The Complete Far Side Book

This is the best collection of Gary Larson's artwork simply because it includes (almost) every single one of the daily syndicated comics that he penned over the years, from 1980 to 1994. As a bonus, the reader gets posters and yearly introductions from the author, detailing the creative process, the source of inspiration and wacky anecdotes related to the series. I've spaced out my lecture over almost a whole year, in order to prolong the pleasure and avoid 'overeating' a favourite 'dish', yet the first thing I did when I ended was to go back to the beginning and re-read a couple of early 'months'. I would say "The Complete Far Side" is a keeper, a manual of life-hacks guaranteed to pull you out of a funk and to make you look at your troubles and worries from a different angle. What's Larson's secret? How does he do it?

A few examples of his comic panels would be self-explanatory, as in the old adage that a picture paints a thousand words, but the artist has kindly requested that his art should not be made freely available on the interwebs. Actually, this makes my task easier, because I would find it impossible to narrow down my favorites to the limited space granted by Goodreads.

No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality explains Shirley Jackson in the opening paragraph of her classic horror "The Haunting of Hill House" . Well, that's what Gary Larson does here : he keeps us sane by taking us on a trip to the wild side of reality. He's the jester who dares to shout out that The Emperor is naked, that his new clothes are a hoax; the stand-up artist that mocks us for hiding with our heads down in the sand, pretending that global warming is a hoax, that the wildlife is not facing extinction, that our jobs are interesting and rewarding, that our politicians are honest or that our kids will have a better life that ours. Again, how does he do it?

By turning everything we know down on its head, upside-down and sideways, holding up a mirror of black humour and practical jokes to demonstrate that humanity does not deserve its place at the top of the food chain, that our pets are watching us and judging us, that animals in the forest are out to get us, aliens are laughing their heads off at our antics, scientists are as clueless and prone to eraser fights as kids in school, that even amoebas, flies and ticks like to sit in a comfy chair in the evening, reading the papers and gossiping about the neighbours.

Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets
Lookin' for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the Apollo
You should have seen him go, go, go
They said, hey Sugar, take a walk on the wild side
I said, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side, alright, huh
[Lou Reed]

Some people like to let the Holy Book fall open and find wisdom by randomly pointing a finger at one of the stanzas. I would rather find my answers by picking a new Farside cartoon each day. If ever I am stranded on a desert island, or visiting a cannibal village, if deers suddenly start knocking on my door or crocodiles invite me to a cocktail party, if aliens ask me directions to the nearest fast-food restaurant or if monsters are lurking under my bed, if I'm confused about rocket science, art, prehistory or politics - I know what to do and what to say to them : Go visit the Farside! All you need is to leave your prejudices behind, get in touch with your inner child and enjoy the cowpocalypse!

Thank you, Mr. Larson for redeeming my faith in the future. It may be a future without humans, with bugs, cows, ducks and dogs (but not cats) taking over the planet, but life does go on in unexpected directions.