This article concerns the Far Side comic strip. For other uses of the expression, see Far side (disambiguation).

The Far Side is a popular one-panel comic created by Gary Larson. Its humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropocentric view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, or the search for meaning in life. Unusual for a daily comic strip, it contained no regularly recurring characters.

Far Side cartoons, though diverse in their humor, often rely on certain familiar situations. These include:

• Life on the farm, featuring the antics of farmers and their animals, especially cows and chickens
• Castaways on a deserted island
• Cavemen and dinosaurs
• Scientists in labs
• Nerds
• Aliens from outer space

He also occasionally draws cartoons commenting on celebrities or current events, although these are rare.

The strip ran from January 1, 1980 to the same date in 1995, when it was retired (there were a few sabbaticals and vacations along the way).

Around the world, The Far Side is perhaps better known for the compilation books and merchandise (especially calendars, T-shirts and mugs) than it is for its original incarnation as a daily newspaper feature.

It is difficult to find many Far Side cartoons online since Larson (and/or his publishers and lawyers) have been very effective at persuading people to not infringe on his copyright. There is a widely distributed letter (http://members.aol.com/HPElzer/letter.html) online, attributed to Gary Larson, in which he explains the "emotional cost" to him of people displaying his cartoons on their websites, and asks them to stop doing so.

Publishing History

Gary Larson has produced 22 Far Side books, all of which made it to the New York Times bestseller list. The cartoons were first collected in small books (see list below), and some were then republished in larger "best-of" collections (The Far Side Galleries). Additional "best-of" collections were published, such as The Prehistory of The Far Side, culminating in the final, most complete publication, The Complete Far Side.

The small collections:

• The Far Side (1982)
• Beyond The Far Side (1983)
• In Search Of The Far Side (1984)
• Bride Of The Far Side (1985)
• Valley Of The Far Side (1985)
• It Came From The Far Side (1986)
• Hound Of The Far Side (1987)
• The Far Side Observer (1988)
• Night of the Crash Test Dummies (1988)
• Wildlife Preserves (1989)
• Wiener Dog Art (1990)
• Unnatural Selections (1991)
• Cows Of Our Planet (1992)
• The Chickens Are Restless (1993)
• The Curse of Madame "C" (1994)
• Last Chapter And Worse (1996) - this last collection was published after the end of the strip

The five Far Side Galleries are the most popular of the books, each of them collecting together the best cartoons from three smaller books, along with a humorous foreword by a celebrity fan, e.g. Stephen King, Robin Williams, or Jane Goodall (who herself was the subject of a Far Side cartoon).

In 1991 The Prehistory Of The Far Side was published to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the strip. In this book, Gary Larson discusses the development of The Far Side, the public's reaction to it, and presents a selection of his personal favorites from the cartoon's history.

In 2003, The Complete Far Side was released, which contains every Far Side comic ever published. The set featured two volumes (1980-1986 and 1987-1994), a foreword by Steve Martin, and an introduction by Larson's long-time editor Jake Morrisey. The first-edition hardcover boxed set weighs nineteen and a half pounds (8.8 kilograms).

External links

• Gary Larson's The Far Side (Official Site) (http://www.thefarside.com/)
• Toonopedia (http://www.toonopedia.com/farside.htm)