Zeck, Mike - CAPTAIN AMERICA #268 Cover
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(Stock Image)
SOLD ON: Monday, 12/01/2014 12:42 PM
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DESCRIPTION
Mike Zeck pencils, John Beatty inks; 11" x 17"Mike Zeck, the artist responsible for this piece of Bronze Age derring-do, showcases his skill at creating an exciting and dramatic composition. Employing a first-person perspective and dramatic depth of field, the viewer's eye is drawn to the center of the page and Captain America's iconic, patriotic shield. Zeck also made sure to include Cap's compatriots, The Defenders, in equally-heroic action poses. Starting out his career at Marvel on the martial arts and espionage book, Master of Kung-Fu, Zeck garnered a loyal, fan base, which led to further assignments of note, such as: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero; The Punisher: Circle of Blood; and most notably, for designing the black-and-white Spider-Man suit that would become the inspiration for the character Venom. Luckily for loyal readers of the First Avenger, Zeck was recruited to the Captain America team in '78, bringing his distinctive style to the run.
For fans of Captain America, Nighthawk, Valkyrie, Hellcat and Gargoyle, this cover is a "must have" piece of Bronze Age memorabilia. Cover illustrations continue to grow in value and scarcity as the marketplace becomes more savvy, and the readers of the late 70s and early 80s begin to explore the nostalgia market. Zeck's penchant for perspective, fluid pencil work, and Kirby-esque machinery, along with John Beatty's sharp and detailed inks, make this piece of comic art very desirable for collectors of the era.
Artist Information
Mike J. Zeck (born 1949) is an American comic book artist. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on such series as Captain America, Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars, Master of Kung Fu and The Punisher, as well as the “Kraven’s Last Hunt” storyline in the Spider-Man titles. He attended the Ringling School of Art in 1967 and after graduation worked at the Migrant Education Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Zeck began his comics career in 1974, doing illustration assignments for the text stories in Charlton Comics’ animated line of comics, which led to work on their horror titles. During this period, he lived briefly in the Derby, Connecticut area where Charlton was headquartered. In 1977, Zeck started working for Marvel Comics on Master of Kung Fu with writer Doug Moench. In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Moench and Zeck’s work on Master of Kung-Fu sixth on its list of the “Top 10 1970s Marvels.” Zeck later worked on Captain America and drew covers for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Zeck illustrated the Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars limited series in 1984. For this series, he designed a new black-and-white costume temporarily worn by Spider-Man. The plot that developed as a result of Spider-Man’s acquisition of the costume led to the creation of the Spider-Man villain known as Venom. In 1986, Zeck collaborated with writer Steven Grant on a Punisher miniseries which was later collected as The Punisher: Circle of Blood and an original hardcover graphic novel of the character three years later. Zeck illustrated the 1987 Spider-Man storyline “Kraven’s Last Hunt” written by his former Captain America collaborator J.M. DeMatteis, which is considered to be one of the quintessential stories in Spider-Man’s history, as well as the definitive Kraven the Hunter storyline. DeMatteis remarked, “Because Mike nailed the plot elements so perfectly in his pencils - every action, every emotion, was there, clear as a bell - I didn’t have to worry about belaboring those elements in the captions or dialogue. I was free to do those interior monologues that were so important to the story. If any other artist had drawn “Kraven’s Last Hunt” ... it wouldn’t have been the same story.” In 2004, Zeck’s cover of Web of Spider-Man #32, which depicts Spider-Man escaping the grave into which he has been interred by Kraven, was recreated as a 12-inch-tall resin diorama statue by Dynamic Forces. Zeck has worked for DC Comics as well. He contributed to Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe in the mid-1980s. Zeck drew the covers for the “Ten Nights of the Beast” storyline in Batman #417–420 (March–June 1988) and these covers were later collected in a portfolio. His other credits for the publisher include; Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Legends of the DC Universe, and covers for Deathstroke, The Terminator. In 1999, he collaborated with writer Mark Waid on The Kingdom (illustrating issue #2, with Ariel Olivetti illustrating issue #1), a sequel to Kingdom Come.
For fans of Captain America, Nighthawk, Valkyrie, Hellcat and Gargoyle, this cover is a "must have" piece of Bronze Age memorabilia. Cover illustrations continue to grow in value and scarcity as the marketplace becomes more savvy, and the readers of the late 70s and early 80s begin to explore the nostalgia market. Zeck's penchant for perspective, fluid pencil work, and Kirby-esque machinery, along with John Beatty's sharp and detailed inks, make this piece of comic art very desirable for collectors of the era.
Artist Information
Mike J. Zeck (born 1949) is an American comic book artist. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on such series as Captain America, Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars, Master of Kung Fu and The Punisher, as well as the “Kraven’s Last Hunt” storyline in the Spider-Man titles. He attended the Ringling School of Art in 1967 and after graduation worked at the Migrant Education Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Zeck began his comics career in 1974, doing illustration assignments for the text stories in Charlton Comics’ animated line of comics, which led to work on their horror titles. During this period, he lived briefly in the Derby, Connecticut area where Charlton was headquartered. In 1977, Zeck started working for Marvel Comics on Master of Kung Fu with writer Doug Moench. In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Moench and Zeck’s work on Master of Kung-Fu sixth on its list of the “Top 10 1970s Marvels.” Zeck later worked on Captain America and drew covers for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Zeck illustrated the Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars limited series in 1984. For this series, he designed a new black-and-white costume temporarily worn by Spider-Man. The plot that developed as a result of Spider-Man’s acquisition of the costume led to the creation of the Spider-Man villain known as Venom. In 1986, Zeck collaborated with writer Steven Grant on a Punisher miniseries which was later collected as The Punisher: Circle of Blood and an original hardcover graphic novel of the character three years later. Zeck illustrated the 1987 Spider-Man storyline “Kraven’s Last Hunt” written by his former Captain America collaborator J.M. DeMatteis, which is considered to be one of the quintessential stories in Spider-Man’s history, as well as the definitive Kraven the Hunter storyline. DeMatteis remarked, “Because Mike nailed the plot elements so perfectly in his pencils - every action, every emotion, was there, clear as a bell - I didn’t have to worry about belaboring those elements in the captions or dialogue. I was free to do those interior monologues that were so important to the story. If any other artist had drawn “Kraven’s Last Hunt” ... it wouldn’t have been the same story.” In 2004, Zeck’s cover of Web of Spider-Man #32, which depicts Spider-Man escaping the grave into which he has been interred by Kraven, was recreated as a 12-inch-tall resin diorama statue by Dynamic Forces. Zeck has worked for DC Comics as well. He contributed to Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe in the mid-1980s. Zeck drew the covers for the “Ten Nights of the Beast” storyline in Batman #417–420 (March–June 1988) and these covers were later collected in a portfolio. His other credits for the publisher include; Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Legends of the DC Universe, and covers for Deathstroke, The Terminator. In 1999, he collaborated with writer Mark Waid on The Kingdom (illustrating issue #2, with Ariel Olivetti illustrating issue #1), a sequel to Kingdom Come.