Al Jaffee, The Longest Working Cartoonist Ever, Retires at 99
Jun 12, 2020
Mad artist Al Jaffee, who was known for his “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions” and Mad fold-in, retired this week at the age of 99. He is the longest working cartoonist in history.
Jaffee began working in comics at Timely and Atlas in the early 1940s, then moved on to Mad in 1955. Nearly 10 years later in ’64, he perfected the fold-in, a process of creating an image with a question or statement that revealed a “hidden” image and statement when the page was folded. Jaffee is known for his versatile ability to create art for everything from superheroes to funny animals.
His retirement was commemorated by Mad with a tribute issue and his final fold-in. The tribute issue will be Mad #14 (FEB209146), featuring Jaffee’s work and original tribute content, including art by Mad vet Sergio Aragonées. The special issue is in stores on June 10, 2020.
