ANDY SMITH SAFE ON FIRST

You never forget your first. Or rather, The First.

Andy Smith remembers his first. His first position with CrossGen Comics was as inker on The First, and on issue #25 in November, he'll return take on the mantle of penciler.

The First, a CrossGen monthly series, chronicles the political intrigues and epic clashes of two opposing houses of godlike beings.

Persha, Ingra's daughter, wants to reunite the two opposing houses of the First. Ingra, leader of House Sinister, wants to reunite the houses as well--under her absolute rule. By the way, Ingra's still madly in love with Pyrem, Persha's father and House Dexter's leader. But that doesn't stop Ingra from recruiting Seahn of Dexter to help stage a coup. Seahn double-crosses her with the help of Braag, whom everyone thinks is Persha's father, but who is actually Seahn's. Of course, Seahn believes Trenin the Hunter is his father.

If the political stuff bores you, don't worry; the characters also kick ass and take names. Think Days of Our Lives on Mount Olympus meets Celebrity Deathmatch.

"I'm really looking forward to it," says Smith. "I like doing high-venture action stories, and hopefully, if Barbara Kesel keeps writing the way she's been writing, that's what I'll get to do."

Smith's has big changes planned for the coolest gods since Thor and his Asgard buddies, starting with the monarchs' dress code.

" Ingra's sexy and she wants people to know it, but in a refined way," says Smith. "I see her in more of a stylized evening gown type outfit. And Pyrem's very regal and commanding; I want his formal attire to reflect that."

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MARVEL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Like paychecks, gifts and ice cream sundaes, with comics, bigger is better.

Marvel's finally giving the fans what they want with The Marvel Encyclopedia, a 240-page oversized hardcover guide to the Marvel universe, replacing the old Official Guide to the Marvel Universe comic miniseries.

Marvel decided to publish the encyclopedia as an oversized hardcover after seeing fans fight to get hardcovers such as Daredevil: Yellow. The book will be on sale for $29.99 on October 30.

Alex Ross painted the book's wraparound cover. "It’s a big classic shot of all the best known Marvel heroes and villains charging right at you," says Bill Rosemann, Marvel's marketing communications manager. "We’re going to sell a poster of the cover in September, because it’s gorgeous!"

Marvel used a rigorous set of criteria to select the characters to go in the encyclopedia. "We put every character's name on a slip of paper and pulled them out of a hat," says Mark Beazley, assistant managing editor. "It's a shame about Wolverine not being in the book, but Quasar fans rejoice!"

Just kidding, for all those Wolverine fans about to have massive coronaries. Look for the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and yes, Wolverine and more to be in the encyclopedia. Lesser-known characters such as Quasar and Sleepwalker may be in subsequent volumes, says Rosemann.

Full-color art swiped from pre-existing books will accompany each biography. "We really have too many great pieces of art to choose from," says collections editor Jeff Youngquist. "Remember those boring three-view shots in the spiral-bound version of the Handbook? You won't see anything like that in the Encylopedia."

A new feature of this book will be a power grid for each character, rating each character in terms of traits such as strength and invulnerability. Readers will finally have answers to immortal questions such as, who in the Marvel universe could kick the crap out of the Hulk.

" The best part of this project?" says Beazley. "Hearing our coworkers mock us incessantly when Jeff and I debate the vagaries of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak or Hank Pym's personality changes."

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RARE SILVER AGE ART COVERS FOUND

Rarer than a Picasso, more coveted than the art of Andy Warhol, it's original Silver Age comic covers.

Spencer Beck, a well-known artist's representative in the comic industry, has recently come into possession of a treasure trove of Silver Age artwork. Beck recently brokered a deal for the cover artwork of Amazing Spider-Man #28, drawn by Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko. The piece went for $50,000.

The other pieces of Silver Age art that Beck has are a Captain America #114 John Romita cover, a Jack Kirby splash page from Thor #158, the cover of Mad Magazine #6 done by Harvey Kurtzman, Daredevil #9 by Wally Wood and Amazing Spider-Man #11, also done by Steve Ditko. He acquired the pieces from different owners at about the same time, either after they contacted him privately or posted on his newsgroup.

The covers are the original hand-drawn artwork, twice up from current sizes. "Twice up" means that it measures 14" by 20" instead of today's usual 11" by 17", says Beck."The Amazing Spider-Man #11 is a real historical find. It's the oldest-known cover done by Ditko still in existence. Until this cover came out, no dealer could confirm the existence of a cover earlier than #25. But if someone has one older, I'd love to see it."

The #28 and #11 covers are extremely valuable because original Ditko artwork is almost impossible to find these days. "The person who had #11 just had it in an envelope in their art collection," says Beck. "They thought it was worth maybe $100 or something."

Beck is in talks with the various owners to decide what venue to sell the pieces in. "My guess is that they're going to end up on E-bay," says Beck. "It'll allow us to reach a larger audience of prospective buyers." He'll announce where and when the pieces will sell at his website, www.theartistschoice.com.

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On the Rise
Kevin Lau

Credits: He's best known for his work on Vampi, but he broke in with stints on books such as Elektra and X-Force. Be on the lookout for his new book, Xin: Legend of the Monkey King, which he co-writes and inks in addition to
pencilling.

What he does: "I would say it's a combination of manga and American style," says Lau. "Although other artists are combining both manga and American elements, I think what sets my style apart is the way I tell the story and the detail I put into the figures."

Why he'll be hot: Lau's meticulously detailed drawings allow for some dramatic visual storytelling. The 2-page splash pictures in many issues of Vampi, for instance, tell the story without using a single word.

Quotable:
On breaking into the industry: "I think it’s all about patience and timing," Lau says. "Keep working and exploring, and when you get an offer, make sure you give your client the best of your work."

--Caitlin Moriarity

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