Although it's painful to admit, but many of the comics we read as a kid haven't held up well. "Garfield" seems rather (forgive the pun) lazy these days. I've read better romantic comedies than "Love Hina." Don't get me started at my feelings of "Dilbert" these days. That said, a few series still stand the test of time, and Gary Larson's "The Far Side" is certainly one of them. I actually own the
massive two volume coffee table complete collection (and make it a point to bring it out for a read once a year). While some strips don't evoke laughs due to the sheer amount of times I've read them, more often than not "The Far Side" is always a great source of laughter on a tough day.
Which is why I was more than excited to hear that Gary Larson was
making new strips of his classic comic online! Not only is it great to have new comics of "The Far Side" to read, but the idea that Gary Larson himself - one of the premier newspaper comic artists - would essentially start writing a webcomic is significant! It would be as if Stanley Kubrick decided to one day start a YouTube channel! Now, the series isn't 100% the same as it was before. The biggest change everyone will notice is that Larson is now drawing his comics digitally as opposed to using pencil and paper, which gives the new strips a different look than what we got before. I'm not sure if I completely like it, but right now it's likely just a matter of getting used to it. It should also be noted that this isn't going to be a daily strip.
In fact, Larson has made it clear that he's only going to post new stuff "when he feels like it," so this is likely now a side hobby of his. I understand. It's sort of like this blog: I used to run a comic book site full time and now I have this blog that I update infrequently and whenever I feel like it. It's a way to 'retire' from the business while simultaneously admitting that you don't completely want to give it up because it brings you so much joy. Anyway, back to "The Far Side." New comics are being uploaded at The Far Side.com. They are now being drawn digitally. The updates will be infrequent. And (thus far) the new comics are a hoot, avoiding political commentary and topical humor for more absurd irreverence. It's nice to see that some things are still funny years after initially reading them!
Your Comic Book Guy - Kevin
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