Jack Davis

For the U.S Representative from Illinois, see Jack Davis (politician).

Jack Davis
Davis in 2015
Born	John Burton Davis, Jr. (1924-12-02)December 2, 1924 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died	July 27, 2016(2016-07-27) (aged 91) St. Simons Island, Georgia, U.S.
Cause of death	Complications of a stroke
Occupation(s)	Cartoonist and illustrator
Years active	1950–2014
Spouse	Dena Roquemore ​ (m. 1950)​
Children	2

John Burton "Jack" Davis, Jr. (2 December 1924 – 27 July 2016) was an American cartoonist and illustrator. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was known for his advertising art, magazine covers, movie posters, record album art and numerous comic book stories. He was one of the founding cartoonists for Mad in 1952.^[1] His cartoon characters are characterized by extremely distorted anatomy, including big heads, skinny legs and extremely large feet.^[2]

Davis contributed to other Kurtzman magazines—Trump, Humbug and Help!—eventually expanding into illustrations for record jackets, movie posters, books and magazines, including Time and TV Guide. He completed an 88-card set of humorous cartoons called Wacky Plaks, which Topps Chewing Gum Co. released in 1959.

After graduation, he was a cartoonist intern at The Atlanta Journal, and he worked one summer inking Ed Dodd's Mark Trail comic strip, a strip which he later parodied in Mad as Mark Trade.

Davis died in St. Simons Island, Georgia on July 27, 2016 from complications of the stroke, aged 91.^[3]

References

1. Meglin, Nick (1973). The Art of Humorous Illustration. Watson-Guptill. ISBN 978-0823002696.
2. Logan, Michael (March 11, 2013). "Cast of Caricatures". TV Guide: 23. ISSN 0039-8543.
3. "Famed Bulldog artist Davis dies". Archived from the original on 2016-07-30. Retrieved 2017-12-14.