Mike Wieringo has died

[cactusmaac]

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125110

The comics industry lost a luminary this weekend – Mike Wieringo passed away Sunday of a sudden heart attack. Details are still sketchy as of this time, but according to close sources, the acclaimed artist had chest pains at some point during the day and called 911, but the responders did not make it in time.

Wieringo was 44 years old. He was a vegetarian, and “one of the healthiest ones of us in the bunch,” as his longtime friend and collaborator Todd Dezago described him.

Wieringo worked every day, updating his blog and website with a constant stream of sketches at http://www.mikewieringo.com/. His last sketch was posted on Friday.


Damn. That was unexpected. RIP.

[Thorlief]

oh my, what the f
I'm stunned. That was really unexpected.

RIP Mike, damn..

[moebius]

Holy crap, that sucks big time. Reminds me a little too much of Mark Gruenwald.

RIP Mike.

[Winslow]

Wow.

What a shock.

My condolences to Mike's family and friends.

[Matt Algren]

What the FUCK?!? Do we have confirmation for this?

http://www466.pair.com/mringo/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/jareksolo.jpg

[Lone Ranger]

Wow - that's unbelievable.

My condolences to his family and friends.

I think I'll dig out some Flashes tonight and spend some time with some Wieringo Speedsters.

[parrish]

I am in shocked. Heroes Con will never be the same without him.

[Charles RB]

Oh goddamn it. :(

[Michael P]

Oh, my God.

[Jared_Humpherys]

Oh man, this is terrible.

[Gingold]

Wow. This is terribly sad. My condolences to his family.

[Spackling Compound]

I didn't realize he was only 44.

Of the new breed of creators and artists in comics, I actually think his work was influential. Not to my taste, particularly, but oft imitated.


RIP.

[matrix]

he was one of the best. He will be remembered but never forgotten. R.I.P.

[Samurai]

Man that's terrible and tragic. I've always enjoyed his work. He was was way too young to go...

[Davideaux]

This is very sad.

[Matt Algren]

Here's a sketch he recently did. I can't believe he died. I always hoped to see him return to Tellos someday.

http://www466.pair.com/mringo/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/ripbartallen.jpg

[Matt Algren]

Someone over on Ringo's CBR board posted a link to Scott Kurtz's blog (http://www.pvponline.com/blog/3478/ringo) confirming that he died yesterday.

My good friend Mike Wieringo died yesterday. I got a call from his brother this morning and I still just can’t believe it. I feel like I should tell you all about Mike and everything he did for me, as a means of remembrance and tribute, but I just can’t right now.

[Toku King]

You're kidding. That was really, really unexpected. Honestly, I thought Stan Lee would pass before him(thank God the master is still alive, though).
He was such a talented person, and really made Fantastic Four and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man shine. I'm very depressed. My best wishes to his family.
RIP, Wieringo.

[Cyke]

His work was one of the reasons why I read Spider-Man and Flash years back.

And, like a lot of people, I didn't know he was 44, either. Quite a young age to go, sadly.

I'll miss him.

[gary bolt]

It's tragic to hear of someone dying at such an age. My heart goes out to those who were close to him.

[Jack Zodiac]

Loved his art, and Impulse will always be my favorite creation of the otherwise dreadful Nineties. This is a shame. He was such a nice guy at cons, and he was still working so much, and only forty-four. This sucks.

[Agent Helix]

I'm really broken up about this.

[DonC]

I don't know what to say. He was a great artist. Fourty-four is too young.

[LtMarvel]

Good-bye, Mike

[rick]

I never met the man, but he was a fine artist and his blog was an interesting read.

My deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

[Justin Davis]

Like I said in Rita's, this is sad news. The guy was a talented artist who I've never heard or read anyone say an ill word about. RIP, Mike Weiringo, RIP.

[Black Atom]

Not much too add.

Godspeed, sir.

[The Mirrorball Man]

Damn. I can't believe it. My condolences to his family.

[Captain_Video]

Just found out about this.

Mike Wieringo was/is one of my favourite artists, his work had a vibrancy and life to it seldom matched and was one of the bright shining stars to come along in the nineties wave of new artists, his brief Spider-man run is one of my favourites on the character and his Flash artwork for me at least redefined the character, with great little visual quirks.

Even the latest work I have read of his with Stan Lee on writing duty was stellar, he never had an off day.

I am incredibly saddened to hear this news.

He was by all accounts a nice guy and was always pleasant interacting with his fans online.

I will sincerely miss seeing his art gracing comic books and I am sure his friends and family will deeply miss him in their lives.

Rest in Peace Mike.
He did an amazing body of work that he and his family should be proud of and I can only offer condolences for their sad loss.

[Nate Grey]

Wow. I had problems with Fantastic Four's "Unthinkable" arc, but his art definately was not one of them. Heck that art (my first exposure to it) made me a fan of his.

