Customer Reviews

The Far Side Gallery

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just think of all these young whipper schnappers that missed the whole thing. The Far Side was a rarity in the lame world of modern newspaper comic strips. It was actually funny. I hate to say, laugh out loud, but that's what it made you do in just one panel, and you often laughed Very Hard. I think one of the factors in the demise of newspapers today, had to have been the day The Far Side retired. It's a freakin' TREASURE!!!

This is the very first collection of Larson's beloved Far Side cartoons. It's a small book, with just two of his early cartons per page, but they're good ones. All of them show Larson's inverted sense of reality. One shows a housewife on the phone, surrounded by fishbowls: "Well that's how it happened Sylvia ... I kissed this frog, he turns into a prince, we get married, and wham! ... I'm stuck at home with a bunch of pollywogs." Several others show an upset Santa Claus, his famous reindeer, and a mention of venison. Many show his fascination with improbable doings of wildlife. That earned him a place in the hearts of biologists everywhere, so much that a newly-discovered species was named in his honor.

//wiredweird

The cartoons in this book are hysterical. Larson has a great sense of humor, albeit a little twisted. My favorite was the one where God is going the up escalator and the Devil is going down. The Devil has just smacked God in the face with a crème pie. Many of the cartoons are visual and textual puns on life and the universe. I laughed my way all through this book and strongly recommend it to anyone who needs to yuk up their life.

It is always difficult to review a comic strip, and I think a one panel strip with no set characters is even more difficult to discuss as opposed to a regular strip, but I'll give it a try. To begin with, if you don't know what "The Far Side" is, then your life is going to improve a bit from having experienced it, unless you have absolutely no sense of humor at all, in which case you probably won't like it. Gary Larson has an unusual mind and puts a different twist on the common and uncommon alike. Each one picture entry stands on its own, and many will connect with the reader in terms of culture, myths, etc.

This is the first collection of strips from Larson, and as such looking back on it now, I would say that this is not Larsen at his peak, but at the same time there are still plenty of laughs contained in this book and it is certainly not a poor collection. So while none of my favorites for "The Far Side" series is included in this particular collection, there are some very good ones here. You learn what happened to unicorns, how the wife of a werewolf feels in her old age, and a bit about Santa's relationship with his reindeers, just to allude to a few of the strips included. All in all there are 200 strips included.

What is tough about this is that it seems The Far Side has always been there. That being said, it doesn't feel quite as fresh as it once did. Most of these cartoons I have read 1000 times. In the end, though, you can't go wrong with Gary Larson.

This book presents the first lot of cartoons from the widely syndicated 'Far Side' strip. You will find hilarious cartoons, completely strange cartoons, rebellious cows, ducks, mugger bears, tales of cavemen, Scientist hijinks, all of which leave you gasping for air whilst you try to stop laughing. Recommended to anyone who enjoys the stupid facts of life. YAY!!

Maybe this book does not contain so many "hits" as others, but it is still a good old Gary Larson Classic. I am a huge fan of his work and I think it is worth buying and reading. Among other things to find out, what REALLY happened with Dorothy and co., when they enetered the yellow road.

this book is funny aand so is the rest of the farside collection. i started collecting farside books because of this first one