A 'Case' of Mistaken Identity

It's been an interesting week. Checking my messages on Monday I notice I'd received some comments on my blog. Always nice to see what people are thinking is my thought as I then read some scathing rant about putting down 6 year-olds named Forrest, along with a lot of name-calling. I'm completely dumb-founded as to what this all about, and it comes from a few different sources, so I'm really confused. I try to ignore it, thinking people will just say weird things about my art when given the chance.

Cut to Wednesday, and I get a letter from someone who shows me the link to a letter from a father posted on a forum on CBR, about how I was at a show the previous weekend, and made fun of a six-year old kid. I was floored! Worse, since it'd been up for a few days, a number of people had gotten on the hatin' band-wagon, and my name was being thrown threw the wringer. I immediately wrote to the forum and told my side of the story... First, I hadn't been to any show any time recently. Secondly, I've never even met the other artists named in the letter. Thirdly, and probably most importantly, I would never do the things that were described by this father in his letter.

Shortly thereafter, I started seeing apologies from some of the other posters on the forum. Someone was even able to track down that the event probably happened at a show in Canada, outside of Toronto. One person's blog even said I was at this show. Soon though, it becomes clear that it was Richard PACE that was at the show, not me. By the next day the headline read that I did NOT mock a six-year old, I'd received a letter from Richard explaining his side of what happened at the show, and also received a letter of apology from the owner of the store sponsoring the show for the misunderstanding, which was very kind indeed.

To date, however, I have NOT received a letter of apology from the father, who instigated the whole thing to begin with.

I do find it very disturbing though, to see now first-hand, how quickly one's reputation can be so quickly and wrongly tarnished on the internet. Stories and rumours can be started and passed along so quickly these days, unsubstantiated, that it can make mind blur. In a matter of hours my name was being trashed through at least 2 (that I know of) sites, and I was receiving hate mail, all the while having no clue whatsoever as to what was going on.

So, be careful out there, surfers of the web. Don't believe everything you read, (tempting I know!) and don't be too quick to judge.

Now, time to get off my soapbox, and next time I'll get back to the business of what this blog is supposed to be about: posting sketches.

PS- I do want to thank the number of people that WERE supportive of me through this odd little experience. Definitely made it easier to take!

On the anniversary of a friend's passing

Somehow I missed the anniversary of Mike's passing today. Usually I'm pretty good at remembering dates of significant events, but it just didn't occur to me today. Even this morning when walking around the downtown Hillsborough area where we had our studio and created funny books for all those years- I was thinking of him, but it never dawned on me that today was THAT day.

Of course, since Mike was so beloved in the comics community, there are plenty of reminders out there today, and of course I stumbled across the news. I'm glad and grateful that he's still remembered so fondly, and for a second I worried that, like "how could I have possibly forgotten?" It doesn't mean that I miss my friend any less, I've decided, but rather that I just think more about his life than his death now, these two years later.


Miss ya, mang!

Her Visitor

Just a sketch that started to grow a narrative around it... Stuff I sometimes draw just to get warmed up take on a life of their own.

Wham!

Recently finished pin-up for my buddy Sandy Jarrell. Thought this one only really came together in coloring it, and adding the outer glow to the energy pattern... was looking incomplete without it.

Thanks for letting me play with your characters, Sandy!

Gala illustration

Illustration I did for a Holiday Gala for my kid's school back in 2000. One of the few originals of my work that I have hanging in the house. I remember I was drawing Tim Hunter's adventures in "The Names of Magic" at the time I did this piece, and I think the woman here reminds me of Iolanthe from that series.

More adventures of Cliff and Jane

Been forever since a new post, so I thought I'd add a more recent sketch I did of Cliff and Jane from Doom Patrol. Both partial inks and finals.

I've always loved looking at other artists partially inked drawings. They're a great insight into the process of creating an image. I've meant to scan more of my own, but often don't even think of it while part way through, and before I know it, I've finished inking it! Anyway, hope to be a better blogger again...

Cedars of January

It's been a pretty busy January but I did manage some sketching time to work up this tree study. I've always loved the way cedar branches twist and break off, especially when coupled with vines of ivy... and in the winter there's not a lot of those pesky leaves to hide the skeletal structure.

