Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: Al Jaffee, dc comics, rachel pollack, rip
DC Comics Print Tributes to Rachel Pollack and Al Jaffee
This month's DC Comics titles feature tributes to comic creators Rachel Pollack and Al Jaffee, who both died last month.
This week's DC Comics titles will feature a tribute to Rachel Pollack who died last month at the age of 76. Best known in the comic book sphere for writing Doom Patrol for DC Comics, she was also a World Fantasy Award Winning author of Godmother Night as well as novels such as Unquenchable Fire and Temporary Agency and a renowned tarot artist, and author, commissioned to create the tarot deck for the James Bond movie, Live and Let Die, as well as the Vertigo Tarot Deck with Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean.
"Good-bye, my friends
Remember me.
Remember all our sweet years together.
Remember me in the Dream Patrol.
Remember"
While in last week's DC comics, they included a feature to celebrate the long life of Mad Magazine's Al Jaffee, who died days later, at the age of 102.
DC and MAD Magazine mourn the loss of the incomparable Al Jaffee, creator of the MAD Fold-In, Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, and many other MAD features throughout 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 garnered the highest accolades and praise in the world of illustrations and comics."
Al 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 comics 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, 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 Magazine 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 U niversity. He will be MADly missed.