Customer Reviews

Far Side Gallery 4

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Every one of Gary Larson's books has been a work of twisted genius, and "The Far Side Gallery 4" continues that tradition. A collection of hundreds of Larson's distinctive cartoons, this book will sometimes shock, sometimes mystify, but always amuse.

Larson's overall vision is a bizarre, yet oddly coherent blend of fantasy, science fiction, horror, theological speculation, anthropological/zoological observation, and cultural criticism, all distilled through the mind of a master parodist. His trademark technique--the anthropomorphization of the unexpected--is on abundant display in "Gallery 4." Larson's is a world in which squirrels read newspapers, alien juvenile delinquents abuse human astronauts, tapeworms go on vacation, bowling pins hold cocktail parties, and buzzards give poetry readings.

Larson will take on the most taboo subject in order to get a laugh, and he usually succeeds--often brilliantly. Trichinosis, obesity, conjoined twins, suicide, political protest, Native American culture, cryogenics, suffocation, old age, serial killers--nothing is off limits in "Gallery 4." Larson even makes fun of his own cartoon series.

Another of the pleasures of reading "The Far Side Gallery 4" is the fact that you never know who you'll run into next. Larson's deranged imagination captures a whole host of fictional and historical figures: Albert Einstein, Humpty Dumpty, Tito Puente, Dr. Jekyll, Stephen King, and many, many more. When the floating head of Zsa Zsa Gabor threatens the crew of the starship "Enterprise," you know you're in Larson territory.

The short foreword by Robin Williams (he describes Larson's vision as "a National Geographic special on Prozac") is an added bonus to this collection. For fans of "The Far Side," this is an indispensable collection; for those who haven't yet sampled the insane genius of Gary Larson, this is a great introduction.

Gary Larson has created the funniest cartoons in the history of mankind. Unlike other comics you do not need to read them in a series as each individual cartoon tells its own hilarious story in a stand alone fashion. Therefore you do not need to have read the previous volumes to enjoy this edition to its fullest.

Fourth in the series of Far Side collections, the 1994 originally released Gallery 4's cartoons come from the smaller books Wildlife Preserves, Wiener Dog Art and Unnatural Selections. This volume is forwarded by Robin Williams who gives a four paragraph opinion on Larson and his work. Far Side Gallery 4 also have a unique cover where the lenses of the woman's glasses have been cut out, meaning when you open the cover, still viewing the exact same drawing, the glasses are on their own on the next page. This however does mean Gallery 4 has the most fragile cover of all the galleries.

A mixture of four comics to a page and full page comics make up this volume, most are black and white but with the occasional coloured pages every now and then. Classic Far Sides in this volume include aliens with the moon landing astronauts in a jar about to shake the jar to see if they'll fight, the hospital for mothers whose children stepped on sidewalk cracks, the famous Mr Ed verse Francis the talking mule debates, punk accountants and many more hilarious cartoons such a chicken reading a sign on the other side of the road saying Why Do You Need a Reason?

This like all Larson's work is a must own!

Some comics lose their charm after 10 years or so, but Gary Larson has not. His humor is just too witty and clever. The Far Side Gallery 4 is another installment of The Far Side Gallery series. Needless to say, the humor is still as good as ever. The beginning of the book has a foreword by Robin Williams and about 160 whole pages of hilarious comics from start-to-finish. In all, this book is a perfect addition to any Far Side collector's shelf.

All of my family loves anything from The Far Side, and this is as funny as all the rest! We will continue to add the books to our collection.

Who needs a reason! Mind, a postman suddenly put their head in the frame and took the longest time ever.

This purchase is a replacement of an older copy that lived a good life being read and passed to family members, going on camping trips, overnights, etc. It's truly a classic - to be put away for a couple of years, then rediscovered all over again.

My son is in the USAF and as you can imagine, it can be stressful, challenging and sometimes boring. He has always loved the comedy of "The Farside" and as a token of how proud I am of him, I set him this book and a few others. These books have not disappointed him at all!

If you have someone that looks at the world through a pair of x-ray glasses purchased from the back of a magazine and always has something to laugh at, I would recommend any of Gary Larson's "The Farside" books as a gift. If laughter is indeed the best medicine, then these books could cure anything.

Absolutely too funny! A must have for even those who may not consider the late Gary Larson their favorite cartoonist.

Gary Larson is a twisted, demented personality and we are all better for it. His cartoons are some of the most absurd, yet hilarious concentrations of humor that have ever existed and this collection is no exception. Nothing is too sacred or too bizarre to escape the drawing and writing tools of this master. If you have a macabre sense of humor or can tolerate one, then you will love this book.

Far Side really doesn't need a review. It's hilarious and anyone who has ever read it will agree with me. It's a classic! My favorite one from this book is the fear that no matter where you are, a duck a watching you. Too funny!