Construction of a Dream

Long overdue posting time! Here's a few steps in the creation of a recently completed commission of Dream... Pencils, inks, color rough in photoshop and completed watercolor. I'll be honest, I'm still kind of partial to the rough I did digitally. Was fairly happy with the natural media look that I was able to get with some of the new brushes I've been trying out, and I didn't have to breathe any fumes while sealing it like with the finished painting. What do others think?

Nuala-CBLDF fundraiser

Been a bad blogger of late, very negligent of posting anything new for a while. To get back on track, im announcing that the Nuala piece that I did for the Sandman 20th anniversary poster a few months ago is now available as part of a fundraiser for the CBLDF, along with some of the other originals donated by other illustrators of the series and poster, and even some sketches by Neil Gaiman himself teaming with other artists. The auction is here.

For those who haven't seen the poster available, its also reproduced in the last volume of Absolute Sandman, Vol. 4, just recently released from Vertigo. This is the volume that reproduces the "Kindly Ones" storyline that I contributed inks to, along with "The Wake". Its a beautiful volume, leatherbound with a sturdy slipcover, and nice to see the pages reproduced at such a large size. It also has a lot of the promo art that Marc Hempel did for the Kindly Ones storyline that I hadn't seen in a long time, not to mention some of his layouts and scripts from Neil. Great production. At $99.99 its a hefty price, but its a hefty volume of goodness, and worth every penny.

Send-off to Summer

While its felt like summer's been over for a while, since school started a few weeks ago, it wasn't officially over until just the other day. Seemed to go particularly fast this year for me, but I wanted to capture a slice of it here with a sketch of Kaitlin playing with one of her praying mantis friends. She's befriended quite a number of critters in our yard this summer, but none so much as the mantis. Could it be the millipedes she feeds them? Yum!

Happy Autumn all!

More Merry Marvel Marching Cards

Posted a bunch of these a few months ago, but now that they've been released, I've been asked to show the rest, so here they are! 50 in all, collect 'em all kids! Unfortunately, no bubble gum comes with these...

20 years of Sandman

An anniversary of a different sort. Sandman's been around for 20 years if you can believe it. Coincidentally, Grant Morrison and my run on Doom Patrol started around the same time, part of DC's push with British writers re-vamping their older characters. But Sandman was different, as Neil Gaiman created a completely new property and mythology, with only some minor ties to DC characters of the past. And of course, as the series progressed, it grew further from those ties, and more entrenched into its own entity.

Along the way, I was blessed with the opportunity to work on the series, to ink Marc Hempel on the Kindly Ones storyline. Definitely one of the highlights of my comics career, as Marc's pencils were just so fun to work on. His amazing sense of design, draughtmanship and use of light and shadow was an inspiration to me already, but even more so when allowed to work over his pencils. A true joy to work on. Not to mention, the story was pretty good too!

Recently, I was asked to pitch in on a poster celebrating Morpheus' 20 years. It's a jam poster with art by various artists that worked on the series over time. It was designed by Mark Buckingham, and then each artist was asked to draw in a particular character. Some real talented folks involved here, an honor to be asked to join them on this.

And here's a close up on Nuala, along with the rough sketch. I was asked to make her look a bit more sour in the final, and yes, those are eyeballs she's serving for the Corinthian to enjoy.



And while I'm looking back, here's a sketch of Nuala I was commissioned to do in a fan's hardcover copy of Kindly Ones, with those great white endpaper that were just begging for cool sketches in white pencils or silver markers...


Pleasant Dreams!

It's been a year...

Since our pal Mike died. It still doesn't seem real some days, like he's just gonna call or write me an email... but no. The Isuzu Rodeo that looks like his that I see near our old studio is being driven by a soccer mom, and when I see some cool comics that I want to share, well, I'm going to imagine he already knows about them before me.

Cheers to ya, buddy!

Delirium

Following up last post with a recent Delirium drawing I worked up. Even members of the Endless get to enjoy summer occaisonally.

Hope to add color soon. Hope everyone's having a great summer.

Endless

The Endless... for a while I'm sure James thought he'd have to wait endlessly (har, har) to finally see this commission, but it's finally finished! Thanks for your patience, James.

Heroes Con

The Brotherhood of Mike! Craig, Todd, Nick and Matt, displaying their swanky new uniforms. It was great to see these guys together, and seeing everyone get together to help with the 'Ringo scholarship that Matt and Suzanne has started in Mike's name.

