The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 (2 vol set) by Gary Larson, Steve Martin
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Book Reviews of The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 (2 vol set)
Book Review: Tomes of Humor to be treasured
Summary: 5 Stars
At one point Gary Larson's work was featured at a museum in New York City as an exhibit. I saw it in the late 80s, (1988?) The exhibit covered the first part of the 1st book this series comprises. Its rare to see a crowded museum with people laughing, but that's just what I experienced. Since that day, I've been blessed to receive a few Far Side books and calendars. This past christmas I received "The Complete Far Side". Myself and other reviewers have left praise for Mr. Larson's work for good reason. How can a man who did these strips for over 10 years NOT be good? It would be unfair to judge these works against other strips such as Dilbert or Garfield or any other work that can come up with characters and plot. The one panel snap-shots are a genre all their own. (and have spawned some less-talented knock offs since Gary stopped drawing) The books illustrate not only the depth and breadth of humor it covers, but also the evolution of Mr. Larson's creative ability and his illustrative ability as well. (The drawings of the 80s are not like the 90s... you'll see what I mean.)
If you are reading this review, you are more than likely one of the converted to Gary's humor. If you haven't purchased it for yourself, put it on your wishlist as I did. While it weighs as much as a bowling ball, these books are a testament to one of the most creative artists to ever fill the "funnies" section of a newspaper.
Book Review: More Than I Ever Expected... Loaded with Surprises!
Summary: 5 Stars
While the price tag may seem hefty, it's easily worth the money. This "Complete" collection is far more than I ever expected. Since I had so many of the older collections, I made the assumption that this was just a cool way to put all the stuff in one place. Not so... It's not just convenience, it simply better than any combination of older volumes you will ever find.
Here are some observations:
1. The collection includes a ton of cartoons that have NEVER been published in book form. These classics have not been seen anywhere since their original newspaper publication.
2. Even though the original cartoons were in black and white, a large percentage of these classics have been colorized! The color versions are seemlessly sprinkled into the pages, keeping the flow. Both older and newer cartoons are equally colorized.
3. The quality of the package itself is top-notch. They use high quality paper, printing, binding and packaging.
4. The set is very large and VERY HEAVY. You may have trouble lifting it.
5. The cartoons are layed out in a variety of sizes. Some are expanded to the entire page, where others are mixed in about the same size as they were in the original newspapers.
6. Lastly... These cartoons are FUNNY!!!!!! All the fancy packaging and quality are just gravy. The bottom line is that these cartoons will have you laughing for years to come.
Book Review: A Behemoth of Belly-Laughs!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was hoping to get the Complete Far Side for Christmas last year, so I held off on purchasing a copy for myself. Well, Christmas came and the books didn't (probably because nobody wanted to lug the 18-pounder around the store!), so when I went to buy it after Christmas, it was sold out everywhere I went. Bummer! The only copies you could get for several months were through auctions and sellers asking over the full price for used copies. So I decided to wait to see if it would be reissued.Success! When I saw this on the Amazon site for sale at the nice discounted price, I purchased it in world record time. And boy am I glad I did. I bought this about 6 or 7 weeks ago and I'm still in the first book as I take my time to review the strips and the various articles. Some of the strips still miss the mark as they did when I first saw them, but still, a good percentage are still pretty darn funny 10 years after Larson retired the strip. The presentation is tremendous. So much so, my wife (a home-decorating-aholic) actaully allowed me to display these books on my desk in our house (and believe me, most of my stuff is relegated to the closet).
The high quality binding and paper make this a must for the Far Side fan. I just wish that other comic compilations (like the new Complete Peanuts series) would have taken a lesson from Larson.
Book Review: The greatest collection of the greatest comic
Summary: 5 Stars
There is so much in this collection beyond the comics themselves, although certainly without them there would be little more than twenty pages. What I enjoyed most about this volumous work was Larson's hilarious and insightful essays that preceded each year's comics, Steve Martin's great foreword, and, more than anything else, the countless letters from the public on various subjects. Most of them are enemies, shaking their finger at Gary Larson for some kind of offense they took from a cartoon. The funniest thing is, the most potentially offensive ones are often ignored, while the minutest interpretation of an innocent cartoon often elicit the most angry responses. They are absolutely hilarious to read because they make you think "How the hell could people possibly read such a thing into this?" (Something I'm sure Mr. Larson asked himself many a time). Mr. Larson, if perchance you read this, may I suggest, if you still have them, publishing a book purely of letters from fans/enemies about your comics? I would pay good money for that.In short, this is a must-buy for any Far Side fan; if all this hasn't convinced you and you think "I have all the books, why do I need this?", well, consider that there are over A THOUSAND panels in this tome that have never been published in book form before. Buy this book now.
Book Review: A future museum piece
Summary: 5 Stars
Gary Larson was of course a genius. I loved his Far Side cartoons in the 1980's, and even today miss that Far Side greeting cards appear to now be a thing of the past. His work in a single panel - just a handful of square inches - was always excellent. The joke might be obvious, or subtle (or both). Reality and absurdity juxtaposed together. I'd love to say that the Far Side was a thinking man's (or woman's) comic, but in fact it was everyman's comic.
This is then the complete collection of the Far Side comics, in two hardbound volumes surrounded by a slipcase. There is an introduction by Larson, and then every Far Side comic he ever drew...well, had published, anyway. The only thing missing is the content of Prehistory of the Far Side - but how do you work that into a collection like this organically?
Its expensive, but like the Complete Calvin, cheap at the price. Also like the Complete Calvin it is huge and unwieldly. Its not a book to take on the morning train ride, unless you have a private carriage.
This is the definitive Far Side collection, and will last forever. Probably, millions of years from now, the last copy will be preserved in a museum, being read by intelligent giant cockroaches and presumed "to have been used...for ritual purposes". How right they will be.