Captain America Birthday Illo

Many moons ago, two of my best pals in this hobby, Wayne Osborne and Joe Le, commissioned Mike Zeck to draw the Captain America cover commission shown HERE as a surprise 40th Birthday present for me.  When Mike sent the artwork to me, he also included this color Captain America illo as an additional surprise. 

Needless to say, the inscription is deeply meaningful to me and this piece is a daily reminder of how blessed I am to have made such wonderful friends in this hobby. 

Anyone who has watched my Comic Art Fans Interview or who has known me for any length of time, knows that Mike Zeck was the artist who took me under his wing and allowed me to sell his artwork back in the 1980's, he is also the one who introduced me to John Byrne.  So it is appropriate for me to credit much of my success in this hobby directly to Mike Zeck and I will forever be grateful for his kindness and friendship for 40+ years!