The squiggly self portrait that doubles as Al Jaffee's signature is how we always picture him: Curly-haired and bearded, with a spiky mustache protruding from under his circular nose, slightly self-deprecating and entirely goofy. It was a fitting image to go with the wry fold-ins at the back of Mad Magazine, issues we collected under our bed from the time we were eight, and which we blame for our early-onset cynicism. The man behind the quirky signature and delightfully absurd cartoons, however, has a far less humorous story to tell. more ›

It's been a while since we last checked in with Brooklynite, cartoonist, illustrator and graphic novelist Adrian Tomine (who you may know best for his ongoing comic series Optic Nerve, or his New Yorker covers). In fact, at the time his new book Shortcomings had just come out, and now it's hitting paperback. He's currently on a book tour with Seth, stopping by the Strand tomorrow night, and the MoCCA festival this weekend. Recently he told us about living in Chris Rock's former apartment and, for you graphic novel newbies, where to start if you're intrigued by the illustrated world. more ›