(USA) Jack Katz began his career in the early 1950s as a penciler for Stan Lee and Marvel Comics, and continued into the early 1970s. Then he dropped out of mainstream comics to devote twelve years to his 'The First Kingdom' project - a complex science-fiction epic that tells of man's migration into space, the ensuing galactic battles, and the great mystery of mankind's origin before the fall of civilization. Each book is introduced by top talents like Jim Steranko, Stan Lynde, Burne Hogarth, etc. Katz completed this series with issue number 24 in 1986. Each issue took Katz six months to write and draw. 'The First Kingdom' stands in the minds of many as the first true graphic novel.