| The Far Side | |
|---|---|
 Wiener Dog Art (1990), one of 16 published The Far Side cartoon compilations, featuring surrealist humor of an artist stamping a paint-covered dachshund on a canvas. | |
| Author(s) | Gary Larson |
| Website | www.thefarside.com |
| Current status/schedule | Active |
| Launch date | December 31, 1979 |
| Syndicate(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Humor, satire, black comedy, avant-garde |
| Preceded by | Nature's Way |
The Far Side is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995 (when Larson retired as a cartoonist). Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, (often twisted) references to proverbs, or the search for meaning in life. Larson's frequent use of animals and nature in the comic is popularly attributed to his background in biology. The Far Side was ultimately carried by more than 1,900 daily newspapers, translated into 17 languages, and collected into calendars, greeting cards, and 23 compilation books, and reruns are still carried in many newspapers.[1] After a 25-year hiatus, in July 2020, Larson began drawing new Far Side strips offered through the comic's official website.
Larson was recognized for his work on the strip with the National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1985 and 1988,[2] and with their Reuben Award for 1990 and 1994.[3] The Far Side won the 2020 Webby People's Voice Award for Humor in the category Web.[4]
- ^ "The Complete Far Side". Andrews McMeel Publishing. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
- ^ "NCS Awards—Newspaper Panel". National Cartoonists Society. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
- ^ "The Reuben Award 1975 to present". National Cartoonists Society. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
- ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (May 20, 2020). "Here are all the winners of the 2020 Webby Awards". The Verge. Retrieved May 22, 2020.