Mike Wieringo Tellos Tribute

So, I meant to get back to the comic strip last weekend, but then this other thing happened… The Mike Wieringo Tellos Tribute is a two volume hardback graphic novel set featuring creators from all over telling a huge Tellos story in honor of Mike Wieringo, with proceeds from sales of the book going to the ASPCA. Volume I came out last month, but copies are still available directly from the Web site, which is the only way you can order it. Volume II pre-order cutoff is tomorrow, July 10th and the book will actually be released the second week of September.

You should care because this is an awesome collection of work from fabulous creative people… you should care because Mike Wieringo was a tremendous talent and an even better person, and is definitely missed in the world… and you should care because proceeds benefit the ASPCA. But, if it helps you to care a little more… I’ve been working on Volume II of the book pretty much non-stop for the past week! I’ve been providing assistance to several different colorists working all over the book in order to help them get their work done faster. My contribution has been flatting the pages in preparation for the colorists to come in and work their flair and magic to make things really pop!

In a separate blog post, I plan on explaining a bit more about just what flatting is in this context… and I’ll even show some sample pages I’ve done that helped me get onto this particular assignment. What I can’t do, for now, is I can’t show any of the pages I’ve worked on for the Tellos project nor can I talk about the contents of the pages or the story. Check back with me once the book has been published, and I’ll see if I have permission at that time to make some blog posts and share the actual work I’ve done for this book.

But, this will be my first official professional credit. When Volume II comes out, I’ll be officially part of the team as a “coloring assistant” or something like that. So, I’m getting to work with a lot of cool new people… doing some fun work… benefiting a good cause… and being a part of a project that is truly special given the subject of the tribute. I met Todd DeZago and Mike Wieringo countless times at comic conventions over the years… even got to have a spontaneous lunch once with Mike Wieringo and Scott Hampton when I had gone to their studio in Hillsborough, NC to pick up a piece of art that I had bought from Scott Hampton. The thing is, I remember when those guys (Todd & Mike) were just getting started, and doing great work but not getting the big lines at the shows… It was cool for me to get to spend a lot of time chatting with them, but the year the first Tellos book came out… I was very happy to see they had a long line to get to their table! I remember telling them I would miss the days of the long chats, but was happy to see them getting the recognition they deserved. It was tough when Mike Wieringo passed away about ten years ago.. so being a part of this project has a special meaning to me, as I’m sure it does for a lot of the contributors.

Anyway… Please take a look at the link to the Web site and order Volume I while you still can… get that order for Volume II in as well before it’s too late, and you can say you know someone who worked a bunch of the pages in that one! 🙂