I had the good fortune to work with Mike. The above four pages of art are from the SIDEKICKS Super Summer Fun Special put out by ONI press. My friend J.Torres put it together. I think Mike had written J. to tell him how much he liked our Alison Dare project, and from there a friendship grew. Mike graciously agreed to draw a segment in the Summer Fun book but only if I agreed to ink it. Honest, that's how the job was presented to me and who am I to argue with Mike Wieringo! :) My brush was merely a tracer's tool on this job, I assure you. The pencils were printably tight. All I had to concentrate on was not ruining the faces on Mike's adorable girls ( at which I hope I was successful). I met Mike later that summer at a convention in Philadelphia and I was happy to find out what a great guy he was. He ended up sitting with some friends and I for the entire night, entertaining us with hilarious stories and jokes. It's the only time I've ever hung out with Mike in person but it truly did leave a lasting impression.
We kept in touch through e-mails over the years...and only now do I realize that I didn't write to him nearly enough. I wish I could send him another e-mail right now...
Rest in peace, Mike. We'll all miss you.
Sincerely,
J.Bone
3 comments:
I only met Mike once, and it was very brief. I was left with the impression of a very kind, very humble man. I'd been a fan of his for years, and walked away from our meeting seeing how passionate he was for this art form. Sad that we won't get anymore of his beautiful, beautiful art... Happy for all that we do have. Clearly, a man who was loved by his peers and fans alike, he was taken much too early.
My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Well said, amigo.
I'm still having trouble processing this, and I wonder how in the world the community could have done a better job of letting Mike know how appreciated he was while he was here.
-Clay
Thanks J,
I had never seen that before.
Brian.
Post a Comment