Comic artist Jack Katz, creator of early graphic novel The First Kingdom, died on Friday, April 25, 2025. He was 97 years old.

Katz created art under his name, and the pen names Vaughn Beering, David Hadley, and Jay Hawk.

He was born Jacob Katz on September 27, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, and studied at the School of Industrial Art. Katz began his comic art career in 1943 when he was just 16 years old by working on Bulletman at Fawcett. He worked at Jerry Iger’s studio for a bit, then moved on King Features Syndicate to be the art assistant on Terry and the Pirates, Thimble Theatre, and other strips.

In the early 1950s, he worked with Quality Comics, Standard Comics, and for Jack Kirby and Joe Simon at their studio. Katz left comics in 1955 to become a teacher, then returned 14 years later to work with DC, Marvel, and Skywald.

Relocating to California in the early ‘70s, Katz was inspired by Underground Comix and created The First Kingdom. The black and white sci-fi/fantasy graphic novel begins after a global disaster that has left the planet burned with only a small group of humans, mutants, and dinosaur-like animals still alive. It was told in 24 issues that were published over several years by Comics & Comix (1974 to 1977) then Bud Plant (through 1986).

After that, Katz created more graphic novels, like Legacy, and art instruction books, he was also a painter and taught art. He received an Inkpot Award in ’77 and was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 2023.