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The First Kingdom
1978 1st Ed Wallaby/Pocket
- GenresComicsGraphic Novels
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
About the author
Jack Katz
88 books8 followersJack Katz was an American comic book artist and writer, painter and art teacher known for his graphic novel The First Kingdom, a 24-issue epic he began during the era of underground comix.
Influenced by such illustrative comic-strip artists as Hal Foster and Alex Raymond, Katz attended the School of Industrial Art in New York City. He began working for comic-book publishers in the 1940s, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Though continuing to work in comics through the 1950s, his slow pace and highly detailed, idiosyncratic art style prompted him to leave that field for 14 years. Circa 1969, he returned to mainstream color comics as well as to black-and-white horror-comics magazines, and after a move to California embarked upon The First Kingdom, a serialized work that later became considered a precursor to, or an early form of, the graphic novel. He completed it in 1986, and went on to write and draw further works in that vein, and to teach art.
Influenced by such illustrative comic-strip artists as Hal Foster and Alex Raymond, Katz attended the School of Industrial Art in New York City. He began working for comic-book publishers in the 1940s, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Though continuing to work in comics through the 1950s, his slow pace and highly detailed, idiosyncratic art style prompted him to leave that field for 14 years. Circa 1969, he returned to mainstream color comics as well as to black-and-white horror-comics magazines, and after a move to California embarked upon The First Kingdom, a serialized work that later became considered a precursor to, or an early form of, the graphic novel. He completed it in 1986, and went on to write and draw further works in that vein, and to teach art.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 11, 2023
Beautiful drawings and an epic scope to a fantasy story especially considering the time period this was published (70s) it's quite an achievement. Hardcore heroic fantasy but has some sci-fi elements thrown in. It's quite an oddity. I had difficulty following the story (it was hard to care about all the fantasy elements thrown in). There's even an incredibly detailed map included. Jack Katz had a world he wanted to develop. Unfortunately I didn't find it rewarding enough to want to dive into the world.
March 25, 2013
This is one of the first and one of the most ambitious graphic novels ever written. I poured over every lofty word and elaborate line of ink for hours when it first came out. It was like reading Superman, the Bible, and the Iliad all at the same time. It is still an example of the potential of what the graphic novel art form can be and a testimant to Jack Katz vision. A must read for any serious fan of comics as an art.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews