#Al Jaffee's MAD Inventions

[tomoleary]

Al Jaffee “Al Jaffee's Mad Inventions” cover art (1978) Source

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

FROM THE ABSOLUTELY MAD MIND OF THE LATE, GREAT AL JAFFEE -- "PRESS A BUTTON, ANY BUTTON."

PIC(S) INFO: Resolution at 1701x2873 -- Mega spotlight on front & back cover art to "Al Jaffee's MAD Inventions... And Other Patently Absurd Contrivances," published by Warner 94-407, c. 1978, 4th printing. Artwork by the late, great Al Jaffee.

PIC #2: Back cover art -- Resolution at 1752x2873. Artwork by Al Jaffee (1921-2023).

Source: www.biblio.com/book/al-jaffees-mad-inventions-al-jaffee/d/1464887062.

[misterdtour]

Jaffee Centennial

I’ve marked centennial birthdays around here before, specifically for both Jack Kirby and Will Eisner, but this one is a first. Continue reading

[biggoonie]

MAD MAGAZINE #14

stories and art by THE USUAL GANG OF IDIOTS It’s the wacky for Jaffee issue! We’re folding with one hand and saluting with the other as we celebrate the witty work of Al Jaffee, creator of the Mad Fold-In! In addition to his “crease-able” features, the issue includes rare Jaffee gems like revamped inventions, “Tall Tales,” and “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions,” plus an all-new “Mad Look at…” by Sergio Aragonés, “Spy vs. Spy,” and a special never-before-seen piece by Al himself! ON SALE 06.17.20 $5.99 US | 56 PAGES FC

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Al Jaffee's MAD Life: how a traumatized kid from the shtetl became an American satire icon

Back in 2010, It Books published Mary-Lou Weisman's biography of MAD Magazine icon Al Jaffee: Al Jaffee's Mad Life: A Biography; I missed it then but happened upon Arie Kaplan's 2011 writeup in The Jewish Review of Books this morning and was charmed by the biographical sketch it lays out.

Jaffee previously) invented some of MAD's most enduring regular features, including the iconic back-page fold-ins and the "Snappy answers to stupid questions" section. But his story starts in Zarasai, Lithuania, where he grew up with his mother and younger siblings. Jaffee had been born in Savannah, Georgia, but his mother brought him back to the shtetl and left his father behind in the USA. Jaffee's mother was neglectful and indifferent, and when he could, he returned to America without her at the age of 12 -- she is believed to have been murdered by Nazis a few years later.

Jaffee's father, meanwhile, used to send him American comic strips rolled into cardboard tubes, inspiring his love of the form. In 1936, Jaffee's teachers at the Bronx's Herman Ridder Junior High School tested Jaffee's class for arts aptitude, and sent him on to art school, along with his classmate, Wolf William Eisenberg -- who would later change his name to Will Elder.

The Jewish Review of Books article examines Jaffee's relationship with Judiasm: he was an atheist who still drew illustrations for publication in Orthodox newspapers (he did it out of a fondness for "the kind and gentle souls of the people of Orthodoxy . . . or maybe I’m doing penance for my mother.")

Best of all is the picture, above, of Jaffee and Elder in 1936 in the lunchroom of New York's High School of Music and the Arts. Man, those are some great googies.

https://boingboing.net/2019/07/13/rip-mad-magazine.html

[anotheruserwithnoname]

The Wrap’s headline is slightly incorrect; as the story itself says, the magazine is going to continue, but after releasing two final issues of new material this year, it will begin focusing on reprints of older material. But still, even though Mad has been a shadow of its former self for a while (its relocation from New York to Los Angeles last year, which coincided with an ill-advised decision to reset the magazine’s numbering, clearly didn’t work well), it’s still sad to hear that another print institution is slowly riding into the sunset.

Mad wasn’t for everyone - topical-humour magazines rarely are - but having run for 67 years, it has definitely been influential, as you can tell from reading some of the responses in the article.

Along the way, it created icons out of its artists, such as Al Jaffee (last I heard, still drawing in his 90s) who came up with fantastical (yet surprisingly practical) inventions, and whose “Fold-In” features are masterpieces of comic art. You had Sergio Aragones, whose tiny comic strips were little gems you’d find hidden away in the margins of the pages. The late Don Martin was the master of the sound effect (Glit, glort, bleeble, durp, SKROINCH!). And the magazine’s parodies of film and TV shows were almost as beloved as the originals. (There was a UK edition for a few years - and yes they spoofed Doctor Who too.) And while caricature was the order of the day, it was very well done caricature. It was also I believe one of the very first comic magazines to be compiled into books (there were about 100 Mad paperbacks published, many years before the “graphic novel” concept came along).

