Mike Zeck

by John Painz

Among the names that are synonymous with comic books in the 80's and 90's, the comic collector, comic enthusiast and art buyers alike have no choice but to add Mike Zeck to that list.

He's been around for god knows how long, and established himself as the Punisher artist, working on the five issue series The Punisher. I don't think there is a soul out there who doesn't know the five Zeck/Zimelman painted covers... they are by far among the best, most popular covers in Marvel history... and with good reason.

His career reads like a comic artist's dream. Starting with Master of Kung-Fu in the late seventies... this is where Zeck honed his abilities... creating some of the most original material around. It's work like this... taking a comic that has great subject matter, great writing... and bringing to it a fresh new style and perspective, that brought Zeck into mainstream comics... working on Captain America and G.I. Joe simultaneously in the 80's. Creating trademark images with technical and anatomical expertise in Marvel's 80's era of great talent... they kept with a winner for six years on Cap and Joe... only to lose Zeck to what would bring his name to the forefront of collectors minds. The Punisher, in 1986.

That Punisher series took a character that had made its original mark on early Spider-Man comics... along with a magazine two shot and some Daredevil appearances... and expanded it to one of the most prevalant characters in comic history. And with a huge following, I might add. The artwork was a dark and gritty, with trademark sequential work and panel layout, again establishing Zeck as one of the premier artists for Marvel.

It's unfortunate that the name Zeck and The Punisher go hand and hand... but not that unfortunate. His other work stands out in the mix... and in between Kung-Fu, Cap and Joe... Zeck worked on some of the great comic series for Marvel and DC in the 80's and 90's, including the incredibly popular Secret Wars and the Amazing Spider-Man mini-series Kraven's Last Hunt. The two series popularity continued the respect of collectors and artists alike, maintaining Zeck as the penciller of the 1980's for Marvel. His work can be compared to other great 80's names like Miller, Sienkiewicz, Byrne, Chaykin... each with their own unique style... all of them with there own popularity... all of them responsible for the majority of the sales of comics in the 80's.

In 1988, Zeck created another series of covers that wowed the comic industry, again. This time it was for Batman, Ten Nights of the Beast... which then became collected in a fantastic portfolio of the covers and two additional pieces by Zeck. He then worked on Deathstroke The Terminator for DC, making it an incredibly popular title... his work bringing it to the forefront of DC's line of comics for 1991-93. Zeck became, in the 90's, the cover artist for many independent and DC/Marvel covers alike. His work brought out the hidden depths of the characters, sometimes more than the interior work did. In 1997 Steven Grant and Zeck worked on a series for Homage called Damned. I wouldn't call the work a departure for Zeck, but I will say that it took on a personal tone for him... and the work shows. It's down right awesome, from the pencils to the painted covers.

It would be silly for me to rehash the entire Zeck line of work. To say the least, he's worked on every major character for Marvel in the late 70's and early 80's... and there is no exaggeration there. For DC, he's worked on some of their best lines... from Aquaman to Batman/Robin (two different series), Green Lantern and Lobo issues. He's made his mark, recently, working on independent projects for Dark Horse, Image and Byron Press Multimedia (doing character novels with Marvel characters).

His latest venture (and with good reason) has been the recreation of old covers for private buyers. Zeck has offered to recreate some of his most memorable creations, from the Punisher covers, to the Batman covers, Kung-Fu and Cap covers... but for a price. For those interested in learning more about Mike Zeck and his work, his art for sale and his personal recreations... you have to visit his incredible web site at: www.mikezeck.com.

I had the opportunity to talk to Mike and ask him a few questions about his comic history and his life.

John Painz (JP): Could you tell me who or what influenced you the most, to decide to get into comics?

Mike Zeck (MZ): Comics influenced me. I don't remember a time when comics weren't a part of my life and I don't remember a time when I didn't dream about becoming a comics artist.

(JP): How would you describe the direction of the industry (comic industry), as of today, and where it might be heading in the future?

(MZ): Well, the future of comics is kind of the "big question" these days and I don't know of anyone with the answer. Whether it be single issue form, book form, digital or other, I think the big challenge will be getting the attention of potential readers. The dwindling number of comics specialty shops can only reach a small segment of that audience.

(JP): Are there comic books at the moment that you're particularly fond of?

(MZ): I haven't been giving 'comics reading' the attention I should lately, but I will mention "100 Bullets". That's an ongoing title that I enjoy and make a point to keep up with.

(JP): Who are your personal heroes? (unrelated to the comic industry)

(MZ): All who live by a moral and ethical code, are helpful to others, and are assets to society.

(JP): Villians?

(MZ): Politicians

(JP): What do you do when you're stuck on an idea?

(MZ): I usually have more than a few things that are waiting for me to get to each day, so if I'm bogged down with one, I'll just shift to another rather than kill time. Time away from the task I'm stuck on usually helps.

(JP): What would you say to a young'un if they were interested in entering this industry?

(MZ): I've *always* warned would-be comics artists about putting all their eggs in one basket. "Follow your dream but very few actually realize a career in comics so have a back-up career!" With the state of the industry today, I can't stress that enough.

(JP): Have you ever 'sold out', and if you did, do you regret it?

(MZ): Depends on what you mean by "selling out"? Do I sell out every time I'm hired to do a job for pay? Probably, but I've never regretted it. Fine artists who create for themselves without editorial input and without thoughts of commerciality may technically be the only artists who don't "sell out".

(JP): Name the last 5 CD's you've purchased.

(MZ): I don't remember the titles right off but you can assume they were reggae music related.

(JP): Name the last 5 movies you saw.

(MZ): I've turned into a DVD nut who would rather watch movies in the comfort of my own home and enjoy some special features as well. That means 'first-run', for me, runs about 6 months after the theatrical release. DVD also gives me a chance to catch up on some old favorites as they're released, uncut and uncropped. The last five I watched... Animal Factory, The Color of Paradise, The Night Porter, Kikujiro, and Fireworks.

(JP): I wonder, was it easy for you to find help in artists? Were their egos not so blown up?

(MZ): I grew up in south Florida and didn't know of a single professional artist in my area. Comics conventions, somewhat new at that time (early '70s), didn't feature pro guests or publishers either. In other words, I chased my dream job without any help or input.

(JP): What are your future projects?

(MZ): About a year ago, I did my first cover recreation for a comic art collector and posted a scan of it on my web site. That generated more requests for recreations than I expected, and I still haven't honored all of them. That has kept me from spending any real serious time on story art lately. Writer, Steven Grant, and I always have a backlog of series ideas (mostly in the crime genre), and I'm sure we'll eventually peddle one of those around when we're ready. Meanwhile, it remains fun to be able to revisit some of my earlier work and improve on it.

(JP): Thanks Mike. Good luck with all of your future projects!

If you're interested in purchasing original Zeck work, visit his website at: www.mikezeck.com or pay a visit to D.O.A. - Distinctive Original Art.