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Thursday, August 23, 2007

Subculture Comic


Next time you’re a comic book shop (or comic shopping online for that matter), be sure to pick up issue #2 of Ape Entertainment’s Subculture. It’s a really funny book and this particular issue features a pin-up by your truly. Stop by the Subculture website to get a look at what they’ve got going on. It’s good stuff.
Click here to check out their site.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Mike Wieringo, R.I.P.

An amazing comic book artist has passed away. Man, this hit me like brick the other morning. Mike Wieringo (Fantastic Four, Flash, Spider-man) died of heart failure at his home. He was only 44 years old. He was apparently a vegetarian and exercised religiously, so it was a shock to say the least.

I never met him but he was always one of my favorite artists. I usually buy stuff based on artists and he (along with Darwyn Cooke, Bruce Timm and Mike Mignola) was
one of those guys who stuff I always tried to buy. His art was so incredible and inspiring that I would study it with this strange mix of awe and frustration. Awe, because he made it look so easy and frustration, because I knew I could never be that good, no matter how much I tried.

He and I both posted work on the same artist message board, so I interacted with him there occasionally. But I only interacted with him one-on-one over a couple of emails when I had some questions about a collection of his book Tellos. I started the email with something like, “You don’t know me, my name is…” and he started his reply with something like, “Hey Cal, of course I know who you are : )” And from all accounts, that’s just the kind of guy he was. Friendly, engaging, always open to fans and supportive of other artists.

I wish I had gotten the chance to meet him in person. It had been my plan (once I finished the Spookytown graphic novel) to not only commission a sketch from him, but to see if he would read it and possibly give be a quote for the back cover.

Rest in peace, you will be missed.

If you’re unfamiliar with his work, please check it out…

http://www.mikewieringo.com/