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Al Jaffee And His Take On Comic Cons For MAD Magazine At Auction

Published Wed, 01 Sep 2021 07:40:12 -0500

Al Jaffee turned one hundred years old earlier this year. Born in 1921, he is best known for his work in the MAD Magazine including his trademark feature, the Mad Fold-In. He contributed to the magazine for 65 years, the longest single comic book artistic run on a title ever. With a career running from 1942 until 2020, Jaffee also holds the Guinness World Record for having the longest-ever career as a comic artist. Between April 1964 and April 2013, only one issue of Mad was published without containing new material by Jaffee. And as part of this week's Heritage Auction original comic book artwork lots is Al Jaffee's take on comic book conventions, with a cameo contribution from Sergio Aragones. With comic book conventions returning in fits and starts, this seems to bring it all flooding back… and there's also plenty of Al Jaffee's other work going under the hammer today as well, right here.

Al Jaffee and his take on Comic Cons for MAD Magazine at auction

Al Jaffee MAD #334 Complete 1-Page Double-Truck Story "Real-Life Superheroes at Comic Book Conventions" with Sergio Aragones Cameo – Original Art with Envelope of Loose Captions Group of 2 (EC Publ., 1995). Jaffee brings his inimitable mixture of jolly humor and embittered sarcasm to this panoramic view of the comics-convention scene, depicting the working artists and their publishers as semi-tolerant captives of legions of fanboy nerds and resentful amateurs. Enough frenzied detail, here, for a Botticelli painting of Dante's Inferno, with innumerable sight-gags and a wealth of goofy, impolite wordplay. A grifter passes off plentiful funnybooks as overpriced rarities. A loudmouthed enthusiast bombards the major publishers with stupid questions. A Batman-maniac intimidates the villainous Penguin. An obsessive collector hauls his possessions in a vault-on-wheels. Fanciful, with a basis in documentary realism. Amidst the madness, real-life cartoonist Sergio Aragones radiates his customary natural serenity. Brilliant. Ink over graphite on conjoined slabs of Bristol board. Image area, 28.75" x 19". Loose captions fill the accompanying envelope. The title lettering has been replaced with a matching photocopy paste-in. Very Good condition.