logo
Jack Katz, pioneer of the graphic novel, is dead at 97

Jack Katz, pioneer of the graphic novel, is dead at 97

Boston Globe11-05-2025

Katz's own epic begins after a nuclear apocalypse, as small bands of humans try to survive among dinosaurlike mutants, monsters, gods and other fantastical beings. It becomes '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,' as a reference site, Lambiek Comiclopedia, describes it.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Channeling the anything-goes spirit of the underground comics scene of the 1960s and '70s, Mr. Katz brought this sweeping tale to life with lavish, multilayered illustrations, obsessing over the tiniest details. In keeping with the counterculture ethos, there was plenty of nudity, too.
Advertisement
His enormous ambition paid off. Revered comics pioneer Will Eisner once called 'The First Kingdom' 'one of the most awesome undertakings in modern comic book history.' Jerry Siegel, who created Superman with Joe Shuster, wrote that 'reading 'The First Kingdom' is like seeing captured on paper glimpses of a dream world depicted by an artist with remarkable creative vision.'
Advertisement
Although Mr. Katz came to be considered a maverick genius by many aficionados, there was little hint during the first half of his career that he was headed for comics immortality.
Yes, he was experienced. He started in the industry in his teens and later worked for a wide variety of comics publishers, including Marvel, DC and Standard. He had worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Stan Lee and two other major influences: Alex Raymond, the creator of Flash Gordon, and Hal Foster, of 'Tarzan' and 'Prince Valiant' fame.
Still, Mr. Katz had an artistic temperament, and he chafed at the commercial strictures of the business. He spent five years doing a little bit of everything at King Features Syndicate, which distributed 'Blondie' and 'Flash Gordon,' but he was less than sanguine about the experience.
'They had a whole stable of artists,' Mr. Katz recalled about such companies in a 2019 interview with The East Bay Times of Northern California. 'It was like working in a factory.'
It did not help that his painstaking attention to detail could push deadlines -- and editors -- to their limit. 'I used to draw the anatomy under the clothes to get the wrinkles exactly right,' he added. 'It took time. Sometimes, too much.'
And he could be prickly. In a 1976 interview with The Berkeley Gazette, he described the business of that era as peopled by 'a bunch of little sycophants suckling on their udders.'
Had it not been for his midcareer turn with 'The First Kingdom,' comic book writer Steven Ringgenberg wrote in a recent appreciation in The Comics Journal, it's likely that Mr. Katz 'would have been regarded as just a journeyman artist, who tried -- with little success -- to make a living in comics.'
Advertisement
Jacob Katz was born on Sept. 27, 1927, in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. He spent part of his childhood in Ottawa and, after many moves, wound up back in Brooklyn, where, he told The East Bay Times, 'my parents used to get into trouble with our landlord when I was a kid' because he 'was always drawing on the walls.'
As a youth, he gave himself an autodidact's version of a fine art education, visiting the city's museums to study the work of the Renaissance painters and other masters.
As a student at the School of Industrial Art (now the High School of Art and Design) in Manhattan, he later said, he was awful at every subject but art. He got his first taste of the business as a teenager, penciling for Archie Comics and drawing the superhero Bulletman for Fawcett. He later worked on a variety of projects, including war and Western books, for Atlas Comics, which would evolve into Marvel.
During the mid-1950s, he quit comics for a time to focus on painting, earning comparisons to the American realist painters of the Ashcan School, while exhibiting in gallery shows and teaching at the Brooklyn Museum Art School.
Mr. Katz returned to comics in the late 1960s but took another break in his 40s after leaving New York, the cradle of comic books, for the San Francisco Bay Area. His wife, Carolyn, encouraged him to pursue what would become his career-defining project, and he lived off savings for a year and a half to get 'The First Kingdom' rolling.
Advertisement
The idea for the story was almost as old as Mr. Katz himself.
'The inspiration for 'The First Kingdom' came to me in a dream when I was just three years old,' he said in a 2013 interview with ICv2, an online magazine that covers what it calls 'geek culture.' 'Most of my major works owe their genesis to dreams I had as a kid.'
The volumes were originally issued by the publishing arm of Comics & Comix, a retailer in Berkeley, and later by Bud Plant, a founder of Comics & Comix.
After completing his masterwork, Mr. Katz continued to paint and teach art. Along the way, he published two books on the art of anatomy, two volumes of sketchbooks and another graphic novel, 'Legacy,' about the mysterious fate of a billionaire's fortune, written with comics veteran Charlie Novinskie.
Mr. Katz's survivors include two sons, Ivan and David, and two daughters, Beth and Laura Katz, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His three marriages ended in divorce.
Around 2013 -- the year Titan Comics reissued 'The First Kingdom' -- Mr. Katz embarked on an ambitious follow-up to his masterwork: a 500-page graphic novel called 'Beyond the Beyond,' which he financed in part through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, while toiling away on it up to 18 hours a day, often in his pajamas, he said in a 2015 video interview. He added that he already had the story by the time he was 12 and that 'The First Kingdom' was basically its preamble.
'All of these people, they were, 'Oh, you're 45, you're over the hill!'' he told ICv2, recalling the early days of 'The First Kingdom.' 'I'm 85 now! I'm ready to take on 'Beyond the Beyond'!'
Advertisement
That work, completed in 2019, remains unpublished. Then again, Mr. Katz understood the challenges going in.
'For heaven's sake,' he said, 'you know, if you climbed Mount Everest one time, it's not a snap the second.'
This article originally appeared in

