The best comic book covers of the week – 04 February 2019

Posted on February 4, 2019

5 min read

So here’s a crappy story to start the week on. Original comic book art may be expensive, but it’s an investment that pays off for fans. It’s art in its truest form, available from a wide variety of talented artists and just so much more exciting to look at than just another Vincent Van Gogh mental breakdown. Then there’s the original art from masters of the craft, who are sadly no longer with us.

Think Darwyn Cooke, Michael Turner or Mike Wieringo. Now the latter was a particular favourite in comic book circles, thanks to him being a friendly legend on the convention scene and his ability to produce comic book art that was energetic and exciting. Wieringo sadly died in 2007, leaving behind a great body of work and a few precious original sketches which now resides in the hands of many fans.

And then there’s this story. Enter comic book creator Mike S. Miller, who had a Spider-Man cover breakdown that Wieringo had penciled. Now a breakdown is exactly what it sounds like: A rough sketch, used to give the comic book creative team and editorial an idea as to what the eventual cover will look like. Some aspects will be changed, maybe a limb will be repositioned etc. as the finer details are hammered out.

So I have this old Spider-Man cover breakdown by Mike Weiringo, and I'm thinking about finishing it, but making it into a Lonestar cover instead. Thoughts?
— Mike S. Miller (@AbacusMike) January 22, 2019

Think using it turn into another Darwyn Cooke fiasco? I love Weiringo, but do you think any loved ones would make a fuss about using it after SJWs go lie to them about our little “hate group?” You know it’ll happen. I bet they’ve already seen your tweet and are working on it.
— Michael Lynch (@MikeWLynch) January 22, 2019

Miller decided to use this Wieringo breakdown for his own comic book cover. Which raised all kinds of red flags. You can own the art basically, but using it to sell your own comic book? That’s a legal fiasco waiting to happen. Miller then lightboxed the original image (which is basically tracing the original while it sits atop a flat glass surface that is lit by a strong light), inked over that reproduction and created this:

The last Mike Wieringo original cover that may ever see print! pic.twitter.com/lYurPx2ZmV
— Mike S. Miller (@AbacusMike) January 30, 2019

It’s dodgy to the max, but it gets worse. You see, Miller than forged Wieringo’s signature not once but twice on the final image and claimed that it was now the final Mike Wieringo original comic book cover. Wow, simply wow. Naturally, this entire debacle blew up in Miller’s face when other artists and Wieringo’s brother Matt got wind of this:

This is some manipulative, dishonest, self-serving bullshit right here, dude. If I thought you were even capable of shame, I'd say you should be ashamed of yourself. Indefensible. You have no right to claim your redrawn, repurposed image is a Ringo cover, "last" or not.
— Cully Hamner (@CullyHamner) February 3, 2019

Yeah, the background isn't great, the bricks are too big I just noticed.

The breakdown is by Mike. I changed the costumes. Otherwise, it would be worthless. Sorry you're mad bro.
— Mike S. Miller (@AbacusMike) February 3, 2019

Hey, "bro," shove your gaslighting bullshit up your ass. Mike did not draw that cover rough for you or your book. He didn't draw those characters, and he can't consent to you touting your lame, weak, fraudulent shit as "Ringo's last cover." This is low, even for you.
— Cully Hamner (@CullyHamner) February 3, 2019

Mike Wieringo had no intent and gave no consent in 1996 to draw a cover for your book and your characters in 2019. That image is a rough for a cover commissioned from him by Marvel. You know this, Mike Miller- you've been in this biz for a long time and you're not dumb.
— Cully Hamner (@CullyHamner) February 3, 2019

Mr. Miller, Mike would not approve of this. Nor do I. As his executor, I need to ask you to remove his signature from this.
— Matt Wieringo (@mattwieringo) February 3, 2019

Eventually, Miller decided to ditch the cover, in the most tasteless manner possible: By burning it and referring to this as the “final solution”. Words fail me.

I will be uploading a video of my final solution to the Mike Wieringo cover controversy in a few minutes. Please subscribe to https://t.co/l3HfOTaJOh so you don't miss the premier!
— Mike S. Miller (@AbacusMike) February 3, 2019

And that’s all she wrote on that saga. Miller got some cheap controversy heat and a fantastic comic book legend’s good name was sullied by an unscrupulous artist. With that being said, it’s time to ignore that art and look at some real comic book covers for this week’s upcoming releases: