Tall Tales by Al Jaffee, Stephen Colbert (Introduction)

Product Details

Synopsis

Tall Tales was an innovative newspaper strip syndicated internationally by the New York Herald Tribune from 1957–1963. Whereas newspaper strips are square, single-panel or multiple-panel horizontal gag cartoons, Al Jaffee, known for the Fold-In in MAD Magazine, once again altered the format of his work to create a vertical strip—the first, and last, in newspaper history. Tall Tales contains the best 120 wordless strips out of over 2,200, scanned from the original files. The book features a new preface by Jaffee and an introduction by Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report.

“Al Jaffee is the cartoonist’s cartoonist. He’s a pioneer in every field, from comic books to book illustration to magazine cartoons. The worst thing about Jaffee is that every time I do a drawing, I find out he’s done it before . . . and better.”—Sergio Aragonés, cartoonist

“This collection proves that not only has Al Jaffee always been funny, he’s always been disturbed.” — Stephen Colbert, from his introduction

Children's Literature

Al Jaffee created this syndicated cartoon feature in 1958. In the preface, he explains how he decided that his gimmick would be the vertical format which enabled his cartoon to be placed on any newspaper page where the editor wished to attract attention. In each cartoon, Jaffee creates a situation that requires a "double take." In the seven-inch format, readers look first at the strongest focal point. It is there that Jaffee places the set-up for a visual gag. Since his cartoons are wordless, they can appeal to a worldwide audience. So that the cartoons have a sense of continuity, they have one recurring character, Sidney Sneath. Jaffee's cartoons do have great whimsy; in some cases, they are worth the second glance. However, there is no real context to these cartoons other than that each one has a visual gag and requires a second glance. This collection of the cartoon's best strips is interesting and sometimes funny, but it is questionable if many readers would want to look through the entire collection. For those who are familiar with the author or are interested in cartoons, this work could provide some interesting examples of a unique format. Reviewer: Elizabeth Fronk

Biography

Al Jaffee is an award-winning cartoonist and cultural icon best known for his work in MAD Magazine. He is the creator, artist, and writer of the MAD Fold-In and Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions. At eighty-six years old, Al Jaffee is still a regular monthly contributor to MAD. He lives in New York City with his wife, Joyce. Stephen Colbert is an American comedian, satirist, actor, and writer. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller I Am America (And So Can You!).