Al Jaffee: 1921-2023
I just got confirmation that the incomparable Al Jaffee passed away early this morning at 102.
This is a hard one.
Within any art form there are some creators who are just plainly on another level than the rest. There will always be a debate about who is the G.O.A.T. in anything creative, but the sign of true greatness is always being one of the people in that conversation.
Any debate about the greatest cartoonist of all time that does not include Al Jaffee is not a legitimate debate.
Like so many, I grew up a fan of MAD Magazine. I loved the work of Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder and Jack Davis and Sergio Aragonés and Mort Drucker and Wally Wood and… well the list is too long to go on. MAD has been spoiled by having some of the greatest cartoonists ever as major contributors. Seriously, MAD is a who’s who of cartooning legends. But if I was forced to pick who was the greatest of the great, the choice really is no choice at all..
Al Jaffee was the greatest cartoonist who ever worked with MAD Magazine, and for me the greatest who ever put pen to paper, period. Sergio is right there for me as well, but Al still takes the prize. No one ever did what he did as brilliantly as he did it for as long as he did it. No one. He was one of a kind.
Al was not the greatest artist that ever worked for MAD. That would probably have to go to Drucker or Davis or Wood. That’s a different animal. He was not the greatest writer that ever worked for MAD either… that title might have to go to Frank Jacobs or Dick DeBartolo or Arnie Kogen or Desmond Devlin or Tom Koch or… again too long a list. He was the greatest “cartoonist” who ever worked for MAD. He combined both writing and art at the highest of levels, and sustained that greatness over the course of MAD’s long run. IMO Al was the undisputed heavyweight champ of MAD. He wrote, drew, or wrote and drew covers, features, movie and TV parodies, one page gags, multiple page gags… there was nothing he could not do and do as well or better than anyone else. Many of his “gag” inventions ended up become ACTUAL products or technology. His “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions” is a long running and beloved staple of MAD. His “Fold In” is just flat out iconic, and a masterpiece of humor genius that lasted for well over 50 years in print, and he did them for ever single issue from 1964 until 2019.
But MAD was not Al’s whole story. He worked with Stan Lee and Timely Comics before Timely was Marvel doing humor comics featuring his creations Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal. He did a syndicated comic strip called “Tall Tales” which was a vertical format strip he designed to fit into vertical spaces and was pantomime so it would appeal to any paper in any language. Al once told me the a story about how his syndication editor insisted he add words to the strip, and when he did they lost two dozen foreign papers that carried it. I think the word Al used to describe that gentleman was “idiot”.
One of the greatest perks of getting to work for MAD was getting to know some of my heroes like Mort and Jack and Sam and Angelo and Sergio, and especially Al. He was a humble genius who was simply a delight to be around, whenever I got that chance. He was just like his cartoons… genuinely funny, charming, and sharp witted.
My favorite Al Jaffee story was when we were in Savannah, GA at a MAD gathering for the Savannah College of Art and Design event. The Lovely Anna and I were having lunch with the group. We were seated at the end of the table with Al, his charming wife Joyce, the great Paul Coker Jr. and his equally charming wife Rosemary. We were chatting away when Joyce points at my arms and says “Look at those muscles!” Then she turns to the then only 90 year old Al and says “why don’t use have muscles like that?”
Without missing a beat, Al looks at her and says in his distinct, deep voice:
“I’m too cheap to buy new clothes.”
That’s the kind of sharp wit and humor Al Jaffee generously shared with the world for over 70 years as a cartoonist.
Al sent me this letter out of the blue back in 2014. It’s one of my most cherished possessions and a highlight of my career:
I was floored by this and it has been something that I have taken out and looked at many times when I am doubting my work or flagging in my effort level or commitment. Praise from the praiseworthy is a wonderful thing.
Planet Earth is lucky to have had Al Jaffee share his unmatched talent and humor with us, as especially lucky for it to have lasted for so long. I am not going to pretend I knew Al as well as many of the older “Usual Gang of Idiots”. Being in Minnesota I only got to see him when I went to NYC or at MAD/NCS events. Those times were magical for me, though. I was always in awe and sort of star struck when we got together, although Al quickly made me feel like I was hanging with old friends. He was as humble and genuine a person as you could know, despite talent and intelligence that was off the charts. I am incredibly lucky to have been able to get to know him as much as I did, and to be able to call him a friend.
Thanks for the laughs, Al! We’ll all miss you.
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Tom, so sad about Al. So many talents have left us!
I would also like to thank you for mentioning my friend, Arnie Kogen (very much alive)! He’s one of the funniest and most talented writers I’ve ever met.
