After his graduation in 1972, Val Mayerik became Dan Adkins' assistant together with P. Craig Russell. He soon began freelancing for Marvel, starting with 'Brak the Barbarian' in 1972. He later worked on 'Conan' and some of the horror titles. He was the original artist and co-creator on Steve Gerber's 'Howard the Duck' and gained a very wide following in the mid-1970s with his depictions of gruesome creatures and barbarians.

At the same time he was an actor in some low budget horror films. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was present in the Warren magazines Vampirella and Creepy. Later on, Mayerik focused on advertising art and illustration for the game industry.