Jack Davis was born on December 2, 1924, in Atlanta, Georgia. After serving in the Navy, Davis enrolled in night classes at the Art Students League and began working on The Saint syndicated newspaper strip. It was in 1951 that he began working for EC Comics on their horror, war, and suspense titles. The juxtaposition of Davis's "cartoony" style with the grim and at times gruesome EC scripts quickly made him one of the line's most popular artists. Shortly thereafter he began his decades-long association with MAD, where his humorous, over-the-top style meshed perfectly with MAD's zany irreverence. Davis has worked in virtually every area of commercial illustration, including movie posters, advertising campaigns, album covers, magazine covers, and illustrations.