I think Larson could see the writing on the wall, and although I was sad when he retired and felt his quitting was premature, looking back on it now, I'd say the man went out on top. One can still get a chuckle out of it now and again, but comedy has moved on.

But those teen years last only so long, as does the comic value of Larson's work. beast struggle.Īnything that poked fun at what they held so precious was gold to me. For example, Dad was big into outdoor sports, so Larson hit the target once more with his numerous strips centered upon the man vs. I always enjoyed how he put a twist on old gags.īack when Larson's work was current and I was a mildly rebellious teen, I wasn't looking to necessarily 'stick it' to the 'rents, more like, thumb my nose at them. Larson's work was subversive, maybe not in a poignantly political way, but more in a silly way, which is perfect when you are a young teen looking for something more edgy than Family Circus and Garfield. What better mentor than Gary Larson's slightly askew humor?! I wasn't a hellion, so I didn't feel I needed to go overboard. Whatever it was, it was going to be different than my parents' button-down world view. 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. Since retiring from the Far Side, Larson has occasionally done some cartooning work, such as magazine illustrations and promotional artwork for Far Side merchandise. His adept use of snakes in his cartoons stems from his long-standing interest in herpetology. They caught animals in Puget Sound and placed them in terrariums in the basement even making a small desert ecosystem, which their parents apparently did not mind. Dan is also credited with giving Gary his love of science. Dan would pull countless pranks on Gary, taking advantage of his phobia of monsters under the bed by, for example, waiting in the closet for the right moment to pounce out at Gary.

Larson credits his older brother Dan for his 'paranoid' sense of humor. In 1987, Larson married Toni Carmichael, an archaeologist. He attended Curtis High School before attending Washington State University and graduated in 1972 with a degree in communications. His parents were Vern, a car salesman, and Doris, a secretary. Gary Larson was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington.

The Far Side® Gallery 3 by Gary Larson