Al is now doing art and making them laugh on the other side over the rainbow bridge.
A sad day, but what a life. Thanks for letting us know, Tom. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. Now Al can join the rest of “The Gang of Idiots” up there, along with Bill, and just be MAD!
Great tribute, Tom.
[…] a tribute to Jaffee, published in a blog post just after his death, cartoonist and Mad contributor Tom Richmond wrote: “Within any art form there are some creators […]
[…] a tribute to Jaffee, published in a blog post just after his death, cartoonist and Mad contributor Tom Richmond wrote: “Within any art form there are some creators […]
[…] a tribute to Jaffee, published in a blog post just after his death, cartoonist and Mad contributor Tom Richmond wrote: “Within any art form there are some creators […]
[…] a tribute to Jaffee, published in a blog post just after his death, cartoonist and Mad contributor Tom Richmond wrote: “Within any art form there are some creators […]
[…] a tribute to Jaffee, published in a blog post just after his death, cartoonist and Mad contributor Tom Richmond wrote: “Within any art form there are some creators […]
[…] a tribute to Jaffee, published in a blog post just after his death, cartoonist and Mad contributor Tom Richmond wrote: “Inside any artwork type there are some […]
[…] a tribute to Jaffee, published in a blog post just after his death, cartoonist and Mad contributor Tom Richmond wrote: “Within any art form there are some […]
[…] a tribute to Jaffee, printed in a weblog submit simply after his demise, cartoonist and Mad contributor Tom Richmond wrote: “Inside any artwork type there are some […]
You’re right, some of these new kids have talent. But to consistently come up with a plethora of original, funny, current, witty and timeless gags daily for over 50 years is admirable to the highest degree. He really loved what he did and it showed.
As a little kid, his little toons in the margins were one of the first things I discovered. And I felt special because I thought it was special I discovered them and got pleasure in showing others.
Lovely, heartfelt and true.
Al Jaffee, Dave Berg and Don Martin – the Holy Trinity of contributors when I began reading Mad as teenager in the 70’s.
All departed to the great storyboard in the sky.
Additional post:
What we mourn? Celebrate Al! 102. WooHoo! He went over the speed limit and beyond. He’ll always be remembered!
Your tribute was wonderful as most tributes are after someone dies. I was not that familiar with his work and didn’t get MAD magazine. It was a bit before my time and I always thought it was more akin to boys. I could be wrong about that point. The symbol of MAD magazine was kind of scary looking to me, sort of howdy dudie (probably misspelled because he was before my time too. My oldest sibling had a howdy dudie doll and I was created out by it). Anyway my real thoughts on this is all these “wonderful” tributes that are written about someone who recently died make me sad because I think these tributes should be made while the person who is loved and admired is still alive. What good is it to them after they are in the grave? Shouldn’t they know how much they are loved and admired in life not in death. But I guess that is how it is, you don’t know how much you love someone and admire them until after they are gone. We have to let our people know in real time what they mean to us now, today not after we can’t tell them or write about them . You are the lucky one because he did write you a letter telling you how talented you are and how he thought of you as a friend.
Why would you assume Al had no idea how admired he was, or that his friends and fans didn’t let him know? We did…often. On his 100th birthday his fellow MAD contributor Sam Viviano invited Al’s admirers to send him (Sam) birthday wishes for Al, which Sam would hand deliver to him. Sam carted many hundreds of cards, letters, and pieces of art over to Al for his birthday, most of which were variations of what I write here. The image of Al at the top of this post is what I did for him for his 100th. You’re right in that too often people are not given the attention they deserve until it’s too late. That was not the case with Al. Maybe tributes like this end up reaching people like yourself who aren’t familiar with the person in question, and then they learn about them.
Speaking of learning, “Howdy Doody” was a puppet in a 1950’s era children’s program. “Alfred E. Neuman” is the MAD cover boy.
Such a wonderful tribute for such a great man, Tom! Al Jaffee was part of the true essence of what made MAD, well…MAD! He was truly one of a kind in so many ways
and will be missed by many.
I grew up reading and laughing while dreading Mad Magazine. Greatest disappointment was not looking like Alfred E for Halloween.
So long,Al!
What a wonderful tribute to one of the giants of MAD magazine. Thank you.
What a beautiful tribute. Mr. Jaffee was a genius.
Tom, I appreciate your feedback. I am sure he was much admired during his time and as I said it was a wonderful tribute.
[…] work, it won’t be an in-depth obituary or retrospective. There have been plenty of those published already. Instead, it’s an introduction to his work and will point you in the right direction […]