Hey - I've been wondering about this for a while: Does anyone have an explanation of the Farside/AI crap that has been flooding Facebook for the past few months? Generally, the punchline is that animals are turning the tide on humans, and hunting them instead; husbands and wives hate each other; old men like creeping on young women while their wives gets mad.
I'm sure it's just your regular, everyday bid for eyeballs and clicks.
The linked comics are the "real thing", selections from a syndicated single-panel comic that ran in newspapers for years until the mid-90s. The gags tended to be pretty surreal.
Yeah, I can kind of explain that as much as anyone can I guess. Someone made a page called The Far Side as a content farm. Great nostalgic brand for Facebook's main demographics = easy engagement. There's only 4,337 actual The Far Side comics, so they also run typical "boomer humor" strips from about the same era or apparently make their own low-effort comics. Lots of content with lots of engagement means the algorithm is likely to show it in people's feeds even at the expense of posts from their friends and groups they joined.
Worth noting is Gary Larson's original response to the WWW was an open letter asking fans not to post his cartoons online. Akin to the Bill Gates letter on copying software, but, perhaps, more understandable. This website is a reversal of that original position. He was thoughtful then, and is thoughtful now.
[A cow, wearing jewellery and holding a martini glass, stands by the picture window of a well-appointed suburban home, while a bull sits in an armchair, watching TV, with a beer in his hoof]
Someone close to me has the original of the “Car” cartoon. Gary gave it to him as a gift shortly after it was published. It is pen and ink and Letratone on paperboard and is about 18” wide.
For a year or two in the late 90s, the artwork went missing and was thought to have been stolen, but was eventually found to have been put in storage.
Wow, that is incredible. First that it wouldn't have pride of place somewhere (it's as if the gift wasn't properly appreciated), second that it would end up in storage and then that it was found again. If they need a safe place to store it give them my email ;)
Honestly, it's a real shame that it took so long for that reversal, because Far Side comics already had an almost perfect vibe for joining the early rise of internet meme culture, with the postmodernist elements they had in common. Hopefully for Larson things haven't moved on too far that he's totally missed that boat, because his comics absolutely deserve wider recognition among internet culture.
I think the expectation from the early days of the internet was that information could be contained, and the realization from recent years is that the expectation no longer holds. So creators either have to make their own contents accessible or someone else will do it anyways, possibly poorly. Gary Larson might have arrived at this realization relatively late, but I don't think he is the last one.
Garth actually had his own streaming service GhostTunes, which was created solely to only host his own music for streaming until he realized what a dumb idea that was.
Tbh seems like he knows his audience. Surely plenty of people still buy CDs for their car stereo rather than streaming Spotify or something, especially the kind of people who listen to country music.
I can respect those that tried to resist the onset of streaming, it really did/does screw over artists.
I've always been particularly fond of the humble farmer dooming the planet to destruction by earnestly grasping the hand-shaped alien's entire head for an introductory handshake.
Driving through cow country it’s impossible not to think of all the far side comics involving them and ponder what’s really going on in their heads. XD
The "wings stay on/wings fall off" switch is the one I keep having to dig up at work (alternating with "Why do we even have that lever?" from emperor's new groove.) And then there's "Cow Tools"...
“Now That Should Clear Up A Few Things Around Here” Just has to be the most applicable to software development, assuming that’s what most folks around here are into.
About ten years ago I went back and forth a couple of email rounds with one of his aides trying to get permission to use one of his cartoons ('Old dog, new trick') in a presentation to ~200 people, but I couldn't justify the expense. I was bummed, but respect Larson's wishes too much to go freelance and just show the cartoon.
Many years ago attending the first company technical seminar that one was taped to the door.
Sometime in the late '80s the local daily began carrying the Far Side and the very first one had Popeye on the witness stand saying, "I yam what I yam."
"Bummer of a birthmark, Hal" has made its way into my everyday lexicon. Most of my coworkers immediately got the reference. There is something about Far Side humor that appeals to people in tech beyond all the science and nerd jokes.
I have that comic (text included) on a t shirt. Sometimes people ask me about it, and I will explain it in an excruciating amount of detail for my entertainment. Sometimes they will try to out-do me and respond by pretending to be confused by my explanation, but my tolerance for playing the fool is incredibly high so I can keep it up for quite some time and they inevitably give up first.
Is there a name for a cartooning style where the creatures seem to always be drawn as wide as possible?
I remember a few animators for Sesame Street who did the same thing. It was always striking.
Larson seems to also give them tiny heads for maximum ridiculousness. :)
It make me think of that Aubrey Beardsley illustration of Ali Baba where he's got the curved lines running off the page suggesting these gi-normous flowing comfy pants:
Wow, The Far Side really brings back some cherished childhood memories. Larson is, IMO, one of the best to ever do it. His humor is really unique, and he's quite a thoughtful person as well, letting his work speak for itself. A relic of a bygone era.
