Cartoonists I dig – Al Jaffee

How could you not love Al Jaffe? The MAD Fold-ins. Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions. He’s the only one of MAD’s “old guard” to still be appearing in every issue. (Well, he and Sergio Aragonés.) And he’s 87. (Al, not Sergio.)

This is a pic I found on the Hogan’s Alley site while searching for something else. Al was awarded the Reuben by the National Cartoonists Society earlier this year in New Orleans. Afterward I went up to meet him, introduced myself as one of the very new MAD guys and told him how much I have always loved his work. He was very nice but obviously had no idea who I was. And then our picture was taken.

Below is one of the first books I ever bought (from the Scholastic Book Club, I believe.) I still have it.

And here’s Al’s new book, Tall Tales, a collection of his comic strip that ran from 1957–1963. And it was done vertically, not horizontally.

(Disclaimer: Since I have a lot of cartoonist friends – and I don’t want to insult anyone by leaving them out – I’m limiting “Cartoonists I dig” to those that are deceased, retired or certifiable living legends.)

Tags: cartoonist, cartoons, comics, entertainment, humor, MAD Magazine