The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 (2 vol set)

Gary Larson calls The Complete Far Side, the massive two-volume collection of his Far Side cartoons, an "18-pound hernia giver." Sure to give any coffee table a solid workout, the handsome and heavy 1,272-page "legacy book" is a must for fervent fans; over 4,300 single-panel comics with more than half in color and 1,100 that have not appeared in any book form before (the popular--and far less weighty--paperback collections).

Set in rough chronological order, the comics share pages with occasional letters from fans, detractors, editors, folks made famous by a particular cartoon, and those begging for explanations. Though few explanations are provided (Larson personally supplies merely one, plus a single apology), this collection helps answer the inevitable "how do you think up these things" conundrum. Before each year's cartoons, Larson provides insight with essays about his childhood, various travels, occupational hazards, and his official rules for dealing with bedtime monsters (which often turned out to be his older brother). Most wonderful is the first essay on how the comic started. (His longtime editor Jake Morrissey's long introduction is a must read on The Far Side's story).

Despite no central characters, it's easy to spot patterns in Larson's wild and wacky cartoons. Animals, insects, and inanimate objects often exhibit all-too-human impulses. Larson's subjects are often in scenes of peril--disasters, visits to hell, and perhaps a hundred cartoons set on a one-palm tree deserted island. It is what Larson's fertile imagination mined from those situations that created fans and enemies for 14 years. (Larson retired at his peak and then went into jazz music). The comics are not indexed (how could they be--first lines? listings of cartoons with cows?); finding a favorite requires a great memory for its publication date. Best simply to peruse the pages of this beautiful collection in which you will certainly find more than a few new chuckles before landing on your beloved Larson sketch. --Doug Thomas

Let the fanfare begin! The crowning glory of Gary Larson's cartooning career and the publishing event of 2002 is brewing right now in The Far Sider laboratory, and what a masterpiece it will be. Surpassing the standards of any luxury art book, this sumptuous, full-color, two-volume slipcased set will feature custom-milled paper and an elegant design, making it an automatic collector's edition. o Every single Far Sider cartoon (4,081 to be exact) will be included by year, including more than 1,100 that have never been published in a book. o Gary Larson is writing a comprehensive introduction to the book , original essays to kick off each of the 14 chapters, and random annotations throughout. o The wild 'n' crazy Steve Martin shares his pithy thoughts on The Far Sider in "The First Word." o Fan letters, outraged letters to the editor, and snippets of reviews are sprinkled throughout. The Far Sider holds a unique place in the history of cartooning, one that makes it incomparable to any other comic. Far Side fans are like no others; six years after its end, they still clamor for calendars and books, as reflected in phenomenal lifetime sales: more than 40 million books and 60 million calendars have been sold.o