Summary

• In
  The Complete Far Side Volume Two
  Artist Gary Larson told a story from his retirement when his confusing comedy style caught up with him again.
• According to Larson, when the electrician felt confused by electrician jargon, he explained that “
  repayment
  ” for years of confusion
  Wide side
  Comics.
• The exchange humorously captures the unique relationship between the audience and Gary Larson, who was known for not engaging with fans and critics.

The other side Author Gary Larson once revealed how his reputation for writing confusing comics came back to haunt him years after he retired from his drawing table. As the artist explained, an everyday encounter with a craftsman led to him receiving belated punishment for his often confusing humor.

In The Complete Far Side Volume TwoLarson looked back on his reign as “The great confuser” of American newspaper comics. To illustrate how this reputation followed him into retirement, he shared an anecdote about an electrician who was working on his house and bombarded him with technical jargon when “repayment” for so many years of confusion Wide side Panels.

Larson’s story of the electrician who seeks vengeance for readers around the world is told in his signature style and perfectly sums up his legacy, in the style of The other side.

When a secret Far Side reader brought Gary Larson back after years of confusion

“Think of it as payback”

Larson recorded this story in
The Complete Far Side Volume Two
as a final note on his habit of making jokes which, in his own words, “
confusing, dull, esoteric and strange.
”

According to Gary Larson, turnaround is fair, as he revealed in his story about an electrician who left him scratching his head and asking:What the?“ – as he did almost daily with his readers for fifteen years, The other sideHere’s how Larson described the interaction:

Not long ago, a repairman was at our house one afternoon, trying to fix a problem with our electrical system. He found me in the kitchen and started explaining to me in technical jargon what was going on. I had no idea what he was talking about, and at the end of his lecture I just looked at him and said, “Excuse me, I’m confused.” I thought he didn’t know anything about me, but suddenly he narrowed his eyes and replied in a calm tone, “Just think of it as revenge.”

Fair enough.

Larson recorded this story in The Complete Far Side Volume Two as a final note on his habit of making jokes which, in his own words, “confusing, dull, esoteric and strange.“He playfully acknowledged that this was his lasting legacy.

Like the best Wide side As seen in the panels, Larson’s story works on several levels. One can interpret the electrician as intentionally peppering the retired artist with technical jargon to give him a sense of what it feels like to be one of his readers. Alternatively, one can interpret the man as a professional who didn’t want to pry into Larson’s personal life but couldn’t resist revealing his feelings. The other side when the opportunity arose. In any case For a creator who was often shy in the presence of his audience, this is a particularly amusing exchange.

Gary Larson’s “Electrician” story depicts his relationship with the audience

A one-sided conversation

Above all, the story is another example of Larson’s trademark wit and ability to captivate with short, simple bursts.

In a way The other side was like a give and take between Gary Larson and each individual reader – only it was an unequal exchange, because the vast majority of the comic’s readers never got the chance to respond directly to the artist. In his “Electrician” anecdote, one of those readers got the chance and took full advantage of it. Whether the repairman was a fan or a critic of The other sideLarson cleverly obscures this in his narrative, because ultimately the man in the story represents both.

Most importantly, the story is another example of Larson’s trademark wit and ability to captivate in short, simple bursts. The exchange doesn’t even have to be true to be meaningful, because in the end it is a valuable summary of the relationship between The Far Side Creator and his audience: largely separated, with occasional interactions that illuminate the idiosyncratic nature of Gary Larson as a person, which leads to the wonderfully confusing style of The other side.