Not sure what else to say. :(

[Slam_Bradley]

My condolences to his friends and family. Far, far too young.

RIP.

[Justin Davis]

Mark Waid, Todd Dezago, and Karl Kesel have all made some comments at Newsarama regarding their friend's unexpected death. Their words choked me up, but I can't help quoting here what Kesel says toward the end of his remarks.

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.

[Mike Smash!]

Oh man that stinks. Rest in Peace, Mike.

[Dazzler]

I am so sad and angry right now....

He has been one of my favorites since i first saw his work on Robin. I used to get so mad when people didn't appreciate his artwork...this really ruined my day.

--Dazz

[J. Robb]

Wow, this is a shock. As bad as when I found out Mike Parobeck died. Like Wieringo, he was an artist I was looking forward to enjoying for years to come.

Tragic news. My condolences to his family and friends.

[Guapo Méndez]

Man, what a shock. 44 is too damn young for a heart attack. Especially if he was taking care of his health.

Rest in peace, Mr. Wieringo.

[AoAMimic]

This is really sad. I've always loved his work, and his blog was one of the few things on the web that I checked regularly. I couldn't get over how he posted a fantastic sketch nearly every day. The NC comics/cartooning community lost two of their favorites in the last month. Unreal.

[Ray R.]

My brother and I discussed this for quite a while. Rest in peace, Mr. Wieringo, the world is better for you having been part of it and sharing your artistic vision with the rest of us.

[Jack Zodiac]

Mark Waid, Todd Dezago, and Karl Kesel have all made some comments at Newsarama regarding their friend's unexpected death. Their words choked me up, but I can't help quoting here what Kesel says toward the end of his remarks.

That quote is perfect, and it's why I always found Mike's art to stand out today. And why, in their heydays, he and Karl were two of my favorite artists. They drew, and wrote, real superheroes having adventures, not poor assholes in spandex going through crisis after crisis.

[Ray R.]

That quote is perfect, and it's why I always found Mike's art to stand out today. And why, in their heydays, he and Karl were two of my favorite artists. They drew, and wrote, real superheroes having adventures, not poor assholes in spandex going through crisis after crisis.

And I just want to recommend a real great book for kids, Tellos, that Mike Wierengo and Todd DeZago did. I picked up the two trades in the library on a lark, and it turned out to be a thoughtful, beautifully illustrated, emotionally resonating book that obviously was a labor of love for both creators.

It reminded me of a lot of the fantasy I really liked as a pre-teen, including LoTR, Sword of Shannara, etc.

[Dazzler]

That quote is perfect, and it's why I always found Mike's art to stand out today. And why, in their heydays, he and Karl were two of my favorite artists. They drew, and wrote, real superheroes having adventures, not poor assholes in spandex going through crisis after crisis.

Snap. Major props to you, dude. That is exactly why I love Ringo's art and the stories that go with them. They had a sense of adventure and whimsy so sadly lacking most of the time nowadays.

--Dazz

[Typo Lad]

I refuse to believe this. I won't accept it.

[Ronald Bryan]

It's just crazy. No more 'Ringo, and the comics world is a little less bright.

[mattx110]

this really... he's a great human being, and almost as good an artist.

i really can't put together words to write about this. that man deserved so much more living, and from what i read in interviews and blogs and whatever, he loved life for how it tested him, and made things work out when they weren't by themselves. and, he drew the definitive ben grimm.

[MaxofSteel]

Mike Wieringo was one of my top five favorite artists ever. Hands down. I'm definitely going to miss his work. 44 is so damn young too. Unbelievable.

Rest in Peace Mike.

[Chase]

I loved his work on The Flash. :(

He will definitely be missed. Thanks, Ringo. :)

[ragnarok_2012]

RIP Mike.

Forty four is entirely too young to die in this day and age.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

44 and a heart attack. Damn. It is young to pass that early. RIP and the Wieringo family has my condolences. :(

[Adam West]

Damn.. too young to die :(.

R.I.P Mike.

[ragnarok_2012]

http://splatterblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/charlielost.jpg

[ragnarok_2012]

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x268/mikeydeetoo/158a.jpg

[ragnarok_2012]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/JaredMichalski/Heroes%20Con%202006/300dpiSuperman_MikeWieringo_HeroesC.jpg

[ragnarok_2012]

http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s184/dtrippe/ff.jpg

[Roquefort Raider]

His work was so full of joy and hope... it makes the blow all the harder.

He will be sorely missed.

[thehod]

Got a text from a mate about this this morning, and it feels like when Mike Parobeck died.

The comics field has lost another great talent, and by the sounds of it, a really good friend.

Thoughts are obviously with his family and friends.

[andy khouri]

Baltimore Comic-Con organizer Marc Nathan has announced that plans underway for the late Mike Wieringo to be honored at the East Coast convention.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11631

[Nate C.]

I did not come on here for this.

What a great artist, and evidently, a great human bean.

RIP