I've been reading the entire The Far Side (from the massive two book set) with my 10 y/o daughter. It's interesting to see how apparently the culture of the time of Gary Larson's upbringing imprinted itself on the strips. Reading 10 or so strips at a sitting makes it very apparent (along with making apparent Larson's go-to characters and tropes).
My daughter commented on there being few depictions of female scientists, academics, doctors, etc (instances if the archetypal The Far Side character in a lab coat) as an example. The strips that feature singles bar-type settings feel a little skeevy, too.
I'm not trying to say anything negative about the strips or Gary Larson. It's interesting to me to reflect on something I enjoyed in my childhood "showing its age", even as I enjoy it now.
Pop culture (and, good as it is, The Far Side is pop culture) always reflects current society to some degree. I would actually say that The Far Side (and Calvin and Hobbes) probably less directly reflects when they were drawn.
For a more obvious example, see Dilbert. Leaving aside all the other baggage, with few exceptions, it's really more about 1990s PacBell cubicle life than anything about the current era, certain common stereotypes notwithstanding.
I think society in The Far Side is built more out of, like, Looney Tunes cartoons and B movies from the 50s. Everybody is a stereotype: scientists in lab coats and glasses, "tough guys" in white t-shirts and pompadours, ladies with beehive hairdos. His cities, his houses, his restaurants, they all default to "stereotypically about 1955". It's easy to draw and it's easy to parse as a reader.
Growing up my best friend and I loved The Far Side. In many ways it was the basis to the quirky humor we both shared, and would continue to explore throughout our youth. In elementary school we had countless Far Side books between us, and by middle school a few shirts too (I remember having "Midvale School for the Gifted").
Well he turned 40 just a few weeks ago, and I needed to find a present. I don't know why, as The Far Side hadn't crossed my conscious in quite some time, but I thought "I'll get him 'The Chickens are Restless'". After some quick searching, he ended up with the Complete Works containing every thing from The Far Side.
Wrapped, he didn't have a clue what I'd got him or why it was so damn heavy. The first glance as he opened in and realized what it was instantly brought a smile to his face. It's amazing how small things bring people together, and The Far Side will always be one of them for my best friend and I. I'm sure there will be some new comics we'd missed and there will be some new chuckles.
What is wrong with a reminiscence session about a subject posted here?
When you click on the OP you just get a few disjointed Gary Larsen "out takes" and I guess you have to get to grips with it blah etc. I am a massive fan but that does not get you off the hook.
@polygodomain gave us something new and tangible. They gave something of themselves and I find that engaging and rather charming.
That's why I still hang out on HN, despite it being a bit shouty.
Why the downvotes on the above comment? I was asked and answered, I'm totally within the hackernews guidelines, down voting my above comment is not within the guidelines. Downvoting out of spite like that is more like what happens on reddit.
The Far Side was part of my growing up too, my friends and I shared much laughter and silliness. Those comics influenced our sense of humor and worldview.
My mother used to drag me to the Hallmark store as a kid and she'd spend unreasonable amounts of time chatting with the workers and browsing who knows what. I think this was before I had a Gameboy and my only salvation was reading those Farside books. I both enjoyed them and was seriously creeped out by them. They also had Calvin and Hobbes which I adored.
The creepiness is something nobody ever seems to mention about The Far Side and that's my biggest lasting impression of the comics. They're deeply unsettling and have a weird uncanny valley feeling to me.
That's not to say they're bad. But something about them always has a tinge of horror to me.
Surreal humour and art seems to trigger a little of that disgust reflex that makes it feel darker than it might otherwise be, and it tends to have a dark tinge to start with. That Far Side is often just a little surreal can make this worse in an uncanny valley sort of way, also it often takes the sort of thing that might be a simple kid's joke¹ a step or few further which touches that “I'd have rather kept that bit of innocence, thanks” nerve.
It isn't really that dark often² IMO, but it pushes your buttons and your head makes it so. Many people like that, some really find it creepy.
--
[1] a simple joke for kids, not a joke for kids who can't get into Midvale!
Oh, yes - lots of unsettling, dark, and creepy. But within a kid-safe, G-rated context. And they're generally very cautionary (vs. any sort of pro-violence stuff).
And with how good humans suddenly become at learning, when they see someone else make a mistake and immediately suffer the consequences...I'd even call The Far Side educational.
I love the Far Side, glad to have it online. The two volume set has a featured spot on my bookshelf. And fun to see other commenters here share some of my favorites Far Sides.
What contemporary comics are people following? Two of my current daily views are:
When I was in college and would go home for Christmas, my mom would buy me a new Far Side calendar for the coming year, and on my last day home my dad and I would invariably stay up late reading through it together. Great memories now that he's gone.
161 comments
[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 202 ms ] threadThe comics linked seem different.
The linked comics are the "real thing", selections from a syndicated single-panel comic that ran in newspapers for years until the mid-90s. The gags tended to be pretty surreal.
Whaaat? Say it ain't true! The AI crap isn't as good as the original? No! That's impossible!
