Tuesday, May 13, 2014

BIG WOW Comic Festival San Jose CA. Mike Zeck

On the Marvel end of this weekend's con in San Jose I'm hoping to get a chance to have a few words with Mike Zeck. I've often cited Zeck as being one of the best comic book artists ever seen and certainly among the very best of the Marvel 80s. His body of work among other great stuff included some awesome penciling at the tale on of the 70s on Shang Chi Master of Kung Fu and later with The Punisher, Web of Spiderman and of course Secret Wars. And who can forget that iconic Captain America annual cover by Zeck with Wolverine slashing at Cap's shield with all those sparks n shit!?
There's at least 3 issues of ROM that Zeck did the cover art for so I'm pretty grateful for that even though I would have loved to have seen him having done at least one issue in the series as far as the interior art goes. Needles to say when you think about Secret Wars you can just imagine how awesome Rom#65 could have been had Zeck been the penciler instead of  . . well you know who.

Cover art by Mike Zeck

Like last year Michael Golden will be there again and as you all know he was another powerhouse Marvel 80s artist who did the cover art for at least 9 Rom issues I believe but never the interior art unfortunately. Didn't get a chance to talk to him he got irritated with me when I pointed my camera in his direction he doesn't like that unless you specifically ask him first. But for me the high light of last year's Big Wow Con was meeting Bill Sienkiewicz who also did the cover art for at least 9 issues and even some interior fill in pencils for a couple of them
http://romspaceknightart.blogspot.com/2013/05/big-wow-comic-con-san-jose-ca-2013.html


Speaking of those Rom covers that Sienkiewicz did, one of them was Rom annual 3 but the pencils were done by someone named WM Johnson. Who is this guy!? His work on that issue was fantastic but I've never heard of him before and internet searches haven't given me squat. Talk about another artist who could have done justice to the series had he stepped in for Sal.

19 comments:

  1. There was a William Johnson who did a few issues of Daredevil, and Transformers back in the day... Time period seems right- could be your guy.
    Have a good trip- and don't go stickin' your camera in people's faces, ya bastard!

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  2. i heard that! although i wouldn't quite call it a trip San Jose is only about 30 minutes from me and probably after words my girl friend and i will be meeting up to go see Godzilla. at any right that WM Johnson guy can draw talk about an under rated artist i'm glad i can give him a little well deserved notoriety here.

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    1. You lucky bastard...

      Urg! I can't see Godzilla until... shit- two weeks from Friday! When I get paid! -I gotta IMAX that shit!!!

      Oh, and something caught my eye here http://calvinscanadiancaveofcool.blogspot.com/2014/05/tuesday-image-blizzard_13.html a minute ago...

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    2. oh yeah that's not the first time i've seen my stuff on that guy's blog. just in general once in a while i came across random places where i can see people having lifted my Rom related art work. i don't get bent out of shape about it although it would be nice if they bothered to ask first over here. thanks for the heads up though.

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    3. Oh, I did not think you'd be mad about it or anything... Just wanted to point it out- thought it was funny.
      -I've seen pictures I scanned or edited up on other places before too- it's weird. -Like going to your friend's house and seeing something of yours on display there.
      Man, I might just save up to go to a Con here in Ohio this Summer... it's been years since I've been to one.

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    4. I am sorry to not give proper credit. I collected several posts I did many times and combined them into one post. I usually give credit and I am sorry to offend. Hate to hear what you guys really think of me.

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  3. According to the Grand Comic Book Database, Johnson went from Master of Kung Fu in 1983 to Daredevil in '83 & '84. Then he bounced around doing odd issues of various titles, mainly Conan-related ones, from '84 to '88. Then there's a big gap until what appears to be the last comic book thing he did, which was a variant Transformers cover back in 2006. In this interview, Daredevil editor Bob Budiansky says he was having trouble meeting the demands of drawing a monthly book and asked to be taken off of DD.

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    1. Lee
      that interview references a Daredevil issue i used to have and yeah the art work was great Johnson drew Black Widow with some nice curves! be that as it may as far as his deadline problems that guy never the less was a great artist
      http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/daredevil_201.shtml
      http://themattmurdockchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/11/daredevil-201.html

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    2. -I'm pretty sure he's just draw Black Window completely nude and the inker had to put her costume on her...

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  4. Sienkiewicz will be at this years Tampa Bay Comic Con along with Marv Wolfman so I am pretty excited about it. Going to get some ROM and Nova signed.

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  5. I have a letter in the back of the ROM 62 - remember when people actually did that?

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    1. oh that is just too cool to have had a letter some where in the Rom spaceknight series i'm just green with envy! i like your idea about Rick Jones becoming a spaceknight at least on some kind of temporary basis not so much unlike how The Beyonder gave him super powers in issue 72. thanks for sharing that with us just out of curiosity's sake do you still live at the same address some 30 years later?

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    2. Yes I do. Believe it or don't. I am glad you were able to read that. I have a great ROM story to tell.

      http://calvinscanadiancaveofcool.blogspot.ca/2012/10/my-grail-list-rom-spaceknight.html

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    3. oh yeah i've seen that posting before some of the art work in it look awfully familiar : )
      but i never got to the part about that "inheritance" you received from the Vietnam vet pen pal that's frigin awesome!

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    4. Again, it's my fuck up. I didn't give proper credit and deserve your scorn.

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  6. Yo Shlomo I came across a comic cover I'm sure you probably have already have gone over but I missed but I thought I'd share anyway.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mzPRQD8et5A/Tkw-HzbwoHI/AAAAAAAAJ9I/kts3z0uC1J0/s1600/Power-Man-73.jpg

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    1. i've had that issue in my collection for many many years now but thanks for sharing anyways. you may find these links of interest http://romspaceknightart.blogspot.com/2013/02/those-last-page-preview-headlines-for.html
      http://ironfistfan.blogspot.com/2011/02/trio-action-figures-luke-cage-iron-fist.html

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