Tale of the Crypt

Jack Davis, who found a creative outlet for his foot fetish, has died at the age of 91 of complications from a stroke. Best known for his illustrations of celebrities and politicians in Mad magazine, Davis’ caricatures were typified by Mardi Gras parade-sized heads, super model legs and Bob Lanier shoes. Davis started inking the tedious Mark Trail comic strip, then found work as an illustrator at EC Comics, where he revamped the Crypt Keeper from Tales from the Crypt. When EC started drawing criticism for its violent comics like The Vault of Horror and the effect they could have on children, Davis was a charter member of the Usual Gang of Idiots, the creative team that would launch Mad magazine, and would never upset any parents. Davis also was well known for his illustrations for movie posters, such as It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and The Long Goodbye; record album covers, including Johnny Cash’s Everybody Loves a Nut; 23 TV Guide covers; character designs for the Rankin-Bass productions Mad Monster Party and The King Kong Show, the cartoon series The Jackson 5ive, and the bugs in the Raid insecticide commercials. The National Cartoonists Society honored him with a lifetime achievement award in 1996, he was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2003.