The original letter: https://www.portmann.com/farside/index.html?home.html
And the reversal: https://www.thefarside.com/about/48/a-letter-from-gary-larso...
... for cartoons, my favourite has always been:
[A cow, wearing jewellery and holding a martini glass, stands by the picture window of a well-appointed suburban home, while a bull sits in an armchair, watching TV, with a beer in his hoof]
Cow: "Wendell... I'm not content"
For a year or two in the late 90s, the artwork went missing and was thought to have been stolen, but was eventually found to have been put in storage.
http://doubleplusundead.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/far-side...
I can respect those that tried to resist the onset of streaming, it really did/does screw over artists.
https://twitter.com/faineg/status/1387409269620985863?lang=e...
“I’d say we taste like chicken.”
Piranha: Just nibble at first. … But when you hear them yell “Piranha!” - go for it.
(Not that I think about this comic all the time interacting with you fine internet citizens)
Sometime in the late '80s the local daily began carrying the Far Side and the very first one had Popeye on the witness stand saying, "I yam what I yam."
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/86/64/d6/8664d684518509081caf...
I remember a few animators for Sesame Street who did the same thing. It was always striking.
Larson seems to also give them tiny heads for maximum ridiculousness. :)
It make me think of that Aubrey Beardsley illustration of Ali Baba where he's got the curved lines running off the page suggesting these gi-normous flowing comfy pants:
https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediu...
1: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a8/8c/46/a88c46ca525d66d6444b55b3c...
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/fud
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty,_and_doubt
https://twitter.com/jamiesmart/status/1691482826472828928
One of my faves: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/oh-my-god-its-leonard-hes-stuf...
Gets me every time. I still have It came from the Far Side as well as Gallery and Gallery 2 on my bookshelf. Timeless.
My daughter commented on there being few depictions of female scientists, academics, doctors, etc (instances if the archetypal The Far Side character in a lab coat) as an example. The strips that feature singles bar-type settings feel a little skeevy, too.
I'm not trying to say anything negative about the strips or Gary Larson. It's interesting to me to reflect on something I enjoyed in my childhood "showing its age", even as I enjoy it now.
For a more obvious example, see Dilbert. Leaving aside all the other baggage, with few exceptions, it's really more about 1990s PacBell cubicle life than anything about the current era, certain common stereotypes notwithstanding.
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c9/08/a0/c908a02a8dfa42db9973f743b...
Dang! ... Who ate the middle out of the daddy longlegs?
https://ifunny.co/picture/dang-who-ate-the-middle-out-of-the...
Linking my favorite below [2]
> Donning his new canine decoder, Professor Schwarzman becomes the first human being on Earth to hear what barking dogs are actually saying.
[1] http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/Books/The%20Complete%20Far%...
[2] https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNZar0hX0AQB98d?format=jpg&name=...
I still always think of that when I hear dogs barking.
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/springtime
Well he turned 40 just a few weeks ago, and I needed to find a present. I don't know why, as The Far Side hadn't crossed my conscious in quite some time, but I thought "I'll get him 'The Chickens are Restless'". After some quick searching, he ended up with the Complete Works containing every thing from The Far Side.
Wrapped, he didn't have a clue what I'd got him or why it was so damn heavy. The first glance as he opened in and realized what it was instantly brought a smile to his face. It's amazing how small things bring people together, and The Far Side will always be one of them for my best friend and I. I'm sure there will be some new comics we'd missed and there will be some new chuckles.
What is wrong with a reminiscence session about a subject posted here?
When you click on the OP you just get a few disjointed Gary Larsen "out takes" and I guess you have to get to grips with it blah etc. I am a massive fan but that does not get you off the hook.
@polygodomain gave us something new and tangible. They gave something of themselves and I find that engaging and rather charming.
That's why I still hang out on HN, despite it being a bit shouty.
That's not to say they're bad. But something about them always has a tinge of horror to me.
<https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoSentenceHorror/>.
It isn't really that dark often² IMO, but it pushes your buttons and your head makes it so. Many people like that, some really find it creepy.
--
[1] a simple joke for kids, not a joke for kids who can't get into Midvale!
[2] except, of course, when it is!
And with how good humans suddenly become at learning, when they see someone else make a mistake and immediately suffer the consequences...I'd even call The Far Side educational.
Haven’t introduced him to the Pharcyde yet but soon.
Doing this kind of work day-after-day must be pretty draining. (And is, based one a couple of political cartoonists I knew.)
What contemporary comics are people following? Two of my current daily views are:
Bizarro - clever puns + such, single frame: https://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/bizarro/
Dark Side of the Horse - low key sublime: https://www.gocomics.com/darksideofthehorse/
https://nerocam.com/DrFun/Dave/archive.html -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Fun
One of the best known strips, and a fine joke about historical fiction (or maybe just history itself): https://pbfcomics.com/comics/now-showing/
https://www.cardcow.com/images/set856/card00130_fr.jpg
What's with this guy and indecipherable cow jokes?
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/500532946070783132/
It is captioned “What the hey?”