Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Al Jaffee, Mad Magazine, rip

Al Jaffee of MAD Magazine Dies, Aged 102

Al Jaffee has passed away at age of 102. Best known for Mad Magazine, his fold-in pages were published every month from 1964 til 2019.

Al Jaffee retired from cartooning at the age of 99 in 2020. Today it was announced that he had sadly passed away at the ripe age of 102. Best known for his run on Mad Magazine since the fifties, he has the longest continual run on any publication by any cartoonist. His fold-in pages alone that so defined him in the eyes of many were published every single month from 1964 until 2019.

Born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1921 to Lithuanian parents, Al Jaffee grew up in Lithuania before returning to the States in 1933. amidst rising ant-semitism and Hitler coming to power in neighbouring Germany.  He attended New York's High School of Music & Art, alongside Harvey Kurtzman; Al Feldstein,  John Severin and Will Elder who would all work on MAD Magazine, though first worked in comics at the age of twenty, on his own strip Inferior Man, sold to Will Eisner's Studios, and write and drew Squat Car Squad for Stan Lee at Timely/Marvel, as well as Patsy Walker and his own creation Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal.

In 1955, he jumped to Harvey Kurtzman's Trump, and then Humbug, which Al Jaffee invested in, before moving to MAD Magazine in the late fifties under editor Al Feldstein. There he developed the Fold-In Feauture, Snappy Answers To Silly Questions and many more becoming, to many, the visual face of the magazine.

Here are a few tributes made today.

MAD Magazine: MAD Magazine mourns the loss of the incomparable Al Jaffee, creator of the MAD Fold-In, "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions," and many other MAD features through the decades. A humble and kind creator, Al's presence, his astute social commentary, and his endless amusement at life's ups and downs shaped the fabric of the magazine.
Al Jaffee was an incredibly gifted man who touched our hearts and never failed to make us laugh," said Jim Lee, Chief Creative Officer and Publisher of DC. "He won the highest honors in the comics industry, and he was treasured by all who were lucky enough to meet him."
l was named the Reuben Awards' Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 2008, and was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame in 2014. He holds the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a comic artist, beginning with his first publication in Joker Comics in 1942 and continuing through his time at MAD until his retirement in 2020.
"Al was, at heart, a rascal," said John Ficarra, a former MAD Editor-in-Chief who worked with Al for over 35 years. "He always had a playful twinkle in his eye and brought that sensibility to everything he created."
"It was an event when Al would visit the MAD offices to drop off a Fold-In," said former MAD Art Director Sam Viviano. "The entire staff would gather for an hour just to listen to him talk about his amazing life and career."
"Al embodied the true spirit of MAD, and so many humorists, cartoonists and creatives will find inspiration in his work for generations to come," said Suzy Hutchinson, MAD's current Art Director. "He was a national treasure, and it was an honor to work with and learn from such an ingenious, caring, and wholly creative soul, the best of the Original Gang of Idiots."
An archive of Al's work is held at Columbia University.
He will be MADly missed.

Francesco Francavilla: Saddened to hear of the passing of the legendary @MADmagazine cartoonist AL JAFFEE. He celebrated 102 years just last month and what a legacy he leaves behind. Rest easy, Maestro, and thank you for the the laughs and good time.

Chris Ryall: The always amazing Al Jaffe has passed away at 102. Al created a mountain of wonderful work but I think one of my favorite Jaffe images ever is remains this 1936 pic of he and fellow Mad creator Will Elder. R.I.P.

Tom Heintjes: I'm very sad to report that the great Al Jaffee has died. He had celebrated his 102nd birthday just last month. An incredible legend. RIP to a giant of cartooning.

Dan Pasternack: So sad to learn that the legendary Al Jaffee, a foundational member of Mad Magazine's "gang of idiots" has passed away after recently turning 102. The humor of several generations was shaped by his work. Farewell good sir.

Matthew Rosenberg: I would never have fallen in love with comics if it weren't in part for Al Jaffee. My love for his work on Mad was something handed down to me from my father. It was something we bonded over and it was a gateway to so many things that helped shape who I am. Thank you, sir. RIP

Aaron Meyers: goodbye to one of the greatest cartoonists that we have ever been fortunate to have in this world. Al Jaffee, you shaped my love of comics from an early age, this world has lost a titan.

Zach Rabiroff: Impossible to overstate the influence of Al Jaffee, not just on cartooning but on American comedy as we know it. Without him and the other MAD artists, The Simpsons and everything that came after would have been unthinkable. The world of comics is today a little bit smaller.

Matt Cohen: Al Jaffee was an absolute legend. I was lucky enough to meet him once and he was a funny and gracious raconteur full of stories about *everybody* in the comics industry from Rube Goldberg to Stan Lee. His endlessly clever work inspired generations. Thanks for raising the bar, Al.

Bob Fingerman: A true genius. What a remarkable career, marked by inventiveness, skill, supreme humor, and incredible longevity. Al definitely was one of those people that gave a lie to the hoary cliché, "never meet your heroes." Al was one of mine, and when I finally had the opportunity and honor of meeting him in person, even sharing space on a panel or two with him (surreal), he was nothing but delightful. Rest in peace, Al Jaffee, you brilliant MADman. 102.

Tom Feister: In the time before those "hidden pictures" kiosks at the mall, or before kids had access to LSD, there was Al Jaffee's fold-in illustrations in the back of MAD MAGAZINE. The creative math involved in executing those pieces still makes my brain hurt. When my Mom would make me go to the grocery store with her I would plant myself in the book section, and would end up laughing like an idiot as I read the MAD paperbacks, often full of Al Jaffee's genius work. RIP Al Jaffee.

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