If you've visited any comics-related website recently, you've probablay already heard that Mike Wieringo passed away last weekend at the age of 44. If you want some idea of the impact both the artist and his passing had upon the industry, Newsarama has compiled a collection of tributes from his friends and peers. To read them, it's a wonder the man had the time to turn out his monthly assignments with all the encouragment, advice, phone-calls, and pro bono work he spread freely across the field of comics. I remember hungrily consuming all the articles he wrote (and drew!) for Wizard's Basic Training feature several years ago, and thinking how cool it was that an artist of such professional calibre would take the time to produce these lessons for simple schmucks like myself. According to those who knew him, this was just par for the course. I would encourage you to go and check out the aforementioned article, where he is remembered in far more eloquent terms than I can muster.