About the book
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
About the author
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!).