The late, great satirist was born 103 years ago, on March 13, 1921…
By CHRIS RYALL
It’d be so easy to do 13 Al Jaffee Mad Fold-Ins to celebrate his particular brand of genius/lunacy. Or 13 gag strips with clever wordplay and striking and hilarious visuals. Or maybe 13 great Al Jaffee-drawn covers to Mad Magazine itself. Any one of these things would be a proper way to showcase Al’s lasting legacy, and any one of those ways would also fall far short of showing the breadth of his work.
Issue #201, Sept. 1978
Still, the consistent thematic element of these celebratory pieces requires 13 images, and so the focus I’ve taken today is 13 paperback book covers by the multi-talented artist with multi-generations of fans. (OK, it’s actually only 11 paperbacks, with a couple comic-book covers at the end to also show his range in that regard.)
I never met Al, nor did I get a proper chance to work with him. But I did have a couple calls with him in the last year of his life – I was inquiring about Al possibly doing a cover for one of my comics, and the call was loud – there was a TV blasting in the background, sounds of kids’ laughter, and other noises. It featured exactly the right kind of chaotic elements I would’ve wanted from a call with Al, a creator whom I’ve adored since my earliest days flipping pages of comics and magazines.
So as I say, here are 13 good pieces to celebrate Al’s life and work but really, there are so many different ways to enjoy everything he’s done, and I recommend pretty much all of it.
Jaffee and Elder
I know it’s hard to believe this kid – seen here alongside his future Mad cohort Will Elder at the High School of Music & Art in Harlem, 1936 – enjoyed such a lengthy run as a key contributor to a humor mag like Mad but it’s true. Happy birthday to you, Al!
Is there time for one more bit o’ Al? I hope so because this may not be a cover of any kind, but the second page of this wonderful strip is one of the finest pieces of art to ever appear in Mad Magazine, or at least a personal favorite of mine:
Mad #164, Jan. 1974
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MORE
— 13 MAD FOLD-INS: An AL JAFFEE Tribute. Click here.
— INSIDE MAD MAGAZINE #14: The AL JAFFEE Tribute Issue. Click here.
[Dan: easy ref:
2023 RIP – https://13thdimension.com/13-mad-fold-ins-an-al-jaffee-birthday-celebration/
2020 Tribute – https://13thdimension.com/exclusive-preview-mad-magazine-14-the-al-jaffee-tribute-issue/ ]
March 13, 2024
I have always loved Al Jaffee’s work in MAD… he’s my favorite of the Usual Gang of Idiots! I love his crazy inventions, and his Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions turned me into an insufferable sarcastic asshole during my early teens. I had all of those paperbacks! He is sorely missed, and I will forever be thankful for the treasure trove of his work he left behind.
March 13, 2024
Chris, you’ve captured my formative years with this post. Also, I’d never seen that Superman cover. Was it a variant?
March 14, 2024
I have a bunch of his paperbacks. Such a cool artist/creator.
March 15, 2024
LOL! Thank you for the memories and the smiles!