Mike Zeck
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Michael J. Zeck (born September 6, 1949) is an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...
. He is best known for his work for
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
on such series as ''
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
'', ''
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with art by Mike Ze ...
'', '' Master of Kung-Fu'', and ''
The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher mad ...
'' as well as the "
Kraven's Last Hunt "Kraven's Last Hunt" is a comic book storyline by J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck published in 1987, featuring the final battle between Marvel Comics characters Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man. Considered one of the greatest Spider-Man stories, t ...
" storyline in the
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
titles.


Early life

Mike Zeck was born in
Greenville, Pennsylvania Greenville is a borough with home rule status in northwestern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the Shenango River, it lies roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. It is 1.89 square miles in area, and had ...
. He attended the
Ringling School of Art Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD; stylized as Ringling College of Art + Design) is a private art and design school in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded by Ludd M. Spivey as an art school in 1931 as a remote branch of Southern College b ...
in 1967, and after graduation worked at the Migrant Education Center in
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
, Florida.


Career

Zeck began his comics career in 1974, doing illustration assignments for the text stories in
Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...
' animated line of comics, which led to work on their horror titles. During this period he lived briefly in the
Derby, Connecticut Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, approximately west-northwest of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. It is located in southwest Connecticut at the confluence of the Housatonic River, Housatonic and Naugatuck River ...
, area where Charlton was headquartered. In 1977, Zeck started working for
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
on ''
Master of Kung Fu Zheng Shang-Chi,. also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in ''Spec ...
'' with writer
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
. In 2010,
Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin is a daily website covering the comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks In January 2000, New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice founded then named Silver Bullet Comicbooks. During this period, the site ...
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 Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
'' and drew covers for '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero''. Zeck illustrated the ''
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with art by Mike Ze ...
'' 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 Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
.David, Peter. "The Wacko Theory"; ''
Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The publ ...
'' June 4, 1993; Reprinted in the collection ''But I Digress'' (1994); pp. 104–106
In 1986, Zeck collaborated with writer
Steven Grant Steven Grant (born October 22, 1953) is an American alternative rock and comic book writer best known for his work with ''Trouser Press'' and his 1985–1986 Marvel Comics mini-series '' The Punisher'' with artist Mike Zeck and for his creator-o ...
on a ''
Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher ma ...
'' 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 Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
storyline "
Kraven's Last Hunt "Kraven's Last Hunt" is a comic book storyline by J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck published in 1987, featuring the final battle between Marvel Comics characters Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man. Considered one of the greatest Spider-Man stories, t ...
", written by his former ''Captain America'' collaborator
J. M. DeMatteis John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels. Biography Early career J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...
, which is considered to be one of the quintessential stories in Spider-Man's history, as well as the definitive
Kraven the Hunter Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Николаевич Кравинов) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, th ...
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 ''Web of Spider-Man'' is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran ...
'' #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 Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
. 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 Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'' #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 Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Da ...
on '' The Kingdom'' (illustrating issue #2, with
Ariel Olivetti Ariel Olivetti (born November 15, 1967) is an Argentina, Argentine comic book penciller best known for his work on United States, American comic book titles such as ''Daredevil (Marvel Comics series), Daredevil'', ''X-Man'', ''Space Ghost'' and ' ...
illustrating issue #1), a sequel to ''
Kingdom Come Kingdom Come may refer to: * "Kingdom come", a phrase in the Lord's Prayer in the Bible Film * ''Kingdom Come'' (1919 film), a Western short featuring Hoot Gibson * ''Kingdom Come'' (2001 film), a comedy starring LL Cool J * ''Kingdom Come'', ...
''.Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 286: "Writer Mark Waid returned to the kingdom he helped envision with this series of specials designed as a sequel to the hit miniseries ''Kingdom Come''. With two bookends entitled ''The Kingdom'' (illustrated by Ariel Olivetti and Mike Zeck)...these one-shots provided updates to the lives of the ''Kingdom Come'' characters.''"


Bibliography


Charlton Comics

* ''Creepy Things'' #2, 4, 6 (cover) (1975) * ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
'' #41 (1975) * '' Ghost Manor'' #26, 72 (1975–1984) * ''
Ghostly Tales ''Ghostly Tales'' is a horror-suspense anthology comic book series that was published by Charlton Comics from 1966 to 1984 (though it was primarily a reprint title from 1978 onward). The book was "hosted" by Mr. L. Dedd (later changed to I. M. D ...
'' #166 (1984) * ''
Haunted Haunted or The Haunted may refer to: Books * ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004 * ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...
'' #26, 47, 58, 60 (1976–1982) * ''
The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves ''The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves'' is an American supernatural-anthology comic book that was published by Charlton Comics, often featuring stories by writer-artist Steve Ditko. The eponymous Dr. M. T. Graves was a fictional character who hosted ...
'' #56, 59 (1976) * ''Monster Hunters'' #4–7, 9 (1976–1977) * ''
Scary Tales "Scary Tales" refers to several different versions of a Halloween-themed compilation of Walt Disney shorts, as well as an alternate and condensed version of "Disney's Halloween Treat" (1982) by the same name or derivation debuting in different yea ...
'' #2–3, 6, 8–10, 17, 21, 24–26, 41 (1975–1983) * ''Thane of Bagarth'' #24 (1985)


