A Tribute To Gary Larson: The Far Side
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Gary Larson's The Far Side Collection
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The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 (2 vol set)
Price: $79.50
List Price: $150.00 |
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The Far Side ® Gallery
Price: $3.75
List Price: $16.99 |
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The Far Side ® Gallery 2
Price: $4.82
List Price: $16.99 |
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The PreHistory of The Far Side ®:: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit (Far Side Series)
Price: $3.60
List Price: $16.99 |
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The Far Side ® Gallery 5
Price: $3.81
List Price: $16.99 |
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The Far Side ® Gallery 3
Price: $4.49
List Price: $16.99 |
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The Far Side ® Gallery 4
Price: $3.75
List Price: $16.99 |
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On the Far Side of the Mountain
Price: $3.15
List Price: $6.99 |
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Beyond The Far Side ®
Price: $3.45
List Price: $9.99 |
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The Far Side ®
Price: $1.69
List Price: $9.99 |
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Author Bio
Gary Larson was born in 1950 in Tacoma, Washington to a working class family. He and his older brother Dan were very much mischievous in the way of growing up, as young Gary was on the receiving end of many of his older brother’s pranks. Being fully aware of little brother’s fear of monsters, Dan would hide underneath his bed or in the closet and wait for the opportune moment to scare him half to death
However, Dan wasn’t at all malicious to his kid brother as his actions were all in the name of good sport. The two were frequently playmates and found much amusement in building a swamp in their backyard, filling it with bugs and frogs they collected or turning their basement into a desert by hauling sand. Gary thanks his brother for his “paranoid” sense of humor. He also attributes his love for science as the two of use to catch animals from Puget Sound and bring them homes as pets. Gary also had an affinity for snakes and herpetology as it is evident in his cartoons. Safe to say, Gary and his brother Dan were very close and in 1991, Dan passed away after losing a bout with cancer.
In his youth, Gary Larson loved to draw and although he enjoyed seeing his friends’ drawings of dive-bombing airplanes and tanks at school, he preferred to draw dinosaurs, whales and giraffes. Interestingly enough, he never took any formal training for his art as the thought didn’t strike him at anytime to become a professional cartoonist. In his book The Prehistory of the Far Side, Larson revealed in one section that showcased his Very Early Works in which he was fed scraps underneath the dinner table, or was thrown in the trunk of the family car to spend a personal vacation and was told to go and play out on the freeway if the urge struck him! This information should not bring about alarm; rather, it should lead us to believe that he had in fact a good and wholesome childhood.
While attending Curtis Senior High School, Larson lost interest in drawing and so focused on playing jazz guitar. Upon attending Washington State University, he majored in communications with the hopes of writing ad copy for television and consequently “save the world from inane advertising,” as he reportedly told interviewer Al Young. While at college, in addition to his communications courses, he registered for as many biology and natural history courses into his busy schedule. When he graduated in 1972, he put off going into the field of advertising and instead, formed a jazz duo and went to work at a music store.
One day in 1976 while working there, Larson reached an epiphany: He sat down and drew up six cartoons and submitted them to a local magazine called Pacific Search. To his amazement, the magazine bought them all for $90. In addition, a weekly paper, the Sumner News Review paid him $3 a cartoon for a weekly cartoon and it wouldn’t be until 1979 that a newspaper gave him his own weekly panel titled “Nature’s Way.” Some of these earlier cartoons proved that he could draw sleek and attractive people, yet Larson stuck to drawing his humans and animals (which he drew anthropomorphically) and all were lumpy, big-nosed, bug-eyed and foofy-haired! It was a refreshing change to the mundane medium of normally drawn cartoon characters.
In 1979, Larson was struck with the idea of getting another newspaper to publish his work and so drove down to San Francisco to shop his work to the San Francisco Chronicle. After about a week of lobbying for some attention, he was overjoyed when he was told the newspaper would not only print his panel in their newspaper, but to about 30 other newspapers all across the country and would syndicate his cartoon which would be renamed The Far Side and would eventually appear in over 2,000 newspapers and each one of his book collections would go on to become bestsellers. However not everyone enjoyed his work, as it was criticized for being disgusting, outrageous, and distasteful. Of course their were many that thought otherwise and praised his work. Larson garnered such an enthusiastic following with scientists that when a species of chewing lice that effected owls was discovered they were named in his honor, Strigiphilus garylarsoni!
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Greg Williams' Tribute to Gary Larson
I'm Going For Broke! (Hub 7/30)
Thanks, Gary!
I want to personally thank you for inspiring me and making me laugh throughout the years. As an animal lover, I'm pleasantly amazed by your depiction of them (which for the most part is really us in costume!).