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘The Fantastic Four' Director Matt Shakman Reveals the ‘Magical' Comics That Inspired the Film in ‘Small and Large Ways' (EXCLUSIVE)
‘The Fantastic Four' Director Matt Shakman Reveals the ‘Magical' Comics That Inspired the Film in ‘Small and Large Ways' (EXCLUSIVE)

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

‘The Fantastic Four' Director Matt Shakman Reveals the ‘Magical' Comics That Inspired the Film in ‘Small and Large Ways' (EXCLUSIVE)

Before Iron Man, before the Hulk, before Spider-Man, there was the Fantastic Four. The quartet of astronauts transformed into superheroes were Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's first creation for Marvel Comics, launching the sprawling storytelling universe of interconnected characters that has endured for 64 years. Until Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, however, Reed Richards (a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (a.k.a. the Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (a.k.a. the Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (a.k.a. the Thing), as were unable to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That will finally change in July with the premiere of Marvel Studios' 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' starring Pedro Pascal as Reed, Vanessa Kirby as Sue, Joseph Quinn as Johnny and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben. To marshal Marvel's First Family into the MCU, studio chief Kevin Feige tapped veteran director Matt Shakman, who helmed every episode of Marvel's first streaming series, 'WandaVision,' as well as episodes of 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,' 'Succession,' 'Game of Thrones,' 'The Great,' 'The Boys,' 'Fargo,' 'The Good Wife' and 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.' More from Variety Marvel Studios Skipping Comic-Con Hall H Panel for 2025 As Comic Book Movies Scale Back Releases, Marvel and DC Look to This Summer to Decide the Future of Superhero Cinema David Tennant Says He Had His 'Eye On' the Role of Reed Richards in 'The Fantastic Four' Before Pedro Pascal Was Cast: 'They've Gone in a Different Direction' Beyond his extensive resume, Shakman's biggest qualification for the job is his love for the Fantastic Four comics, as demonstrated in the foreward the filmmaker penned for the new Marvel Premiere Collection release, 'Fantastic Four: Solve Everything' — which Variety is exclusively previewing below. The volume, which goes on sale June 3, is a streamlined collection of Fantastic Four comics published between 2009 and 2011 (i.e. issues #570–588) written by Jonathan Hickman, with art by Dale Eaglesham, Neil Edwards and Steve Epting, and cover art by Joe Quesada. In his foreward, Shakman singles out Hickman's work — and this particular run of issues — as a major influence on the new 'Fantastic Four' movie. Among several curious allusions to FF storylines and characters, the director specifically cites three of Hickman's inventions — Reed's philanthropic Future Foundation, the multiverse portal the Bridge, and the interdimensional Council of Reeds. How these may (or may not) be incorporated into the movie remains to be seen, but Shakman's love for the comics, and for these characters, is abundantly clear. Fantastic Four: Solve EverythingForeward By Matt Shakman I fell in love with the Fantastic Four when I was a kid growing up in Ventura, California. Encountering a family of super heroes that felt so familiar blew my mind: the humor, the heart, the sniping and griping, the messiness. At the same time, I was taken by the optimism and wonder of their world. With their roots in the '60s space race, the F4 have always been about exploration — whether it is to the cosmos or the Negative Zone or deep into the human mind. Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny may have incredible powers, but they are family first, scientists and explorers second and super heroes only when absolutely necessary. Every Marvel filmmaker attempts to build on what has come before in publishing while simultaneously reinventing the characters for the current moment. The same is true with comic creators. What Lee and Kirby launched in the '60s changed Marvel forever. Their bold gamble to center a realistic family turned into the biggest hit of the early Silver Age. Every artist and writer since has attempted to build on that legacy while finding something in the characters that made them sparkle anew. In preparation for Marvel Studios' 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' I delved into the 60-plus years of comics history. Marvel's First Family has been continuously cared for by the best and brightest the company had to offer. None shone so bright as Jonathan Hickman. The humor and heart I loved as a kid? It's there and better than ever. The messy family dynamics? Made even more interesting as Val and Franklin take center stage. And that sense of optimism and wonder? I don't think the Fantastic Four have been quite as fantastic as they are in the pages of this book. As we developed the script for the film, I returned again and again to this epic run — thrilled by brain-bending innovations like the Council of Reeds and riveted by heroic standoffs against the likes of Annihilus. But it was Hickman's deep insight into the specific family dynamics of the Four that affected me the most. His Reed Richards is part Steve Jobs and part Oppenheimer, always on the edge of saving the world or destroying it. The author runs right at Mister Fantastic's weakness: believing that he can and should do it all on his own. Reed is determined to 'Solve Everything' — but he learns that the cost of solving everything is… everything. Ultimate knowledge risks ultimate sacrifice: the loss of his family. Sue has come a long way from the 'Invisible Girl' of the early '60s. In these pages, she is part United Nations Secretary General and part Field Marshal, backing up diplomacy with force when necessary. Hickman's Sue may be the most powerful member of the Four — she's the glue that holds the world together while Reed experiments in the lab with things that could destroy it. She brokers deals as the world's finest diplomat, ending up as the Queen of the Sea. In one of my favorite F4 moments, she declares to Namor, 'I am a Queen that bows before no King.' Damn right. How do these two very different people make up the greatest marriage in comics history? We see, page after page, that the secret is their unique balance of heart and mind. Before Jerry Maguire, these two completed each other. Sue and Reed are relatable not just as partners, but also as parents. We understand their anxiety, fretting over the destiny of Val and Franklin just as I fret over my 9-year-old daughter's future. I cherish the family intimacy of scenes in the Baxter Building and never doubt that these parents love their children and would do anything to protect their future. I know that Johnny and Ben would do the same. And we know that, as super heroes, they will fight just as hard to protect our world. Having absorbed six decades of F4 publishing, many of Hickman's magical moments and unique character dynamics stick with me. And they made it into our film in small and large ways. From Sue as a diplomat to Reed trying to solve everything even at the risk of imperiling his family. Johnny's need to be taken seriously. Ben's gentle nature, forever at odds with his appearance. The Future Foundation. The Bridge. The mystery of children and the anxiety we have as parents about their future. Hickman is a poet, of both the everyday and the extraordinary. His work beats with a heart as big as Sue Storm's, rendering an emotional journey that culminates in a scene that makes me tear up every time I read it. (I won't ruin it… just wait for 'Uncles.') His writing is thrilling, thought-provoking and tender…and, like the characters he writes about, fantastic. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?

Scarlett Johansson Asked to Have ‘Thunderbolts*' EP Credit Removed, Says Marvel Casts Get ‘So Enormous' You Sometimes ‘Feel Like a Device' to Move the Plot Along
Scarlett Johansson Asked to Have ‘Thunderbolts*' EP Credit Removed, Says Marvel Casts Get ‘So Enormous' You Sometimes ‘Feel Like a Device' to Move the Plot Along

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Scarlett Johansson Asked to Have ‘Thunderbolts*' EP Credit Removed, Says Marvel Casts Get ‘So Enormous' You Sometimes ‘Feel Like a Device' to Move the Plot Along

