Al Jaffee Honored at MoCCA

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is a nice little spot in New York City where you can see some of the pioneering art that's made comics as big as they are today. Occasionally, on a Thursday the museum will have MoCCA Thursday, in which a comic visionary is showcased. On Thursday, February 23, that visionary happens to be none othat than Al Jaffee, who will be on hand himself to talk about the release of the four-volume set of The Mad Fold-In Collection from Chronicle Books.

Joining him on the panel will be MAD Art Director Sam Viviano, MAD writer Arie Kaplan and artist Arnold Roth. Danny Fingeroth will be moderating and there's the promise of surprise guests!

It all takes place on Thursday, February 23, at the MoCCA, from 7 PM to 9 PM. Admission is $7, unless you're a MoCCA member, in which case it's free.

Full press release below.

Our Next MoCCA Thursday:
Al Jaffee and The MAD Fold-In Collection!
Thursday, February 23rd
Admission $7 (cheap!), and FREE (even cheaper!) for MoCCA Members

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art – MoCCA – is proud to present a special MoCCA Thursday honoring Al Jaffee and the release of his recent 4-volume set of THE MAD FOLD-IN COLLECTION from Chronicle Books, featuring all of Jaffee's fold-ins from 1964-2010!

Joining Jaffee himself on a panel to talk about the origins and development of this unique artform will be MAD Art Director SAM VIVIANO, who has been personally involved with many of Al’s Fold-Ins; MAD writers ARIE KAPLAN and MAD artist ARNOLD ROTH, moderator DANNY FINGEROTH, as well as some super-special surprise guests!

The MAD Fold-In Collection will be on sale at the event, courtesy of publisher Chronicle Books, including a few rare sets of The MAD Fold-In Collection: Gift Pack, featuring a special limited edition bookplate signed by Al Jaffee, retailing for the same price as the regular version of the Collection.

About THE MAD FOLD-IN COLLECTION GIFT PACK:

Al Jaffee’s fold-ins, on the inside back cover of virtually every issue of MAD Magazine since 1964, have become an icon of American humor. Generations have grown up with Jaffee’s inspired skewerings of our foibles and cultural conundrums. Issue after issue, each Fold-in requires the reader to simply fold the page so that arrow A meets arrow B to reveal the hidden gag image, a simple idea that masks both undeniable artistic ingenuity and comic timing. In this deluxe four-volume set, each of the 410 fold-ins is reproduced at its original size, with a digital representation of the corresponding “folded” image on the following page (so collectors won’t have to “fold” their book to get the jokes). Featuring insightful essays by such luminaries as Pixar’s Pete Docter and humorist Jules Feiffer, The MAD Fold-In Collection is the definitive gift for the millions of fans who’ve grown up with MAD for nearly 60 years.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS: 

AL JAFFEE is the creator of some of MAD’s most popular features, most notably the Fold-In and “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.” His work first appeared in the magazine in 1955, and he has since won a Reuben Award, a National Cartoonists Society Advertising and Illustration Award, and a Humor Comic Book Award. A biography, Al Jaffee’s Mad Life, was published in 2010. Written by Mary-Lou Weisman, it includes more than 70 new illustrations by Al. Despite repeated requests, Jaffee refuses to retire, and is frighteningly active, including still doing the Fold-Ins for MAD.

SAM VIVIANO began illustrating for MAD in 1980. Over the following two decades, he became one of the “Usual Gang of Idiots,” doing everything from movie parodies and comic strip rip-offs to digitally-created cover illustrations. In a desperate attempt to get his artwork out of the pages of the magazine, in 1998 the editors suggested that Viviano get a Real Job. He is currently Art Director of MAD.

ARIE KAPLAN is a MAD Magazine writer, and author of From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books, for which he interviewed Al Jaffee, among many others. As a comic book writer, Arie has written for DC Comics, Archie Comics, Bongo Comics, IDW Publishing, and Papercutz. He has written video games, including one based on the hit TV series, House. His website is www.ariekaplan.com.

ARNOLD ROTH has done cover art for albums by Dave Brubeck, Louis Prima, and Pete Seeger. Arnold’s work has appeared in and on TV Guide, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, and The New Yorker. Arnold was introduced to Kurtzman’s MAD by Brubeck’s Paul Desmond and was part of Kurtzman’s Trump, Humbug and Help. He was a regular contributor to the National Lampoon, and, for twenty years, to Punch. His books include Arnold Roth: Free Lance; Poor Arnold’s Almanac, and The Collected Humbug (all from Fantagraphics Books). 

DANNY FINGEROTH is MoCCA’s Sr. VP for Education. He was a longtime editor and writer for Marvel Comics. He’s written books about comics including Superman on the Couch, and is the co-editor (with Roy Thomas) of the recent The Stan Lee Universe, which features, among many other nifty items, an interview with Jaffee, and correspondence from Stan Lee about Al. Danny’s educational course at MoCCA, “How to Write Comics and Graphic Novels,” starts February 28th. You can contact him at: danny@dannyfingeroth.com.

More about The MAD Fold-In Collection at these links:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/humor/the-mad-fold-in-collection-gift-pack.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIg_6W34nMQ

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art - MoCCA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts education organization dedicated to the preservation, study and display of all forms of comic and cartoon art. The museum promotes greater understanding and appreciation of the artistic, cultural and historical significance of comic and cartoon art through a variety of events, exhibitions, and educational programs. The museum is located at 594 Broadway (between Houston and Prince Streets) in New York City. MoCCA is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays from 12:00-5:00 pm. Suggested donation to the museum is $6 but free for MoCCA Members as well as for children 10 and under (when accompanied by a paying adult). For more information about the museum and MoCCA events, exhibitions and programs, contact MoCCA at info@moccany.org.