Al Feldstein

Al Feldstein was born Albert Bernard Feldstein on October 24, 1925, and passed away on April 29, 2014. An American writer, editor, and artist, he is best remembered for two towering contributions to popular culture: his creative work at EC Comics during the early 1950s and his three-decade tenure as editor of *Mad* magazine, a position he held from 1956 to 1985.

Feldstein's comics career began in 1946, and he quickly became a central figure at EC, where he worked across an remarkable range of roles — writing, drawing, inking, lettering, and coloring. His fingerprints are all over EC's most celebrated titles, including *Tales from the Crypt*, *The Vault of Horror*, *The Haunt of Fear*, *Weird Science*, *Weird Fantasy*, and *Crime SuspenStories*. These publications defined the horror and science-fiction anthology genre, blending moral irony with genuinely unsettling storytelling.

When he moved to *Mad* in 1956, Feldstein steered the magazine through its most culturally influential decades, shaping American satire for generations of readers. His editorial vision helped cement *Mad* as a genuine institution.

After stepping away from *Mad* in 1985, Feldstein turned his artistic attention to Western wildlife painting, finding a second creative life in a very different medium. His body of comics work across nearly 460 issues remains a foundational chapter in the history of the form.