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| Suspended Animation, 7/23/2004 |
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The PreHistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit
by Gary Larson
Published at $12.95 in 1989
288 pgs
Trade paperback from Andrews and McMeel
God bless garage sales and the sister-in-law who buys books for me, especially comic strip anthologies of The Far Side.
I mean, c'mon, what's not to love about a single panel cartoon of insects facing a movie screen. The title of the movie is "Return of the Killer Windshield". Then there's the moose sitting with a can of beer in front of a TV. With a telephone cupped in one hoof, his wife says "It's the call of the wild".
Who can forget Tarzan's expression as he swings with his legs crossed from his tree-house to his tree-outhouse.
There are hundreds of these simple doodles in The PreHistory of The Far Side, many in color. There are other wonderful delights as well.
What's to not love about an art style that makes you think that you could draw Larson's stuff. Beautiful simplicity. Looks like its drawn on a cocktail napkin by someone not completely sober. And yet it works.
There's a delightful section about Far Side cartoons that were un-comprehensible. I knew I wasn't the only one who didn't understand them.
There is a revealing section on how Larson developed some of his off-the-wall ideas. I felt normal after reading it, and not many people think of me as normal. There is a wonderful collection of cartoons that got Larson in trouble, and a sampling of Larson's favorite Far Side panels.
In short, this anthology is not only a terrific collection of one of the best comic strips ever produced, it is a tour inside Gary Larson's mind. Scary, but good scary. Fun scary. No, no, no. Great scary.
This stuff is so good that you'll almost like your sister-in-law.
This anthology is highly recommended, even if you have to buy it retail.
Michael Vance
Shudder at Vance's Light's End horror short stories narrated by actor William Windom at www.plan9.org.
Questions? Comment? E-Mail Suspended Animation at vance@digitalwebbing.com
Any statements made, expressed or implied are solely those of columnists or persons interviewed and do not represent the editorial position of the administration, who does not accept responsibility of such statements. All characters and artwork shown are trademark and © of their respective owners.
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