Description
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.)