Al Jaffee Mad Magazine Cartoonist Passes at 102

VIDEO – DON’T FORGET AL KAPP –

April 10, 2023 – “Al was, at heart, a rascal,” said John Ficarra, a former Mad editor-in-chief who worked with Jaffee for more than 35 years, according to the tribute. “He always had a playful twinkle in his eye and brought that sensibility to everything he created.”

“Al Jaffee was an incredibly gifted man who touched our hearts and never failed to make us laugh,” Jim Lee, chief creative officer and publisher of DC, said in a statement on the site. “He garnered the highest accolades and praise in the world of illustrations and comics.“

Tim Heintjes, editor of Hogan’s Alley, an online magazine about cartoon arts, also announced the news on Twitter.

“I’m very sad to report that the great Al Jaffee has died,” Heintjes wrote. “He had celebrated his 102nd birthday just last month. An incredible legend. RIP to a giant of cartooning.” Jaffee created the Mad Fold-In in 1964, and it continued until he retired in 2020, according to the Times.

The feature on the back of the magazine appeared to look like any other page, but when you folded it into thirds, the illustrations and text would turn into something totally different.

Many of them would have surprise jokes, too.