Mad also branched out into other areas. Arguably the best disco album of that bizarre time in the late 1970s was “Mad Disco”, a flexi-disc included with a special edition back in 1980, and in the 1960s they released several albums of music parodying the popular styles of the day. Not everything worked: unlike its competitor, National Lampoon, which scored movie hit after hit from Animal House onwards, the only Mad-branded film, Up the Academy, was so bad Mad successfully had all references to the magazine and its mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, removed from future re-issues. But MadTV ran for years and offered an often-funnier alternative to SNL. There was also an animated series based on the magazine.

Mad was also worthy of admiration for maintaining editorial freedom for a very long time. From 1957 to 2001 it published without advertising, allowing it the ability to include parody ads for products without fear of annoying sponsors. (Many of these fake ads inspired SNL’s fake commercials.) During that same period it also published almost totally in black and white (except for the covers), and I think it lost some of its atmosphere when it moved to full colour, especially in the film and TV parodies.

Mad will probably continue for a while as the reprint title, and as the article states, so many of its older pieces are sadly still very relevant today. But it was very much the last publication of its kind, at least in North America. National Lampoon stopped publishing 21 years ago; Cracked is just a website now; The Onion went online back in 2013; even Punch (which was the Mad Magazine of the 19th century in the UK) shut down in 2002. I know online is the way people prefer things (if this was the 1980s I’d be publishing a zine instead of this blog), but this really falls into the “you don’t realize you miss it until it’s gone.”

I just wish I’d sent in my $1 for an Alfred E. Neuman 8x10 back when I had the chance!

[zenruption]

Al Jaffee Passes

Al Jaffee was an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for his work with Mad Magazine. Jaffee was born on March 13, 1921, in Savannah, Georgia, and began his career as a freelance cartoonist in the 1940s.

In 1955, Jaffee began contributing to Mad Magazine, where he became known for his inventive fold-in illustrations, which have been a regular feature of the magazine since 1964. Jaffee's fold-ins were often used to satirize political figures and social issues, and he continued to produce them well into his 90s.

Jaffee also created and illustrated several other features for Mad Magazine, including "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions," which became one of the magazine's most popular recurring features. He also worked for other publications, including Time and Esquire, and illustrated numerous children's books.

In addition to his work as a cartoonist and illustrator, Jaffee has been an advocate for cartoonists' rights and has been involved in efforts to improve their working conditions and recognition. He has won numerous awards over the course of his career, including the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award and the Comic-Con Icon Award. Jaffee retired in 2020 at the age of 99, after a career spanning more than 70 years.

Mad Magazine is an American humor magazine that was first published in 1952. It was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines and quickly became known for its irreverent, satirical take on American popular culture.

Mad Magazine features a mix of original and reprinted content, including humorous articles, parody advertisements, comic strips, and "fold-ins," which are illustrations that can be folded to create a new image and a humorous commentary. The magazine also frequently features parodies of movies, TV shows, and politicians, as well as recurring features such as "Spy vs. Spy," a wordless comic about two spies engaged in a never-ending conflict.

One of the defining features of Mad Magazine is its distinctive art style, which features exaggerated caricatures of celebrities and political figures, as well as a mix of hand-drawn and photographic elements. The magazine has also been known for its use of humorous footnotes and asides, which often comment on the absurdity of the subject matter being parodied.

Over the years, Mad Magazine has become a cultural institution, influencing generations of comedians and satirists. While its popularity has declined in recent years, it remains an important part of American humor history, and its impact can still be seen in contemporary comedy and satire.

[redthreadtugstwo]

Another brilliant mind

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

WHAT, AL WORRY? JUST PRESS ANY BUTTON AND WATCH THE MAGIC HAPPEN.

PIC INFO: Resolution at 1712x2147 -- Spotlight on textless cover art to "Mad Inventions" paperback, from "MAD" magazine, cover art by the legendary Al Jaffee (1921-2023), published by Warner Books in 1978.

PIC #2: The original, published book cover art, with different color grading. Artwork by Al Jaffee.

Sources: www.reddit.com/r/ImaginaryTechnology/comments, Biblio, various, etc...

[popeyesmith]

Before the Fold-In, Al Jaffee's (1921-2023) Tall Tale Telling

With the sad passing of Al Jaffee this week, cartooning lost its oldest and longest-working artist. In fact, the man behind 55 years of MAD magazine Fold-Ins held the Guinness Book of World Record for having the longest career in the field. But his 1964 invention of that classic foldable end-page gag was not his first stab at rethinking form. His inspiration for the fold-in was an inversions of…

[learnphotoo]

Al Jaffee, Inventive Cartoonist at Mad Magazine, Dies at 102

By Neil Genzlinger For 55 years he created the fold-in (as opposed to, say, Playboy’s fold-out), giving readers a satirical double-take on whatever was going on in the news or elsewhere. Published: April 10, 2023 at 08:00AM from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/4QZhaOw

[michaelgabrill]

For 55 years he created the fold-in (as opposed to, say, Playboy’s fold-out), giving readers a satirical double-take on whatever was going on in the news or elsewhere.