To honor Mike Wieringo and celebrate his life, a special festive event has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30 pm in Manhattan. This event, coupled with a Newsarama.com eBay Auction, is open to all fans. There will be a number of writers, artists, and contemporaries of Mike's at the New York event, with several artists doing sketches on-site. Attendees can buy sketches form artists on site, and per Mike's family's wishes, the proceeds from this event will be split between The Hero Initiative and the ASPCA.

WHAT: Celebration of the life and work of Mike Wieringo, artist of Marvel's Fantastic Four and Spider-Man; DC's The Flash and his own Tellos series.

WHERE: Flatiron Joe's, 29 West 21 Street (between 5th and 6th Ave.), New York City

WHEN: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 7:30 pm.

All are invited. There is no cover charge/door charge. In additional to donating the space, Flatiron Joe's will also make a cash contribution to The Hero Initiative/ASPCA.

In addition, Mike Wieringo tribute art was created by a number of artists and featured at:
http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ringo/RememberRingo_01.html
Pieces from Francis Manapul, Frank Cho and Brandon Peterson, Jeremy Dale, Tom Beland, Paul Renaud and Nate Lovett will be auctioned off via eBay.com after the event with proceeds again split between The Hero Initiative and the ASPCA.

"Mike was a true artist, always drawing, always learning and above all, always sharing," said Matt Wieringo, brother of Mike. "There's no better way to honor him than to have a group of his contemporaries sit down and remember him, and sketch in his honor."

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, visit www.HeroInitiative.org or call 310-909-7809.