Mike Wieringo
Michael Lance Wieringo (/wɪˈrɪŋɡoʊ/; June 24, 1963 – August 12, 2007),[1] who sometimes signed his work under the name Ringo, was an American comics artist best known for his work on DC Comics' The Flash, Marvel Comics' Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, as well as his own creator-owned series, Tellos.[2] In 2017, the Ringo Awards were created in honor of Wieringo. They are presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con to recognize achievement in the comics industry.
Mike Wieringo
Michael Lance Wieringo
June 24, 1963
Vicenza, Italy
August 12, 2007 (aged 44)
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
American
Early life[edit]
Michael Lance Wieringo was born in Vicenza, Italy, on June 24, 1963 to Cecil E. and Shirley Dean Wieringo, who live in Lynchburg, Virginia. He had a brother named Matt.[3]
Wieringo became interested in comics through his father, who was an avid reader. Wieringo began drawing comics when he was 11. He studied fashion illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University, though he began to consider drawing comics as a profession, and showed his artwork at comics convention during his college years. Soon after graduating, he determined that that field was "dying out". Realizing that he did not possess the fortitude for commercial illustration, he decided to draw comic books.[4]
Career[edit]
Early work[edit]
Wieringo's first professionally published work was Doc Savage: Doom Dynasty #1, published by Millennium Publications in 1991. Editor Mark Ellis had to overrule his partner to give the fledgling artist his first assignment.
Wieringo took his samples to the 1992 San Diego Comic Con, where he met DC Comics group editor of creative services Neil Pozner, who showed Wieringo's art to other DC editors. He was eventually given his first work for DC, a story in Justice League Quarterly #11. That was followed by a second JLQ in issue #12.[4]
Style[edit]
Wieringo explained the philosophy behind his drawing style thus: "I just try to keep things fun. I like to do fun comics. It doesn't have to be realistic to be believable. In fact, I sometimes think that funny [material] might actually add something to certain books." When he began illustrating the Rogue miniseries, he was intimidated by the dark tone of that book's story, but once he finished the first issue, the editors decided to lighten up the "grim and gritty" tone of the story.[4]
Personal life, death and legacy[edit]
On August 12, 2007, 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.[3]
Mirage Comics' Tales Of TMNT #40, Image Comics' Elephantmen #11 and The Walking Dead #42, and Marvel Comics' Spider-Man: Family #7 were dedicated to his memory.
At the time of his death, Wieringo had completed seven pages of a What If? story featuring the temporary "replacement" Fantastic Four of Spider-Man, Wolverine, the Hulk, and the 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 require 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, features, in addition to Wieringo's art, artwork by Arthur Adams, Paul Renaud, Stuart Immonen, Cully Hamner, Alan Davis, David Williams, Sanford Greene, Humberto Ramos, Skottie Young, Mike Allred, and Barry Kitson, and was released in June 2008.[17][18]
In June 2017, the Baltimore Comic-Con announced the creation of the Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards (the "Ringo Awards"), to be held annually at Baltimore Comic-Con beginning in September 2017.[19]