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My dad’s favorite cartoon, by far, is The Far Side. For every Christmas since I can remember, my mom got him a new desk calendar for his desk at work, and since he retired, one for his desk at home.
And every Christmas since 1995, I’ve listened to him lament that the calendar wrapped under the tree is no longer The Far Side.
Nothing compares (though Pearls Before Swine is close, he says).
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Now my dad, and others like him, have reason to celebrate – Gary Larson and his cartoons are returning.
In the early fall, a cryptic update appeared on Larson’s website, one that hinted at something new in the works for the fans who had been crying into their lesser comics for over two decades.
Then, the announcement: the irreverent, single-panel cartoons will now be available online for the first time.
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And there will be new material! It’s not just gonna be archived strips – Larson plans to revisit his world of anthropomorphic cows and science run amok, at least once in a while.
Part of the reason for Larson’s decision is that he hates seeing scanned, illegal versions of his work on the web, and part is that he feels the resolution on new computer screens won’t leave out any of his intentional nuance.
Though there will be new work on the site, Larson told the New York Times that readers shouldn’t expect any regular postings.
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“I’m not ‘back,’ at least in the sense I think you’re asking. Returning to the world of deadlines isn’t exactly on my to-do list.”
All writers have a love/hate relationship with deadlines, so I can surely relate – and hope to one day be in a position to set my own, leisurely schedule as well.
That said, it seems we can expect at least some new artwork to float around in the new year. Until then, enjoy the revolving library of content on the website, like daily posts and themed collections.
Oh, happy day – for my dad, and everyone else in the world who gets a second chance to experience firsthand brilliance.
