Friday, December 25, 2009

Murder and mayhem illustrated, thanks to Gary Larson

Ken was very pleased to receive The Complete Far Side for Christmas.  He loved Walt Kelly's Pogo when he was growing up, and the only other cartoonist who ever came close was Gary Larson.  So, the collection is a real treat.

Not to mention a cartoon for every occasion, including our recent post on murder and mayhem in the kitchen.

3 comments:

John R. Vokey said...

If there was ever a cartoonist for scientists, it was Gary Larson. In the heyday of his work, there was rarely a good conference lecture that did not include a Larson cartoon. So much so, that we would sometimes work one in even when there was no obvious connection (The ``Cow Tools'' cartoon was always good for that purpose). I purchased the first release of the complete Larson, and I will never relinquish it. Even now, after innumerable pagings through, it is still one of the most enjoyable experiences for a rainy afternoon. And, if you can't find a person for whom the cartoon: ``Gomez, Zorro's less successful brother'' does not apply? You aren't Far Side material.

For those not familiar with him, The Far Left Side attempts some of the same humour, although often (as lately) darker than Gary Larson would have attempted: . The graphic style is amazingly similar.

John R. Vokey said...

Again, the link is missing: The Far left Side: http://www.farleftside.com/

Ken Weiss said...

I couldn't agree more about Larson. I hadn't known about the Far Left Side, but look forward to seeing it.

To me, Pogo and Far Side were far and away the best, most intelligent and compelling comics ever (Doonesbury comes next, probably).

Larson had just the right touch to poke fun at scientists. We often take ourselves far too seriously!