Jack Burton Davis Jr. (b. December 2, 1924, Atlanta, Georgia; d. July 27, 2016) defined mid-century humor cartooning with his inimitable, rubbery style, which ably satirized any genre. Incredibly prolific, the Navy veteran’s instantly recognizable comics and illustrations graced assorted EC comics, advertisements, TV Guide covers, film posters (such as the one for It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World). He also provided art to his alma mater the University of Georgia until his passing. Davis was one of the original artists behind Mad magazine, and was a contributor and ownership partner in other Harvey Kurtzman-edited humor magazines, like Humbug and Help!
Always the “Gentleman from Georgia,” Sergio Aragonés recalls a time when the Mad artists were visiting his parents’ home in Mexico. While his mother cooked for them outside, it began to rain, and Davis held an umbrella over her.
Davis has received many accolades for his work; he was given the National Cartoonists Society Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, a Reuben Award in 2000, and was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2003.