DC Comics

*''
Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...
'' #600 (1988, one page) *'' Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #0, 69–70 (1994–1995) *'' Big Book of Little Criminals'' (1996) *''Big Book of Weirdos'' (1995) *''
Challengers of the Unknown The Challengers of the Unknown is a fictional group of adventurers appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The quartet of adventurers explored paranormal occurrences while facing several fantastic menaces. The characters' provenance is ...
'' vol. 3 #16, 18 (1998) *''
Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'' #600 (1989, one page) *'' The Kingdom'' #2 (1999) *''Legends of the DC Universe'' #20–21, ''80-Page Giant'' #1 (1998–1999) *''Superman Gallery'' #1 (1993, one page) *'' Superman: The Man of Steel Gallery'' #1 (1995, one page) *'' The Unexpected'' #221 (1982) *''Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes'' #6 (1988) *'' Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #1, 18 (1985–1986)


Image Comics

*''Damned'' #1–4 (1997)


Malibu Comics

*''Eliminator'' #1–3 (1995) *''Freex'' #7 (1994) *''
Night Man Night Man may refer to: * Night Man (TV series), a superhero television series, loosely based on the below character * Night Man (character) Night Man (John "Johnny" Domino) is a fictional superhero created by Steve Englehart and Rick Hoberg, wh ...
'' #16 (1995) *''Solution'' #16 (1995)


Marvel Comics

*''
The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'' #293–294 (1987) *''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #24 (
Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...
back-up story) (1990) *''The Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter'' #1 (1992) (sequel to "Kraven's Last Hunt") *''
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
'' #224, 258–259, 261–270, 272–283, 286–289, ''Annual'' #8 (1978–1986) *''Captain America'' vol. 3 #50 (2002) *'' Clive Barker's Hellraiser'' #10 (1991) *''
Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: * Defense (military) * Defense (sports) ** Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre Film * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The D ...
'' #130 (1984) *'' Epic Graphic Novel: The Punisher – Return to Big Nothing'' (1989) *''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
Roast'' #1 (1982) *'' The Hulk!'' #16 (1979) *''
Logan's Run ''Logan's Run'' is a science fiction novel by American writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, the novel depicts a dystopic Malthusian future society in which both population and the consumption of resources ...
'' #6 (
Thanos Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...
back-up story) (1977) *''
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with art by Mike Ze ...
'' #1–3, 6–12 (1984–1985) *''
Marvel Team-Up ''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...
'' #94 (
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
and the
Shroud Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to ''burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the Jewish '' ...
) (1980) *'' Master of Kung-Fu'' #55, 59–60, 64, 66–69, 71–102 (1977–1981) *'' Ms. Marvel'' #22 (1979) *''
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic Guide book, guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed b ...
'' #2–14 (1983–1984) *''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition'' #3, 6–7, 9–14, 16, 18–20 (1985–1988) *''
Power Man and Iron Fist ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' (originally ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' then ''Luke Cage, Power Man'') was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the superheroes Power Man and Iron Fist. Publication history ''Hero ...
'' #51–52 (1978) *''
The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher mad ...
'' #1–5 (1986) *''
Savage Sword of Conan ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' is a black-and-white magazine-format comic book series published beginning in 1974 by Curtis Magazines, an imprint of American company Marvel Comics, and then later by Marvel itself. ''Savage Sword of Conan'' starred ...
'' #14 (1976) *''
Solarman Solarman is a fictional comic book superhero that first appeared in 1979, published by Pendulum Press, and then starred in a self-titled two-issue series from Marvel Comics in 1989. Solarman was revived as a title by Scout Comics in 2016. The cha ...
'' #2 (1990) *''
The Spectacular Spider-Man ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics. Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...
'' #22, 42–43, 46, 118, 131–132 (1978–1987) *''Spider-Man: Redemption'' #1–4 (1996) *''
Web of Spider-Man ''Web of Spider-Man'' is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran ...
'' #6, 31–32 (1985–1987)


References


External links

* *
Mike Zeck
at Marvel.com
Mike Zeck
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeck, Mike 1949 births 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American comics artists Artists from Pennsylvania DC Comics people Living people Marvel Comics people People from Greenville, Pennsylvania Ringling College of Art and Design alumni