Columbia Libraries Acquire Archives of Mad Magazine Cartoonist Al Jaffee

Editor's Note: MAD magazine announced on July 4, that starting this fall it will no longer publish new material, except year-end special editions and books as well as vintage reprints. Launched in 1952, it evolved from a "comic book" to an influential satirical magazine poking fun at national cultural and political events. At its peak, in 1973, MAD had a circulation of more than two million.

Age has hardly slowed the legendary cartoonist Al Jaffee. At 92, with the still sonorous voice of a radio announcer, he continues to freelance for Mad magazine, where he has worked for 58 years, creating such iconic features as “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions” and, most notably, the Mad fold-in.

Jaffee’s wit is as sly and razor-sharp as ever. He signs his emails “MADly Al J,” considers 13 his lucky number, and has taped a startling, life-size image of a grinning capuchin monkey smack dab in the middle of the mirror in his studio.