AL JAFFEE 2012 fine art print / special edition of 10 / $225.00

Drew Friedman rendered this portrait of legendary cartoonist/humorist Al Jaffee (b. 1921), the longest-running contributor to MAD Magazine and one of Friedman's artistic heroes. Since 1964, only one issue of MAD has been published without new material by Jaffee.

He made his MAD debut in 1955, after the monthly was transformed from a comic book to a humor magazine. When MAD founder Harvey Kurtzman left in 1956 to launch two (short-lived) humor periodicals, Trump and Humbug, Jaffee went with him. In 1958, Jaffee returned to MAD and joined editor Al Feldstein's "Usual Gang of Idiots."

In 1964, Jaffee innovated the MAD back cover "Fold-In," which immediately became a recurring feature. His helpful "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" arguably encouraged subsequent generations of snarky teens.

Blogger Wil Forbis summed up the philosophy of Jaffee's humor: "To be alive is to be constantly beleaguered by annoying idiots, poorly designed products and the unapologetic ferocity of fate. Competence and intelligence are not rewarded in life but punished."

Asked in a Mother Jones interview if he considered MAD a "children's magazine," Jaffee replied: "It was designed to corrupt the minds of children. And from what I'm gathering from the minds of people all over, we succeeded." (See Drew's portraits of other MAD legends, Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, and Will Elder, also available as limited edition fine art prints.)
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SHIPPING COSTS
  • U.S. DOMESTIC via USPS Priority: $35
  • HAWAII & ALASKA via USPS Priority mail: $40
  • CANADA via USPS Priority Mail International: $60
  • INTERNATIONAL via USPS Priority Mail International: $75
Only ten (10) prints of AL JAFFEE were produced for this Special Edition. Each print is signed in the lower right by the artist, hand-titled in the center, and numbered in the lower left (all beneath the image). We have sold numbers 1/10 thru 5/10, and are now offering numbers 6/10 and 7/10, unframed, for $225 each (plus shipping & handling). Prices will increase for remaining prints as the edition depletes. These prints are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the run sells out, the work will not be offered in any other fine art print format.

The image area is 14" high x 11" wide centered on an untrimmed 19" x 13" sheet. Paper, ink, and production specifications, as well as shipping details, are available on our PRINT SPECS page.