The Far Side Gallery 4

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Summary: A different meaning for "All Creatures Great and Small".
Review:
This book is a real HOOT!

I guess the thing that makes Larson's cartoons so different is that his mind is just a little further off in space than where most of ours dwell.
Reading a whole book of these cartoons is a very different thing from looking at individual cartoons over an extended period.After 10-15 pages your mind tends to get climatized to this thought process and his cartoons almost start to feel like the normal ,rather than perverse, way to look at things.
We all need this exercise in mind-stretching and it is great to do it with humor.
I strongly recommend it to anyone who is not already a fan of Larso;myself for instance,at least until now.
If there are a few cartoons in the book that you did not "get";it simply means your mind is not totally warped yet.Just keep at it,you'll make it!
Enjoy !

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant cartoons from a gloriously warped mind
Review: 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.

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Summary: !The far side of histercleness!
Review: Gary Larson in this includes some great ones like theres a dog with like 50 people following him he says, "I can't smell a damn thing." Plus there's a foreward by king of comedy from mrs. Doughtfire Robin Williams. Here's somhing he says in it. "I really like the way he draws humans. Maybe someday scientists will dig up his cartoons and think that the 20ith century man has a rarely big nose and buck teeth."

Rating:
Summary: brilliant
Review: Gary Larson is by far the most genius, the most innovative cartoonest ever to hit the world. This gallery has a forward by Robin Williams and tons of Larson's best work. You can't not love his sense of humor (and definitely check out the Prehistory of the Far Side).

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Summary: One of the BEST Galleries
Review: I just got this about a week ago and it is one of the best (I already have 1, 5, and The Last Chapter). This has so many classic examples of his genius work. This is a must have.

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Summary: If you like The Far Side......
Review: If you are a fan of The Far Side this book sells itself!!!![....]

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Summary: It severely changed my opinion on cows, frogs and nerds!
Review: Stunningly amazing! This book was my first encounter with Gary Larson's work and after reading it, I had to have Far Side Gallery 1 to 3 aswell. The cartoons vary from simply slapstick to delicate descriptions of modern day culture. Most amazing is that the humour is not specifically American but truly international. To me, Larson is the best cartoonist ever.

Rating:
Summary: it's perfect
Review: This book is really funny. Gary Larson has really outdone himself this time! One I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Then when I finally did, I was halfway through the book! Everyday I read a comic to refresh my humor in the morning. Ha-ha