Scarlett Johansson told David Harbour during a conversation for Interview magazine that she asked Marvel to remove her executive producer credit for 'Thunderbolts*,' the Marvel tentpole that opened in theaters in May. Harbour headlined 'Thunderbolts*' alongside Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis Dreyfus and more. Harbour and Pugh originally made their MCU debuts opposite Johansson in 'Black Widow.' 'It's the opening day of a movie that basically you are the seventh Thunderbolt in. Your character is all over this movie…. You are an executive producer on it. Congratulations,' Harbour said during the chat. More from Variety Marvel's 'Vision' Lands 'Schitt's Creek' Star Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H. 'The Fantastic Four' Director Matt Shakman Reveals the 'Magical' Comics That Inspired the Film in 'Small and Large Ways' (EXCLUSIVE) Marvel Studios Skipping Comic-Con Hall H Panel for 2025 'I asked to have my credit removed because I wasn't involved,' Johansson replied, more or less suggesting that contractual reasons were why she was credited. Elsewhere during their Interview magazine discussion, the 'Black Widow' co-stars found common ground over the annoyances that arise while playing the same character for a decade or more. Johansson played Black Widow in the MCU for 11 years. 'Some of the films that I did for Marvel engaged my character more than others,' she said. 'Like in 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' with Chris [Evans], we were really dynamic. In some of the other films, the cast was so enormous and there was so much plot to serve that you start to feel like you're a device to move it along. And if you're committed to five and a half months of that, it's like, 'Okay. I can't paint my nails, I can't get a haircut.' These sound like silly problems, but your identity is wrapped up in this job for a long time, and if you're not doing engaging work as an actor, you feel a little cagey sometimes.' Harbour can relate to Johansson after playing Hopper on Netflix's 'Stranger Things' for nearly 10 years. The series comes to an end with its fifth and final season this upcoming holiday season. 'When I started I loved it so much,' Harbour said. 'Buddies of mine who'd done TV shows for many years said, 'By season three or four you'll be running.' And I was like, 'Never! I love all these guys so much.' And then you get to a certain point where you're like, 'How much more story is there?' You're having to play a lot of the same beat, and there's a feeling where you're like, 'I want to take a risk. I want to do something that people haven't seen me do before.' So yeah, after 10 years, it's like, 'Okay.'' Johansson's Black Widow was killed off in 2019's 'Avengers: Endgame.' The standalone 'Black Widow' movie served as a prequel. The actor has stressed in the years since that she does not plan on returning to Marvel. 'It would be very hard for me to understand in what capacity [returning] would make sense for me, for the character that I play,' Johansson told Vanity Fair earlier this year. 'I miss my buddies and really would love to be with them forever, but what works about the character is that her story is complete. I don't want to mess with that. For fans, too — it's important for them.' Head over to Interview's website to read Johansson's latest interview with Harbour. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week

FANTASTIC FOUR Writer Reflects on Scrapped Galactus Plans for 2015 Film; "Internal Push Back" Stopped It — GeekTyrant
FANTASTIC FOUR Writer Reflects on Scrapped Galactus Plans for 2015 Film; "Internal Push Back" Stopped It — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

time3 hours ago

  • Geek Tyrant

FANTASTIC FOUR Writer Reflects on Scrapped Galactus Plans for 2015 Film; "Internal Push Back" Stopped It — GeekTyrant

It turns out the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot almost gave us the Galactus fans actually wanted to see. Jeremy Slater, co-writer of that infamous reboot, recently opened up about his experience trying to bring a proper version of the cosmic devourer to the screen—and how those plans got shut down. When asked about the upcoming film The Fantstic Four: First Steps , he told CB: 'I'm excited. I like the fact that they are taking a big creative swing. They are telling a multiverse story, with a different world and a different set of heroes. 'It looks like they are bringing them in collision with our Marvel Cinematic Universe. I think that is a smart angle. I think they are getting Galactus right.' But getting Galactus 'right' wasn't so easy back in 2015. Slater explained just how hard he tried to make the classic, Jack Kirby-designed villain the centerpiece of their movie, and how it slipped away. 'I wanted to make him our big bad and there was some internal push back. First, he was our big bad. Then, he was just going to appear in one scene. Then, he was only appearing in the post-credits scene. 'Coming off the Galactus cloud from [2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer], which I was one of those fanboys probably bitching on Ain't It Cool News back then about how he was a f*cking cloud, I was excited to bring back a classic Galactus and have that Jack Kirby design. It looked like they've accomplished that, so I can't wait to see him in real life.' If you lived through that era… you know the pain of that stupid idea. Thankfully, The Fantastic Four: First Steps seems to be correcting course. A promotional Snapple tie-in gave us our first peek at this new Galactus, and he's looking very faithful to the comics. Producer Grant Curtis described him, saying: 'The most epic of the most epic that you can imagine because that's the global stakes we're dealing with, the universal stakes we're dealing with. "That's Galactus. When Galactus's gaze comes across your planet, you're not in a good spot. I think that's as big of a scope and scale you could ever ask a villain to bring with him or her. 'And that is what Galactus brings... One of the beautiful things about working with Kevin Feige and with [director] Matt Shakman, they are totally in on sci-fi.' Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters July 25.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store