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: 20 Lbs. of forgotten humor!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not kidding when I say make sure your coffee table is sturdy and your postal delivery person is hernia-free, this two volume collected work of Gary Larson's THE FAR SIDE is amazing..amazingly heavy. But, despair not valiant reader, the pain of this massive tome digging into your thighs as you meander through it's pages is at best causing severe nerve damage and at the very least taking you away from the horribly crushing depression that you suffer most of the time anyway. Why, do you say? Becuase Mr. Larson has devoted his entire life, all thirteen years of it, to drawing poorly constructed, one-frame cartoons, that are sure to make you either giggle or guffaw, with enough of the good ol' "oh my God, that's sick" thrown in for balance. Let's face it, you need this. Seriously. Yes, you. C'mon, your looks are fading, the years havn't been kind, and you are starting to smell funny. Wouldn't it be nice if you could somehow, magically, travel back in time, thirteen years ago, when your teenage dreams were brought to life in every new paperback edition of THE FAR SIDE? Remember how mad you were at your parents when they threw them all out, along with you, after you dropped out of the technical college for the third time? Well, you'll show them now. YOU'LL SHOW ALL OF THEM!!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!!Book Review: Gary had no idea he'd drawn so many cartoons, until one day they were published...and couldn't fit into a single volume!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're like me, when you REALLY like an author, composer or, um cartoonist, you want to get their COMPLETE works...or at least know you CAN get them! (I still haven't got ALL of Mozart's, but getting there). Anyway, I got tired of all the compilations of Larson's greatest, I wanted to see it all! The good funny, the bad funny and the ugly funny. This book lives up to the hype, and the heft! Each book weighs like 20 lbs. There are intro essays, attempts at a humorous forward by Steve Martin that I could do without, but after all, who cares? The music of the humor is hilarious.
As another reviewer rightly pointed out, only two things are missing, seen in other published books, and only one of those I think are important enough to get: the 10th Anniversary Pre-History of the Far Side, which is quite a treat. Why they didn't add this material to this collection, even as an addendum, I'm not sure. But the insights gleaned from this paperback are so wonderful - frankly, it's just so nice to finally hear the author's actual voice, telling us HIS opinions on good efforts that misfired or were misunderstood, as well as his Graham Wilson-influenced roots - it should be in the Complete Far Side too. Since it isn't, get it, and THEN you WILL be really complete.
Thanks Mr. Larson!
Book Review: Two full volumes of graphical satire
Summary: 5 Stars
I've always been a big fan of the Far Side. I attribute all my knowledge of American culture to Gary Larson's creation, as well as MAD magazine.
Anyway, I had in the past collected a few of the individual albums, perused through my friends' collections, but then saw this beauty on Amazon and could not resist. And boy was I pleased when the delivery came... It's great value for its weight, first of all! The books weigh a ton!
The contents are great as well, all cartoons are ordered chronologically, with a foreword by Mr. Larson at the beginning of each year, giving us insight on the creation of the comics, but most entertainingly, some explanations on which parts of his life caused his mind and sense of humor to be twisted in this inimitable style. Oh and there's also some mail from readers sprinkled throughout the book, some praise, some asking what the joke is on a particular cartoon, and a lot of people greatly offended at some of the humor when it insults their own version of reality...
So in closing, if like me you enjoy the Far Side, and want to have the definitive collection, as well as a great conversation starter when you bring friends to your home (and I suppose it could double as a boat anchor for an emergency), get this, you won't regret it :)
Book Review: A Wonderful And Beautiful Boxed Edition
Summary: 5 Stars
This two volume edition of the Far Side would make a wonderful graduation gift (or birthday or whatever occasion gift) -- especially at its current $54, down from the listed price of $130. (As an aside, I paid double for my copy a year ago.) Image the Library of America giving its lavish production style to the complete works of Gary Larson and you have an idea of the quality of the binding/printing/paper quality of this set.
The reader needs to be aware that each book is oversize and heavy (about ten lbs per volume: 1980-1986 and 1987-1994). Nor is it a book that one would read straight thru (not with 4,000+ cartoons), but rather to read one year's worth of drawings, laugh aloud, put down and pick again later for another browsing. There are brief essays that go with the color and B/W cartoons (up to 6 to a page).
The only humor set that I would compare this edition to would be the eventual 25 volume set of "The Complete Peanuts" by Charles Schulz (only three books have been published so far: 1950-1952, 1953-1954, and 1955-1956). While Peanuts can appeal to any age group, The Far Side needs an older teen or older to appreciate its absurd, but with a straight face style of humor. I highly recommend this box edition.
Book Review: Coffee table book or the table itself
Summary: 5 Stars
As others have commented, these volumes are heavy and massive, 18 pounds to be exact, according to one of Larson's essays which introduce each year of cartoons. The content is well worth the weight of the volumes and the hefty price. Have you ever seen coffee table books called "The Works of (fill in famous artist's name)? This is the equivalent for a famous artist of our time. I think Larson's works deserve it. For a dozen years and more (with the calendars) I have laughed or moaned daily at the Far Side comics. Yes, it's true, now and again I couldn't figure out what Larson's point was, but over the years I cut out hundreds of Far Sides and kept them. Those yellowed and dried pieces of paper have now been replaced by these magnificently printed and bound volumes that should preserve all that amusement in pristine condition for a very long time. And, lest we forget, Larson frequently enough made pointed comments about the odd directions modern society sometimes headed in in the last half of the 20th century. To have his works complete is almost more than anyone could have expected. These books are a treasure. Save up and get them. What a gift the endless hours of laughter they provide would make.