I first learned about you while I was in fifth grade when a classmate of mine brought in a book by you to show to me. Just as soon as I started reading and taking in the hilarious pictures, I was instantly hooked! I was amazed on how your little squares of vibrant color (or sometimes not) containing only one picture and a line or two or three of text could somehow make a person laugh. I began copying your art and grew an interest of all your pudgy animals (especially the cows!) and people who are every bit as goofy as we are on our best day.
You've taught me how to view the world in a much different light than what I am conditioned to see as you have made much a mockery out of the mayhem of what we call the Real World! If laughter really is medicine, then you have been keeping me healthy all these past years I've had the privilege to enjoy your work.
Thank you for sharing your humor!
ODP
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Comments
Thanks Wesley! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Unfortunately, there were a couple of ones I could not find but hopefully these will suffice until I do.
I love Gary Larson, my favorite cartoonist, no one was funnier. Thanks for the cool tribute, dohn.
Your welcome, Dolores. When all's said and done, he just might be the most intelligent cartoonist of them all!
Thanks Dohn, I LOVE Gary Larson. It was good to read some background into who he is. Russ
Your welcome, Russ. He's never failed to bring a smile to my face. I think he's brilliant in terms of his talent and his ability. How many people do you know that can make an impact with just one picture with a couple of animals acting like humans? I kind of wish he didn't retire, but he got burnt out with all the deadlines he had to meet. Thanks, Russ.
Shame on you, Dohn--I clicked on this Hub and couldn't even read the freakin' thing till I'd checked out every one of the 61 cartoons. Now the cats are mad 'cause they haven't been fed yet and the litter boxes are smelling up the place and all that. You're EVIL, dude! LOL
When I first began noticing The Far Side cartoons many years ago, I couldn't stand 'em. Then I worked for several years with a fellow insurance underwriter who was a rabid fan, and she slowly but surely (mostly) converted me. Now I can't go past a cartoon panel without not only looking it over but actually studying it in detail.
I still dislike one of Larson's most common depictions, the cow standing with her teats hanging out there for anyone to see. If you're going to anthropomorphize a nursing bovine, at least draw her with a boulder holder, for Pete's sake!
LOL. He's one of the best ever. I wish he'd make more...I'm not exactly sure how many he actually drew (truth is, he probably threw away more good ones than anyone will ever know) but I wager I can't get enough of them. They're just so damn funny. Sorry that black and white didn't have a "boulder holder" (never heard that one but LOVE it, gotta use it now) but in the words of Bart Simpson, "Hey man, don't have a cow!" Thanks, Fred!
P.S. Shame about the tabby...Give em' a dish of milk I guess! (I'll stop now)
Thanks for the Gary Larson history lesson: I too have enjoyed reading his captions numerous times in the past and have often had a chuckle over his work.
Thanks Shaydov. He one of the greats. I just wish he wasn't retired!
What a rad hub! Super fun and uniquely informative...and I love the direct tribute at the end. Awesome!
Thank you, sbeakr! I really do appreciate your comment. Gary Larson definitely deserves it. It's a shame that he doesn't create more Far Side cartoons, but I guess all of us have to retire some time or another.
Love the Far Side! Do you know Bloom County??
Yes, I do :) However, I was a little too young to fully enjoy it at the height of its success, as it's heavily political (in many instances). Now however, I re-read them and am enthralled by its humor! Thanks, Ms Chievous! I kinda miss your happy Cheshire Cat, but its growing on me :D
I was in a bad mood this week.. happy cat will come back soon ;)
Good to hear :D I'm thinking about changing my avatar too.
Gary Larson's brilliance lies in showing a situation and allowing the viewer's mind to connect the dots as to how it came about. Example: A pet store window. A jar with a large fish in it and a sign that says "Piranha". A cat with two wooden front legs. Work it out :-D
Yes, I showcase that one here too! I really like that one and that are very few that I don't like (it may be because it was a little dry). That is one called, "Animal Camouflage," in which an old cargo van has human beings painted upon it while two cows are driving and sitting shotgun as they are zooming through a pedestrian-filled city. Unfortunately, I couldn't find that one on the net.
Wonderful tribute....I have always loved Larson's comics. He is the master of "Out there....funny!" Thanks....great job! :)
Hey, Tommy! Thanks for dropping in. Yeah, I can definitely see you appreciating his work, as you have a great sense of humor. Cool avatar, by the way. I like it :D
Thanks for such a delightful diversion!
I forgot how much I love his humor...
:o)
Thank you, lorlie6 for you comment. I hope that years from now, people will continue enjoying his work!
My favorite was the one with the sign on door say "School for Gifted" and "pull" and the guy was pushing. I also like the one with the Bear and the two skulls on a stick "Gee you think there are any bears in this cave, I dunno lets find out".
