THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 10, 1994 TAG: 9410080020
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
People still talk about their favorite ``Far Side'' classics: a group of dinosaurs smoking cigarettes captioned ``The real reason the dinosaurs died out.'' Cows standing around on their hind legs chatting with one another until a lookout shouts ``Car!'' and they promptly drop down on all fours and begin grazing peacefully.
Disappointed fans learned this week that cartoonist Gary Larsen, who is only 44, plans to retire next year, ending the 15-year run of the strip that showed the world through, well, a different lens. He reserves his greatest sympathy for animals, it seems. His human characters run toward pudgy little boys with crew cuts and overweight women with beehive hairdos.
What is the secret of ``Far Side's'' success? Probably the injection of ordinary conversations and labels into extraordinary situations. A cowboy holding a smoking gun while standing over an opponent he has just shot starts asking his victim arcane academic questions. Another cowboy reminds the shooter that he can't shoot first and ask questions later.
Larsen's cartoons have sometimes proved impenetrable to some and teetering on bad taste to others. Still, Larsen's fans vastly outshout his critics. Newspapers will continue to print old cartoons. Gary, thanks for the laughs. by CNB