Summary

• Gary Larson’s confusing and offbeat humor in
  The other side
  During the comic’s publication, it attracted as many readers as it repelled; in retrospect, it also reflected a larger trend in American humor.
• Larson’s unorthodox approach to drawing cartoons led to a loyal following for his unique brand of comedy – but it also earned him the self-proclaimed title of ”
  The great confuser
  .”
• Although
  The other side
  was more than just confusing, that might be his greatest legacy as it is the first thing that comes to mind for many people when they think about Gary Larson’s humor.

Over the course of fifteen years of publication The other side became famous, or perhaps infamous, for his routinely inscrutable humor – to the point that creator Gary Larson claimed the title of “The Great Confounder” for years after his retirement. Although his punch lines could clearly make you laugh, it was the confusing Wide side Cartoons that readers remember the most.

According to Larson, the answer to the question of how his strangest comics found their way into newspapers across the country was simple: He set a precedent by being weird early and oftenAs a creator, Gary Larson had the privilege of getting by with relatively little editorial intervention and very limited interaction with his audience.

Once he established himself in publishing, he simply continued doing what he did best – drawing and writing.confusing, dull, esoteric and strange” stuff until he was ready to retire.

The complete other side
not only collects all
Wide side
Comic published during the strip’s fifteen-year run; it contains the most detailed autobiographical account of his career and creative process that Gary Larson has ever written, making it a must-read for any fan of his work. His theatrical description of himself as “The Great Confounder” is included in
Volume Two
from
The complete other side
.

Gary Larson on why his weirdest cartoons weren’t rejected throughout his career

The other side Made him the “great confuser”

Words like “strange” and “confusing” only begin to capture the full scope of
The other side
; Gary Larson’s humor was strange in many different ways, with each individual panel capable of operating on multiple levels of absurdity and abstruseness.

Years after the end The other sidewrote Gary Larson in The complete other side about the prevailing quality of his work, at least as it is remembered by posterity. That is, confusion. As Larson said:

Even now, years after my retirement, I am reminded of my reputation as “the great confuser.”

While poking fun at itself, the ironic grandiosity of this title aptly condenses the main reaction to The other sidethat he heard most often from fans and critics: that his cartoons were regularly so strange as to be completely obscure, or, to put it another way, so obscure as to be strange.

It is important to note that words like “strange” and “confusing” only begin to capture the full scope of The other side; Gary Larson’s humor was strange in many ways, with each individual panel operating on multiple levels of absurdity and abstruseness. Certainly some Wide side Cartoons are considered “confusing” because their punch lines are easy to miss. Others are intentionally designed to confuse readers. And then there’s Gary Larson’s category of “failed experiments,” those jokes he thought would resonate with readers but ultimately didn’t work.

As the author in The Complete Far Side Volume Twothe fact that he was not beholden to his readers’ reactions or to editorial control were the simple reasons why his humor could be so wacky. Larson wrote:

So how does a confusing cartoon come about in the first place? It’s simple. Since I’m “audience-free,” I just go where my mind takes me. Then my editor sees it and says, “Well, I’ve seen him do stranger things,” and then it ends up in the local paper, where you finally see it and say, “Huh?” In the meantime, I’m back home eating cereal.

In other words, Gary Larson’s style of comedy – as confusing as it could be at times – found a receptive audience in newspapers across the country; once be “Reputation as the great confuser” was anchored in the minds of his editor and newspaper publishers, Larson had essentially unhindered access to the American consciousness.

Gary Larson’s humor felt like he was getting away with something

How did this get into the newspaper?

For many readers who enjoyed
The other side
When the comic strip was published, the feeling that it was subversive or “edgy” was almost certainly an attraction.

Of course, given the avant-garde nature of his madness, Gary Larson’s humor was sometimes controversial; newspapers regularly received letters complaining about The other sideand demanded that it should no longer appear in the joke pages. These letters always revolved around a variation of the same question, namely how a tasteful publication could confront its readers with content that they find offensive. However, this question can also be reversed in some ways to describe one of the virtues that The other side successful.

That is, for many readers who enjoyed The other side During the comic’s publishing period, the feeling that it was subversive or “edgy” was almost certainly an attraction. It’s not hard to imagine an office worker in 1982 being the only one in his workplace who appreciated The other sideMaybe they smile quietly to themselves in the break room when they hear another colleague talking about the cartoon and saying something like “the so-called artist must be sick.” To tell the truth, These early fans were probably as baffled that Larson’s work made it into the newspaper as his critics.

In this way, there was a hint of rebellion against a Wide side Fan in the early 1980s, not unlike what drew people to the burgeoning punk scenes that were taking root in towns and villages across America in the same era. Just like the record producers who recognized the value of this new, rougher form of rock’n’roll, the editors and publishers who The other side the newspapers recognised the public’s appetite for something it had never seen before, something raw and unpolished, but which obviously had an exciting energy and perspective.

The strangeness of The Far Side was part of a larger trend in American humor

Increasingly absurd

In fact, Gary Larson had an outsider humor during
The Far Side
in publications, but now his brand of comedy is essentially mainstream.

The other side is also a notable example of the evolution of American humor in a more absurd direction. This can actually be described as a regression, as early film comedy was dominated by the slapstick and screwball genres, which, while not absurd, are undoubtedly built on a foundation of ridiculousness. While there has always been a vein of strange humor running through American culture, this became even more evident in the 1970s and 1980s – with The other side first appeared in newspapers as a product of this trend and later helped to drive it well into the mid-1990s..

The weirdness of American humor is perhaps best illustrated by the tendency of popular sitcoms to become increasingly absurd as time goes on. Think of examples like Seinfeldand, to a lesser extent, Friendsand to an even greater extent the later series It’s always sunny in Philadelphiathat started as crude satire and over time evolved into utter insanity – or some would say evolved. In a more contemporary comparison, internet humor got weird quickly, but in recent years has reached an almost singular level of absurdity.

In the latter case, the parallels to – and the influence of – The other side on meme humor; not surprising, considering The Far Side Its airing coincided with the puberty and early teen years of the first generation of Millennials. Today, even the average nationally broadcast commercial is as likely to be downright bizarre as it is to be compelling to the consumer. In fact, during his time as a television personality, Gary Larson The Far Side in publications, but now his brand of comedy is essentially mainstream.

For better or worse, Gary Larson’s legacy is confusion

Wide side Readers have only one question: “What the?”

Whatever readers remember
The other side
they remember it. Gary Larson’s humor may have often been obscure, but his work has never been forgotten.

To what extent it was a precursor of contemporary absurd humor, The other side is more generally associated with “confusing“ – the difference that even absurd humor depends on its punch line, however “outlandish” or nonsensical it may be, being obvious to the reader. This was not always the case with Gary Larson’s work, and therefore “confusion” is the most memorable feeling that many readers have with The other side. However, according to Gary Larson, his audience is left wondering:What the?” or call out “My God!” was as important to him as eliciting laughter.

That is, whatever readers remember about The other sidethey remember it. Gary Larson’s humor may have often been obscure, but his work has not been forgotten. Quite the opposite – it continues to be discovered by new readers in the comic’s second life on the Internet. Although Larson may be more comfortable with his work being on the fringes rather than being one of many strange things on the Internet, the natural connection between The other side and internet humor has ensured that the comic will be analyzed, over-analyzed and appreciated forever.

Source:
The Complete Far Side Volume Two