MADness #149- The All Seeing Al Jaffee!

Clicky to embiggen…

Here we go with another of the stumbling steps along the path that is the look back at my work for MAD Magazine! This week we have a look at a kinda-sorta two pager for MAD #19, June 2021, written by Benjamin LeClear. Benjamin was (and still is) the senior manager and archivist of the DC Comics Library.

After MAD #15 came out (see last episode), it really did look like it was over for me and the magazine. For the first time in 12 years, I had no assignment for the next issue. Or the next. Or the next. In fact is was nearly 8 months before I heard from Suzy Hutchinson about a new assignment again after turning in the one for #15, and it was for a special piece to celebrate Al Jaffee’s 100th birthday for #19.

MAD had been quietly retiring almost all original content over the last few issues. Issue 16 had a few new pieces related to the Halloween theme. Issue 17 was a tribute to Segrio Aragonés, and featured what looked like the final “A MAD Look at…” feature of his, although he would apparently still contribute a handful of new “marginals” AKA “drawn out dramas” to new issues. #18 was a “Spy vs. Spy” tribute issue, which would feature what looked like the final new Peter Kuper SvS strips. #19 was the first issue (which the exceptions of a small number of missed issues) since issue #60 in 1961 to not have a new Spy Vs. Spy in it. This piece was the only new content, except the cover and the continuing “Fold In” feature now being done by Johnny Sampson, to apear in this issue.

I say it’s a “kinda-sorta” two pager because all I really did here was two spot illustrations of Al, but I also hand lettered the title, hand drew the “boxes” some of the Jaffee inventions were placed in, and did a quick color/pattern background. If I remember right this was a very quick deadline so I suspect Suzy got a last minute ok on a budget to do an Al Jaffee 100th birthday celebratory piece. The Al on the left hand page is obviously a nod to Johnny Carson‘s “Carnac the Magnificent” bit from “The Tonight Show”. The entire piece was a kind of homage to the old “MAD Believe It or Nuts” feature that occasionally appeared in issues in the mid 60’s to early 70’s, like this one:

Even though this was not a very meaty feature to work on, it was nice to do a new piece for the magazine again. I likely got the call because Suzy knew I was reliable and could do a decent job on a quick turnaround piece when needed. When MAD stopped with the new material I told Suzy not to hesitate to call me if she needed something fast or something fixed at the wire. Little did I know the very next issue she would put that to the test! Toon in next week for that story!