“A Tribute to Mike Wieringo"

Plot: On a world where the Fantastic Four have been killed by a Skrull agent, can Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Smart Hulk and Spider-Man carry on their legacy?

Comments: This was the story Mike Wieringo was working on when he passed away, at a far-too-young age of 44 last year. That tragedy cut short a career that included excellent runs with Mark Waid on Fantastic Four, Flash, and on Sensational Spider-Man as well as creator-owned properties like Tellos. His sudden loss left a huge hole in the industry, as the many testimonials in the back of the issue attest. We hear from Jeff Parker, Scott Hampton, Mark Waid, and Matt Wieringo (Mike’s brother, a lifetime comics fan) among others.

This book is a fund-raiser for Hero Initiative, the organization that exists to support comics’ creators (who, as free-lancers, lack many traditional job benefits).

But my job, as a critic, is to judge comic book stories. Is this one any good beyond the noble cause and the important homage it makes? Certainly some interest remains in the odd Fantastic Four made up of these four Marvel solo stars (all of whom have had or will soon have their own movies). Parker crafts a compelling alternate world, giving them a reason to stick it out, and referring knowledgably to each of their past histories and current motivations.

He spends most time on Ghost Rider, as their foes are given a boost of power by his nemesis Mephisto. The demonic aspect of the character drives the story more than the usual science fiction Fantastic Four elements, but then this is a changed team, after all. They, like Ben Grimm (who has become human, and leaves to care for Franklin) have no clue what to do with all of Reed’s machines.

It doesn’t really matter that Ghost Rider (at the time when this team formed in our universe) should be Danny Ketch, not Johnny Blaze (this was a mistake Parker made in his script, and what Mike subsequently drew); Johnny’s the iconic character, and his tortured nature provides a sobering tone for this battle against eldritch evil. The Skottie Young sequence (where Dr. Doom is possessed by Mephisto, but resists his control) is a little hard to follow, and doesn’t capture the clean and shiny approach that Wieringo always brought to his work. Art Adams is much closer on that front. But Young does capture the dark side of Doom, whose trafficking with magick was important to the Waid / Wieringo era of Fantastic Four, too. And overall, the creators succeed in telling a believable and touchingly upbeat What If? which also serves as a moving homage to their inspiring friend.

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