- Val Mayerik
Infobox Comics creator
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birthname =
birthdate =March 29 1950
location =Youngstown, Ohio
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nationality = American
area = Penciller
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awards =Val Mayerik (b.
1950 ) is an Americancomic-book and commercialartist , best known as co-creator ofMarvel Comics ' satiric characterHoward the Duck .Biography
Early life and career
Val Mayerik was born on
March 29 1950 in Youngstown,Ohio . He majored in art and philosophy atYoungstown State University , which he attended from 1968 to 1972. In spring of his graduating year, he met and began working as an assistant to Ohio-based comic-book artistDan Adkins , alongside fellow assistantP. Craig Russell . Through Adkins, who was primarily aninker forMarvel Comics , Mayerik broke into comics that summer aspenciler , over Adkins layouts, of the eight-page story "Spell of the Dragon", starring authorJohn Jakes 'sword-and-sorcery heroBrak the Barbarian . Published in the horror-fantasy anthology "Chamber of Chills" # 2 (Jan. 1973), it appeared a month after his first published comics work, the full-length "The Monster of the Monoliths" in Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian " # 21, which Mayerik and Russell penciled overBarry Windsor-Smith layouts.Mayerik quickly found more assignments, penciling Marvel's adaptation of
H.G. Wells ' "The Invisible Man ", over Adkins layouts, in "Supernatural Thrillers " # 2 (Feb. 1973); and doing his first full penciling, with writerGeorge Alec Effinger 's adaptation ofLin Carter 's "Thongor ! Warrior of Lost Lemuria" story "Thieves of Zangabal", in "Creatures on the Loose " # 22 (March 1973).Howard the Duck
Mayerik became the regular artist of the
swamp -monster feature "Man-Thing " in "Fear" #13 (April 1973). Six issues later, he and writerSteve Gerber introduced Howard the Duck. Initially a minor supporting character intended only for an issue or two, the anthropomorphic waterfowl — bedecked in suit and tie as a parody offunny animal ducks, except for hiscigar -smoking and his angry, ascerbic wit — Howard eventually became a star character with his own satiric series, penciled first byFrank Brunner and thenGene Colan . The character shortly afterward became a mainstreampop-culture figure.Mayerick continued to pencil both the "Man-Thing" and "Thongor" series until the former received his own title, for which Mayerik drew the premiere issue (Jan. 1974). While also doing scattered horror/fantasy/
science-fiction anthology stories, Mayerik teamed with Gerber on a second series, theLiving Mummy , in "Supernatural Thrillers", and took over the art on "The Frankenstein Monster". With writerDoug Moench , he did a monumental adaptation of SirArthur Conan Doyle 'sSherlock Holmes novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles " in the black-and-whitemagazine "Marvel Preview" # 5-6 (April & Spring 1976). He also penciled the final six issues of the 20-issue jungle-lord series "Ka-Zar " (1974-1977 series)Also interested in acting, Mayerik appears in "The Demon Lover" (1977),a low-budget horror
film shot in and around Detroit,Michigan .Marvel and New York
In early 1977, Mayerik moved to
New York City , where he actedoff-off-Broadway and found work with artistNeal Adams 'Continuity Associates studio, sharing space with fellow fledglingsHoward Chaykin ,Walt Simonson , andJim Starlin .During this time, he drew the first "Howard the Duck Annual" (May 1977) and "Howard the Duck" #22-23 (March-April 1978). He was also an artist on the "Howard the Duck"
newspaper comic strip in 1977. He co-plotted and co-scripted, in addition to drawing, Howard the Duck #33 (Sept. 1986), the second and last issue of a short-lived series revival coinciding with the release of the movie "Howard the Duck". He expanded beyond his prolific Marvel work to draw for "Heavy Metal" magazine and theWarren Publishing line of black-and-white comics magazines; the latter work included the continuingsamurai feature "Young Master ", reprints of which appeared as backup stories in Mayerik and writerLarry Hama s 1987-1989 "Young Master" series published byNew Comics Group .Mayerik left New York City in 1981, moving first to
Cleveland, Ohio , where he did localTV and film work andregional theater in addition to his art, before settling in Oregon in 1993.Commercial art
Mayerik continued to draw for comics through the 1980s and early 1990s, working on series for
Eclipse Comics ,First Comics ,Now Comics ,Pacific Comics , and Harvey Pekar's self-published "American Splendor ", in addition to Marvel, but was seguing toward more of a career in advertising art and in illustration for thegame s industry, including theroleplaying game companiesTSR andWizards of the Coast . (See "Bibliography", below). As a spinoff of this, he drew the four-issueAcclaim Comics miniseries "Magic: The Gathering — The Shadow Mage" (July-Oct. 1995)Mayerik has done
storyboards and other art for clients ranging fromCoca-Cola andMicrosoft to theAmerican Indian College Fund and theOregon Historical Society .Bibliography
Roleplaying-games
Books: Interior art
*"The Shackled City Adventure Path" (Dungeons & Dragons): Paizo Publishing, 2005
*"Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay", Second Edition (Warhammer FRP): Black Industries, 2005
*"Darkness Unleashed" (Cartoon Action Hour): Z-Man Games, 2004
*"Waves of Blood" (7th Sea): Alderac Entertainment, 2001
*"Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium": Last Unicorn Games, 2000
*"Otosan Uchi" (Legend of the Five Rings): Alderac Entertainment, 2000
*"Domains of Dread" (Ravenloft): TSR, 1997
*"Back for Seconds" (Feng Shui): Daedalus Games, 1996
*"Castles & Ruins "(Rolemaster): Iron Crown Enterprises, 1996
*"Requiem: The Grim Harvest" (Ravenloft): TSR, 1996Chip art
*"Clout Fantasy" Hidden City Games, 2005Card art
*"Magic: The Gathering", 9th Ed.: Wizards of the Coast, 2005
*"Mirrodin" (Magic: The Gathering): Wizards of the Coast, 2003References
* [http://www.valmayerik.com/ Val Mayerik official site 1]
* [http://www.geocities.com/anderd72/start.htm Val Mayerik official site 2]
* [http://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/mayerik_val.htm Lambiek Comiclopedia: Val Mayerik]
* [http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=1802 Pen & Paper TBG Database: Val Mayerik]
* [http://www.comics.org/ The Grand Comics Database]
*imdb name|id=0562554|name=Val Mayerik
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