Gary Larson
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- This article refers to the cartoonist. For the rugby league player, please see Gary Larson (rugby league footballer).
| Born: | 14 August 1950 Tacoma, Washington |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s): | Cartoonist |
| Nationality: | American |
Gary Larson is the creator of The Far Side, a (sometimes subdivided) single-panel comic strip which appeared in many newspapers for fourteen years until Larson's retirement January 1, 1995. Because of its many astute references to topics in biology, zoology, and other disciplines, The Far Side is hugely popular among a scientifically literate audience to this day.
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[edit] Biography
Larson was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. He attended Curtis High School before attending Washington State University and graduated in 1972 with a degree in communications. In 1987, Larson married Toni Carmichael, an archeologist.
According to Larson[1] in his anthology, "The Prehistory of the Far Side", he was working in a music store when he realized that he hated his job and took two days off to reflect on his career. During that time, he drew six cartoons and submitted them to "Pacific Search" (now "Pacific Northwest Magazine"), a Seattle-based magazine. After contributing to another local Seattle paper, in 1979 Larson submitted his work to The Seattle Times. His work was published weekly under the title, "Nature’s Way" (it was placed next to the "Junior Jumble"[2]).
To supplement his income, Larson worked for the Humane Society. Larson soon decided he could increase his income from cartooning by selling his strip to another newspaper. Taking his vacation in San Francisco, Larson pitched his work to the San Francisco Chronicle. To Larson’s surprise, the Chronicle bought the strip and promoted it for syndication, renaming it "The Far Side". This all occurred a week before the Seattle Times dropped Nature’s Way. [3]
In The Complete Far Side[4], Larson says that his greatest disappointment in life occurred when he was at a luncheon and sat across from Charles Addams. Larson wasn't able to think of a single thing to say to him, and has deeply regretted the missed opportunity ever since.
Since retiring from the Far Side, Larson has occasionally done some cartooning work, such as magazine illustrations and promotional artwork for Far Side merchandise.
In 1998, Larson published his first post-Far Side book, There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story, an illustrated story with the unmistakable Far Side mindset.
[edit] The Far Side
The precursor to The Far Side first appeared in the Seattle Times in 1979 under the name, "Nature’s Way". After Larson’s success with the San Francisco Chronicle, The Far Side was syndicated in 1980 by Chronicle Features. Its first appearance in the Chronicle under the new name was on January 1, 1980. The Far Side ran for fifteen years, ending with the retirement of the strip on January 1, 1995.
Themes in The Far Side were often surreal, such as how cows behave when no human watches, or the unexpected dangers of being an insect. Often, the behavior of supposedly "superior" humans is compared with that of animals: surrounded by dense fences and houses, a father explains to his son that a bird song is a territorial marking common to the lower animals. Animals and other creatures were frequently presented anthropomorphically. For example, one strip shows a family of spiders driving in a car with a "Have a Nice Day" bumper sticker, featuring a "smiley face" with eight eyes.
One of Larson's more famous cartoons shows two chimpanzees grooming. One finds a human hair on the other and inquires about "doing a little more 'research' with that Jane Goodall tramp?" The Jane Goodall Institute thought this was in bad taste, and had their lawyers draft a letter to Larson and his distribution syndicate, in which they described the cartoon as an "atrocity". They were stymied, however, by Goodall herself, who revealed that she found the cartoon amusing. [5] Since then, all profits from sales of a shirt featuring this cartoon go to the Goodall Institute.
Goodall wrote a preface to The Far Side Gallery 5, detailing her version of the "Jane Goodall Tramp" controversy[6]. She also praised Larson's creative ideas, which often compare and contrast the behavior of humans and animals. In 1988 Larson visited Gombe Streams National Park and was attacked by Frodo, a chimp described by Goodall as a "bully". Larson escaped with cuts and bruises.
Larson’s Far Side cartoons were syndicated worldwide and published in many collections. They were also reproduced extensively on greetings cards which continue to be popular. Two animated versions, "Tales from the Far Side" and "Tales from the Far Side II", were produced for television.
[edit] Awards
Larson was recognized for his work with the National Cartoonist Society in being awarded the Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1985 and 1988. Larson also earned the Society’s Reuben Award for 1990 and 1994. Gary Larson has also been recognized for various individual strips by the National Cartoonist Society in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1995.
On March 15, 1989, Gary Larson received the honor of having a newly-discovered insect species named after him by Dale H. Clayton, head of the Committee of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago. The Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a biting louse of a genus only found on owls. Larson has since said: "I considered this an extreme honor. Besides, I knew no one was going to write and ask to name a new species of swan after me. You have to grab these opportunities when they come along." A 8"x11" magnification of the insect appeared in the Prehistory of the Far Side 10th anniversary compilation, along with the letter requesting permission to use his name. This is not the only “contribution” Larson has made to science: the term “thagomizer”, a feature of stegosaurus anatomy, was coined in a Far Side cartoon.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Prehistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit (ISBN 0-8362-1851-5)
- ^ ibid
- ^ ibid
- ^ The Complete Far Side: 1980-1994 (ISBN 0-7407-2113-5)
- ^ The Prehistory of The Far Side, p.167.
- ^ The Far Side Gallery 5 (ISBN 0-8362-0425-5)
