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Summary: I find Larson's take on life to be very comforting
Review: It may strike some as odd that I find the works of Gary Larson to be comforting since so much of his work seems, well, bleak. A dingo farm next door to a nursery, crows with spatulas for gleaning flattened road kill, snakes who dream of dining on puppies,...this is not typically "comforting" stuff. But the thing is, it all carries the underlying message of: "Don't take yourself so seriously." I find that comforting. What I find most interesting about this book is the glimpse Gary Larson gives us into his creative process. He shows the evolution of some comics in this book: starting as doodles, polished and with a tentative title, the final published edition, and in some cases he lets us see some of the complaints the cartoons have engendered. In one chapter he even explains some of his famously un-understandable works, such as the notorious "Cow tools" gag and the "tether-cat" incident. This book has been a good friend for years.
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Summary: GGGGAAAAAARRRRRRYYYY LLLLAAAAARRRRRSSSSSSOOOOOONNN!
Review: Me Gorg,Me likee Gary Larsono,Me gonna reado booko.Me likee Gary Larsono farside bookos.Me like comic stripo of GGGGGGAAAAAARRRRRYYY LLLAAAARRRRSSSSOOONNNN.
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Summary: Inside the mind of Gary Larson
Review: The Far Side is the comic strip that makes animals look like humans and humans look like animals! And if you enjoy Gary Larson's bizarre sense of humor, just wait til you see the strips that never saw the public light. What could be better than this anthology of never-before-seen, rejected cartoons and unpublished sketches, born out of the author's mind, late at night, "when I'm working and mental fatigue starts to take over", as he explains himself in the introduction of one sketchbook sampler. Live the experience of having Gary Larson himself explain one particular sample of his work during three full pages, one which was never understood by the readers of its the time, and find out that the explanation is far more simpler than was thought at first. It's clear that this guy likes to laugh at life as much as he likes to laugh at his faithful readers! Who cares as long as we laugh our brains out in the process?
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Summary: A history and thought on the Far Side.
Review: The Prehistory of the Far Side documents the development of
Gary Larson's animated strip, The Far Side. He has compiled
a collection of his personal favorites, pictures drawn during
childhood, those that his editor rejected, and those that sparked
a controversy. Don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: PENGUINS CANNOT WEAR WATCHES
Review: The Prehistory tries to offer an explanation of the workings of Gary Larsons mind. Unfortunately this proves to be th first of the three impossibles, the other two being "WHY" and "NEUGH". The only way to appreciate the most abstract of Larson's work is, of course, to be a complete looney. I fall into this category and so I can say with all sincerity that Gary Larson must be, not only the best cartoonist of all time, but also the best philosopher of all time. However if he was a self confessed philosopher the world may well have an abundance of self sufficient cows or penguins and fish that enjoy the sport of humaning. But all in all the book was top class.
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Summary: Taking Comic Strip Collections to a Whole New Level
Review: This book is not just a showcase of Far Side cartoons. It's much, much more than that. It's a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most warped, twisted, and funny comic strips to make its way into the comics pages. Besides page after page of some of the best Far Side cartoons, you also get a brief, but funny autobiography of the creator Gary Larson and how the Far Side came to be. You get early drawings from Mr. Larson's pre-Far Side days. You get sketchbook doodles, controversial Far Sides and the stories behind them, rejected cartoons, and glimpses into how some of these cartoons developed from sketch to full-fledged cartoon. This is an absolute must-have for anyone who has ever enjoyed even one Far Side strip. It is a fabulous look not just into the Far Side, but into the entire world of cartooning.
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Summary: Great insight into the FAR SIDE
Review: This book isn't just a collection of FAR SIDE cartoons. It contains Mr. Larson's notes and comments on some of his most popular cartoons from the past 10 years. It also contains interesting information about his beginnings as a cartoonist and even some early darwings and drafts of his work. He takes you through some of the thought processes in creating his strip as well as including interesting anticdotes about his life as the author of the FAR SIDE. It is a must own for fans of the FAR SIDE.
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Summary: A Hilarious behind-the-scenes...
Review: This is a behind-the-scenes look at The Far Side. It amazes me how similar cartooning is to advertising, my profession, in terms of the process, the clients, the portfolio, the frustrations, etc. Includes early sketches of cartoons, changes that were made with rationale, and a hilarious section on reader complaints. Also has a chapter on mistakes, one of my favorites of which was when a newspaper accidentally swapped a Far Side caption with a Dennis the Menace caption. I was laying in bed reading it alone, and laughed so hard I started crying.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book About the Far Side
Review: This is not just another Far Side gallery--although I like those, because I'm a fan of the strip. In this book, Larson delves into the creative process of creating comic strips, and the book includes early drafts of several particular published works. He also shows us some unpublished works, as well as the modifications he made in order to get certain ones published. My favorite sections are the chapter on "rejected cartoons"--which contains some very funny panels that were deemed too inappropriate to be published--and the chapter on "Public Response"--which details the more controversial of his cartoons, some (but not all) of which are actually funny. What I liked most about this book was that it gave us a glimpse of Larson's mind. It is fun to see him discuss his works in intellectual and artistic terms. I like the fact that even a cartoonist takes his work seriously. I should also add that the book does contain a long section constituting a gallery, but this time it is all Larson's choices of his own favorites. He comments: "I contemplated making this last section a collection of what I consider the *lousiest* cartoons I've ever drawn, but space was limited."
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Summary: The best of the best of the far side books
Review: This was by far the best far side book ever created. I absolutely adored the baby drawings. It was great how you got to read about how he started out writng "Natures Way" and how it ended up turning into the "Far Side". The best part though was the exhibit. The color drawings were increadible. This book is great and you should get it now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(you get the point)
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