been assembled in a 1990 three-part Fantastic Four storyline. Marvel Comics donated the script and Wieringo's art to The Hero Initiative, a charity dedicated to assisting Golden Age and Silver Age comics creators who retired without pensions or benefits, and required financial assistance. Wieringo's colleagues stepped in to complete the story. The completed 48-page book, What If?—The Fantastic Four Tribute to Mike Wieringo, will feature, in addition to Wieringo's art, artwork by Arthur Adams, Paul Renaud, Stuart Immonen, Cully Hammer, Alan Davis, Brian Stelfreeze, David Williams, Sanford Greene, Humberto Ramos, Skottie Young, Mike Allred, and Barry Kitson, and is scheduled for June 2008 release.[7]

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b ComicBookResources.com (Aug. 13, 2007): "Mike Wieringo Passes Away at 44", by Jonah Weiland
  2. ^ MikeWieringo.com (Aug. 14, 2007): "Memorial Service for Mike"
  3. ^ The Comicbloc (July 14, 2007): "Tellos About You: An Interview with Mike Wieringo", by Doug Zawisza
  4. ^ Contino, Jennifer M. Sequential Tart vol. III/# 5 (May 2000): "Tell Us About Tellos"
  5. ^ Newsarama.com (undated; accessed Aug. 13, 2007): "Mike Wieringo Passes Away", by Matt Brady
  6. ^ HeraldSun.com: Obituaries
  7. ^ Biggers, Cliff; Rogers, Vaneta; Batty, Ward; Comic Shop News #1086; April 2008; Page 3.

[edit] References

Languages