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Activators (Toy Line & Comic) PRESS character design art by Mike Zeck (1988) - Hasbro / Marvel Books / Big Looker Storybook / Turnaround / Model Sheet

Artist: Mike Zeck (All)

2 Comments  -   305 Views  -   6 Likes


Activators (Toy Line & Comic) PRESS character design art by Mike Zeck (1988) - Hasbro / Marvel Books / Big Looker Storybook / Turnaround / Model Sheet Comic Art
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Additional Images:


Press turnaround designs - Mike Zeck pencils/inks

Press designs - Mike Zeck pencils

Press designs - Mike Zeck pencils

 

   

Artwork Details

Title: Activators (Toy Line & Comic) PRESS character design art by Mike Zeck (1988) - Hasbro / Marvel Books / Big Looker Storybook / Turnaround / Model Sheet
Artist: Mike Zeck (All)
Media Type: Pen and Ink
Art Type: Illustration
For Sale Status: NFS
Views: 305
Likes on CAF:
Comments: 2
Added to Site: 3/7/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Activators (Toy Line & Comic) PRESS design
Art by Mike Zeck
Marvel Books 1988

In 1982 Marvel produced a comic book series featuring the toys for GI Joe. In 1984 they debuted the Transformers comics and US toys. A few years later they may have been looking for their next line of toys and comics with The Activators, but it never came to be.

I'm excited to share this set of untold Mike Zeck and Marvel/Hasbro history. I picked up the cover pieces from a collector in France and the figure designs from a dealer in Italy. Here's what I've been able to piece together from other collectors and the little info I found online.

In the late 1980's (Circa 1986-88 based on the 75cent price on the cover mockups) Mike Zeck was hired to design a new line of characters and covers for a new toyline/story called THE ACTIVATORS, which were never published.

Based on these drawings the work was going to be published by Big Looker Storybooks, which Marvel Books published in the mid-to-late 80's under license from Hasbro. Marvel published some of their own licensed IP (Spider-Man) under Big Looker along side big properties like Transformers, GI Joe. The Activators felt like they may have been going for a mix of GI Joe and Transformers with soldiers wearing transformative tech.

Even though these never saw the light of day, I couldn't help but pick them up as they are prime era Zeck! He was working on his iconic Punisher run and Kraven's Last Hunt story around the same time and had just come off his memorable work on Captain America and Secret Wars just a few years before. I love the logo designs and thought the character designs were super cool as well.

Here is the set of designs for PRESS, one of the good guys in the Activators. There are FOUR pieces showing pencil and inks by Mike Zeck for this lead character. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

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About the Owner

George H ( 6 )
Premium Gallery Owner
Joined: April 2009
Last Login: September 2025
Ebay Id: thedigitalgeorge
Country: UNITED STATES
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Marcus Wai 
Member Since 2005

Posted on 3/7/2025

That guy's back would have buckled!  Pretty cool Zeck at that time of his career when he had a lot of heat to his name. 

Chaykin Dude 
Member Since 2008

Posted on 3/20/2025

How great is this!  Glad that you have them and are able to share them with us!

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