Another shot with Jeff Parker and Matt, and is that Chris Kemple talking to these guys? Looks like it is! And Suzanne in the background doing the real work no doubt. :)

Big thanks to everyone who came by the Hero Initiative booth while we were doing the big group signing. I tried to look up and thank everyone, but I know that there were times after a while I was just making sure I was still spelling my name right. So, if I was looking down while you passed by, please know that it was not an attempt to slight you.

Thanks also to those who came by and picked up a new copy of Rhomble #2, and to all who were patient enough to wait while I did sketches for them, especially Billy, Drew and Ed. And of course, to James, who has waited patiently for years (literally) for me to finish a painting of the Endless for him. I'll post a copy of it soon for others to see.

It was great to meet a number of folks for the first time, (Emilio!) and of course to catch up with some old buddies. Nathan, thanks for sharing some space. And of course, big thanks to Shelton for continuing to run the best Comics Show Around!

Hope to see you there next year!

Mike Tribute

So, this upcoming weekend is Heroes Con. The only convention that I've continued to appear at over these last, gosh, is it really 18 years? The friendliest and most welcoming show I've been to, which is a testament to Shelton Drum and his wonderful crew for putting this show together year after year. Every year its a great experience, reuniting with friends, meeting artists I loved as a kid, and chatting with great fans.

This year of course, there's another aspect to the show that will be apparent throughout the entire weekend. Its the first one since Mike died last year. Because Mike loved this show so much, its been cause for a number of tributes and rememberances to be launched this weekend.
The first is the What If story that Mike was working on at the time of his passing, with a few of Mike's talented friends finishing the story that former Artamus mate Jeff Parker wrote. Along with the story, a few other friends wrote or drew tributes to Mike. Above is mine. I know Todd posted this piece a while ago on his blog site, but I wanted to wait until it was nearly launch time to share it here. For obvious reasons, it was one of the hardest pieces I've ever worked on, because it was so personal, and yet at the same time, I wanted people to read their own personal memories and feelings for Mike into this piece.

Here's the press release for this book:
When artist Mike Wieringo passed away, he was in the middle of his latest Marvel Comics book, a What If? story. Mike had completed seven pages of what became a massive 27-page story. With Mike’s passing, Marvel Comics generously provided access to the script and Mike’s art to The Hero Initiative, and Mike’s friends stepped up to finish the story, and pay tribute to Mike. Now, What If…This Was The Fantastic Four?: A Tribute to Mike Wieringo is a massive, 48-page tribute book that contains the full story, and additional written tributes to Mike.

The tremendous list of talent participating in the book includes Jeff Parker, Arthur Adams, Paul Renaud, Stuart Immonen, Cully Hamner, Alan Davis, David Williams, Sanford Greene, Humberto Ramos, Skottie Young, Mike Allred, Barry Kitson, and Val Staples. Cover artwork is by Mike Wieringo and Paul Mounts, and The Hero Initiative is publishing the book with the full support of both Marvel Comics, and the family of Mike Wieringo.

Stop by the Hero booth to obtain your very own copy before it is available everywhere on June 25th. The book retails for $4.99. In addition, the following ten talented men will be signing the book at HeroesCon: Richard Case, Todd Dezago, Cully Hamner, Stuart Immonen, Barry Kitson, Nathan Massengill, Jeff Parker, Val Staples, Mark Waid, Karl Kesel and Matt Wieringo so don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity!

“Thanks to Marvel and The Hero Initiative, Mike’s friends got to work with him one more time and I get to experience seeing one of my brother’s comics on the stands again. That’s a thrill I never again hoped or expected to have. And it’s for a great cause that Mike would have been proud to be a part of,” said Matt Wieringo.

In addition, Shelton asked Todd to help put together a tribute sketchbook, which will also be available at the show that will raise proceeds for the ASPCA, another cause that Mike strongly believed in. I'll try to post more on this as I find out more details, as they're putting the finishing touches on this book as I type this.

AND... This was just announced, but I'm including it here too:

Mike Wieringo Scholarship “The ‘Ringo” Announced

Wieringo’s Friends and Family to Host Special Fundraising Booth at Heroes Con

CHARLOTTE, NC (June 6, 2008) When Mike Wieringo abruptly passed away last August, the comics industry lost more than a great artist and creator – it lost a friend. Now, Mike’s family has teamed with the Savannah College of Art and Design to create The Mike Wieringo Scholarship or “The ‘Ringo” to help keep his spirit of generosity alive.