That is so hilarious, MikeNV. There are a few more that I really enjoyed that I could not find on the net, but make no mistake that if I do find them, I'll be sure to share them here! Thank you for your comment.
I love the way Larson always took the joke an extra step--he didn't go the obvious route that most people would choose. For example, the one with the cat looking out the window. It just has a nice added touch to the irony of the situation.
I included your hub in a list of great hubs: http://hubpages.com/hub/10-Great-Hubpages-Articles
Wow, thank you for doing that Chris! I really appreciate you doing that! Larson is certainly one of the great humorists of the twentieth century. I enjoy all of his work through the years and deserves to be honored. I'm honored to be added onto your hub.
Farside comic is one witty guy! I have a few of his books.
I use to have a couple of his shirts: One with the kid spider dangling a human figurine over the shoulder of the parent adult spider and another one where one bear is pointing to the other bear while in the sight of a cross-hair.
good cartoon.i enjoy it.
fashion-worldnews.blogspot.com
Thank you, shah kamal. I appreciate it.
My first experience with the FarSide comics was one of his daily calendars. They were so amusing that I couldn't tear off the pages! I had to keep the whole thing intact! XD
Ha! I know exactly what you mean! I have three of those, as they ended up being the last ones produced, so they became even more valuable! Thank you for visiting.
That was so fantasticly funny to see after a long day!!
Thanks
Thank you, grunkpunk. That's great to hear!
This is fantastic. I love Gay Larson, and I have to say I have quite a few newspaper clippings, old daily calenders, and books of his and of his The Far Side. Wonderfully written and layed out hub. Fantastic topic.
I have a couple of the Far Side books as well. This is great, to learn a bit about the man himself. I also have to agree with Ghost32's first comment! lol
Excellent tribute! I love having a Gary Larson calendar on my desk just so I can get a new cartoon each day.
Gary Larson is great, and thi is an excellent tribute to him. Good work and great to see those cartoons again!
he was a great guy
Frieda--Thank you, Frieda! I still have newspaper clippings and day calendars of he Far Side somewhere around here (I just moved). There are a few that I couldn't find, unfortuanately, but hope to add to the slideshow!
marcofratelli--That's wonderful to hear, marcofratelli! No, you, Ghost32, and I are all on the same boat. I sometimes stray on over hear and click through the cartoons myself!
Ashley Joy--Thank you, I tried looking for a day-to-day calendar on The Far Side for the year and had trouble locating one! I wonder if you'll have a problem throwing it away once the year's through?
Marie Dwivkidz--Thank you for your comment, Marie. He definitely deserves it. His cartoons are always fun to read, aren't they?
Skydweller--Thanks, Skydweller. I wish he was still cranking out these awesome cartoons!
I hate to brag everyone but when I lived in Florida I had the pleasure of meeting him in person.He is a remarkable person with a wonderful personality.
Wow, really? That's so awesome. No, that's something definitely worth bragging about! Someday, I'd like to meet him. I'm sure he's better in person. I appreciate your sharing that!
Great hub. I really love Gary Larson's comics.
Thanks for coming out of your shell to read me marshall! I love the new avatar! I appreciate your comment.
How can you not love Gary, I ask! My sister was Gary's equivalent with the hiding and scaring tactics (mean sister lol). She liked to hide under my bed at night. I still read "There's a Hair in My Dirt" when I need a pick me up. Nice tribute.
It's all in good fun, isn't it Eva? My oldest brother once sprayed shaving cream inside the toilet and then called me over to look and told me that the "stuff" meant he was dying. I began to cry and then began hugging him, begging him, "Don't go!" while he began laughing! (I was only 5). Sonofa*****! Why did I tell you that???
It's all in good fun, I guess.
Loved your tribute to Gary Larson. At Christmas I would always look forward to getting a new Larson book and spend the holidays ROFL. Seriously. What a hoot!
The brother story is classic. Yes, I was the younger sister, the one who jumped off the carport at my brother's dare. No broken bones, though, all in good fun hahaha.
Great hub!
Thank you, PegCole17. I'll never get tired of Gary Larson's Far Side. I tried coming up with a couple of my own but they're nowhere as good as his cartoons. I'm the youngest out of five kids and got away with bloody murder! But I did do somethings on my siblings' "suggestion" too, so I know what you mean. Thank you for visiting me!
I like Larson Dohn, he makes me smile always, and any person who makes me smile inspite of what we are going through is a gem,
you did a good job making a tribute to him and his cartoons and works.
have a good day, Maita
He's one of my favorites by far. I'm glad that you like him too as I share the very same sentiments as well. Thanks for the compliment!
wesleycox says:
4 months ago
I sure do enjoy a good far side cartoon.