According toThe Far Side’seditor,the “best part” of many of Gary Larson’s cartoons is something readers often overlook: the character’s eyes. Larson’s humor could be incredibly subtle, butaccording to editor Jake Morrissey, who worked closely with the artist for much of his career, the way Larson illustrated facial expressions, eyes in particular, made them truly the window into the soul ofThe Far Side.
In his introduction toThe Complete Far Side Volume One, Morrissey offered a fascinating elaboration on his involvement in Gary Larson’s creative process, and along the way, offered his take on what the “best part” of Larson’s humor was.
For readers, whenencountering a confusingFar Sidecomic, it is helpful to take a cue from Morrissey – look to the characters' eyes. While this doesn’t hold the key to every panel Gary Larson produced during his career, it adds a dimension to the humor of so many of them.
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Eyes Are The “Best Part” OfThe Far Side
That is to say,Far Sidecharacters' eyes are more than just a flourish, they are an essential detail; in a way, they add a level of self-awareness to the humor of a panel.
AsFar Side’seditor, Jake Morrissey was as close to a creative collaborator as Gary Larson ever had. Meaning that he knew better than anybody what made Larson such an incredible talent, and what made his work stand out. InThe Complete Far Side Volume One, Morrissey explained that however subtle or outrageous one of Gary Larson’s cartoons might be, the artist always had a clear sense of his own work. Morrissey wrote:
[Gary] always knew where the true humor was in each panel – sometimes the best part of a cartoon was the reaction on a character’s face, for example – and he knew when to stop fiddling with it, which some cartoonists can’t do.
In other words, not only was Larson good at deciding when a cartoon was “done,” he was aware that the funniest aspect of his comics was often very subtle.
Readers who have spent a lot of time withThe Far Sidemay very well likely already knew how important the characters' eyes could be, but for new fans of Larson’s work, this is a valuable insight. One of the biggest barriers to appreciatingFar Sideis the inscrutability of so much of its humor;being able to recognize the particular “tells” of aFar Sidecomic, that readers can look for, in order to guide their understanding of a panel’s punchline, is essential to fully understanding Gary Larson’s work, and hisplace of high regard in American comics.
That is to say,Far Sidecharacters' eyes are more than just a flourish, they are an essential detail; in a way, they add a level of self-awareness to the humor of a panel, suggesting that the absurdity, or shock, of a joke was registering on the person in the panel, as much as on th reader. If nothing else, they serve as a reminder thatGary Larson tended to be as mystified by his comicsas anyone else, a truth that, in itself, lent an important quality to his work.
It Pays To Take A Closer Look At The Far Side
A Double-Take Is Worth It
Like any great, memorable art,The Far Sidecontinues to reward readers who return to it, seeking a more nuanced, in-depth understanding.
When it comes toThe Far Side, the deviltruly was in the details. That is to say, a second-look at a confusing panel could result in it becoming crystal clear, or an amusing panel might become outright hilarious, if the reader is able to decipher it properly. Characters' eyes and facial expressions are just the most prominent recurring example of this. A look of horror or dismay on a character’s face could go a long way toward elevating the effectiveness of a particular panel.
Even the most laugh-out-loud, obviousFar Sidepunchlines can be made even more rewarding by a close inspectionof the image, and a deeper scrutiny of the caption. It is true thatGary Larson crafted his comics to get an immediate reactionout of readers, but like any great, memorable art,The Far Sidecontinues to reward readers who return to it, seeking a more nuanced, in-depth understanding. In fact, this ability to have both an immediate and a lasting impact is another reasonThe Far Sideis so enduring.
The Far Side Complete Collection
Fans of the far side can’t pass up this master collection of Gary Larson’s finest work. Originally published in hardcover in 2003, this paperback set comes complete with a newly designed slipcase that will look great on any shelf. The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever published, which amounts to over 4,000, plus more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book and even some made after Larson retired.
A Peak Through The Window Into Gary Larson’s Artistic Process
The Far SideAt A Glance
Morrissey’s declaration that the “best part” of Gary Larson’s work is his characters' eyes confirms that the often difficult-to-understand humor…of the strip was a very much feature, rather than a bug.
ThroughoutThe Complete Far Side, Gary Larson offers unparalleled insight into his artistic mind,and his creative process. As invaluable and endlessly resourceful his own appraisal of his work is,it is also incredibly precious to have Jake Morrissey’s perspective. AsThe Far Side’seditor, Morrissey has a perspective as singular as Larson’s talent. That is, as much as he helped shape the comic during its run, he also functioned as an outside observer, privy to the darkest secrets of Larson’s artistic operation.
This window into the creation ofThe Far Sideis indispensable, and Morrissey’s declaration that the “best part” of Gary Larson’s work is his characters' eyes confirms that the often difficult-to-understand humor –described by Larson himself as “confusing, obtuse, esoteric, and strange”– of the strip was a very much feature, rather than a bug. In other words, they knew that not everyone scanning the funny pages would “get"The Far Side, especially not after one quick glance, and rather than try to target a wider audience, they tailored the strip to those who were paying close attention.
Gary Larson Explains How the Far Side’s “Formula” Got Him Into Trouble
In “The Complete Far Side Volume Two,” Gary Larson wrote about how the deceptively simple formula for creating cartoons could quickly get out of hand.
The Beauty Of The Far Side Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
Gary Larson’s Legacy Is Still Being Shaped
Editor Jake Morrissey’s explanation of the importance of characters' eyes toThe Far Side’shumor offers guidance to the comic’s readers, new and old alike, offering them something to sink their teeth into when one of Gary Larson’s cartoons doesn’t immediately “click” for them.
The more readers come to understand about howThe Far Sidewas made, the more it seems to open up to them, and offer more and more rewards for their engagement. In its heyday,Gary Larson’s comic could be controversial,meaning that even readers who didn’t “get” its humor often had a visceral, immediate reaction to it. Truthfully, even those who do develop an understanding of Larson’s comedic style might not ultimately appreciate it, and as long asThe Far Sidecontinues to find its way to new readers, it will continue to be divisive to some degree or another.
Still, the shifting landscape of American humor over the past several decades – through the entirety ofThe Far Side’stime in publication,well past Gary Larson’s retirement– has made contemporary audiences even more familiar with ridiculous, morbid, and edgy jokes, and for many, findingThe Far Sidefor the first time is akin to discovering a comedic missing link.There is, undoubtedly, a strange beauty toThe Far Side;not so much a tangible aesthetic beauty, but rather an ephemeral quality that enchants, drawing those with a certain type of sensibility to it, in an almost siren-like way.
In other words, the legacy ofThe Far Sidecontinues to be shaped even thirty years after it ended, as new fans dive into thewealth of cartoons Gary Larson producedand surface with the many pearls of brilliance that his oeuvre contains. Editor Jake Morrissey’s explanation of the importance of characters' eyes toThe Far Side’shumor offers guidance to the comic’s readers, new and old alike, offering them something to sink their teeth into when one of Gary Larson’s cartoons doesn’t immediately “click” for them.
Source:The Complete Far Side Volume One
The Far Side
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
