This image is the cover for the book Tall Tales

Tall Tales

An anthology of the innovative vertical comic strip by the legendary MAD Magazine contributor—with an introduction by Stephen Colbert.

Tall Tales was a one-of-a-kind newspaper strip that could only have come from the mind of Al Jaffee. While other newspaper strips are square, single-panel or multiple-panel horizontal gag cartoons, 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.

The original comic strip was syndicated internationally by the New York Herald Tribune from 1957–1963. This anthology 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.

Al Jaffee, Stephen Colbert

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!).

Abrams