Created by Mike’s brother Matt and his sister-in-law Suzanne, the ‘Ringo is designed to help provide similar help to artists at the Savannah College of Art and Design or SCAD. Domestic and international students with have a minimum 3.0 grade point average who demonstrate financial need and display a serious interest in pursuing comics as a career are eligible. The scholarship will take effect in the artist’s second year of classes, and is renewable for up to two additional years, provided the student continues to meet the criteria.

The recipient will be chosen from three finalists determined by the college in a portfolio review by Matt and Suzanne Wieringo, along with a rotating group. The ultimate goal for the ‘Ringo is to raise enough funds so that it can cover a full year’s expenses at SCAD, approximately $30,000.

Toward this end, a table staffed by Mike’s family and friends will be set up in his traditional spot in Artists Alley at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. Heroes was a big part of Mike's life and career, and was the industry event he most looked forward to every year.

The table will raise funds through donations and the sale of remaining copies of Mike’s sketchbooks, copies of comics featuring Mike's work, selected pieces of Mike's original artwork, sketches by Mike's friends in the industry who will be appearing at the booth, and items donated by other comic professionals. Pros appearing include Jeff Parker, Rich Faber, Craig Rousseau, Todd Dezago, Mark Waid, Richard Case and more to be announced.

“SCAD is one of the most impressive programs in the world to focus on the medium of comics,” says Jeff Parker, creator of The Interman and Agents of Atlas, who worked with Mike at Artamus Studios. “I'm pretty sure Mike would have loved to have attended such a place in his student days. It would make an excellent legacy for him if we can grow the Ringo scholarship into a launch pad for the future greats of comics.”

Despite his success on such books as The Flash, Fantastic Four and his own creator-owned Tellos, Mike Wieringo never forgot what it was like to be a struggling creator. For many up-and-comers, Mike served as a mentor and friendly voice, whether it was providing free covers, advice, or just the encouragement to keep going.

With your help, the Mike Wieringo Scholarship can continue to grow and help a new generation of creators get the training and connections they need to start their careers. Mike’s talent, enthusiasm and generosity inspired many in the comics industry to be their best as both creators and as human beings. With your help, Mike will continue to be an inspiration for creators in decades to come.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the show! I'll be there Saturday and Sunday.

Tim Hunter

Dug up an old Tim Hunter and Yoyo painting I did back in 2003, right around the time I was finishing my run on Hunter:Age of Magic. Unseen by few until now!

Perhapanauts 2

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that Perhapanauts 2 came out a week or two ago, so if you haven't run out and picked up a copy, do so this week (if your local shoppe still has copies, that is..) I did a short back up story, but of course the real reason to buy is for the other-worldly goodness that Todd and Craig bring to the table EVERY MONTH!

Here's a look at both roughs and finishes of one of my pages. Different technique for me in laying out this page, as I worked up the gestural sketches right on the script, and put the pages together in photoshop before transferring them onto boards and inking them up.

Sisters and Brothers

Evidence that while my kids tend to get along pretty well with each other, they do have their moments! My favorite part about this list was how it grew by a couple of items every day throughout the week. With each new day, I laughed uncontrollably at the new entries. Maybe I'm just easily entertained.

Keep in mind Brendan (the author) is 13 and Kaitlin ( the culprit) is 7.

Camping in the Mountains

Recently went camping with my son's class trip, and was determined to do a little bit of painting while in the beautiful mountains of Virginia. In addition to the more typical activities that the class did while camping such as canoeing, caving, cooking and playing frisbee, I lead the class in a sketching from nature session. I pointed out to the group of 7th graders the idea that they'll remember some of the visuals of the trip if they take the time to really study the details in drawing it that one doesn't necessarily get by taking photos. It was interesting in reviewing the drawings afterward that each artist chose different areas of the same landscape to draw as well as the far range of styles that emerged in using the same materials.

Also, adding one of my favorite visuals from the trip, the cooking of the shoes ritual that took place after the creek walk where we did our part to clean up the park, picking up trash and recyclables that had found there way into the creek and adjoining banks. Was thrilled to see the enthusiasm that these kids showed in cleaning up the area, and the teamwork they employed in getting trashbags that were overfilled back to base.