Unnatural Selections

(The Far Side Collection 12)
by
Gary Larson

Andrews & McMeel, October 1991, 107 pp.
ISBN: 0-8362-1881-7

Genre: Comics
Subgenre: Comic Strip / Humor
Reviewed: 3/7/2008

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Comic Strip

Synopsis

Unnatural Selections is the twelfth collection of The Far Side comic strips. All comic strips are in black and white. These are all single shots, not the normal 4 panel comic strips. The Far Side is a humorous comic strip that appeared in a multitude of newspapers daily. In the center of the book are five large colored panels (2 pages each) about The Evolution of Life on Earth. It covers the following ages: Age of Invertebrates, Age of Fish and Amphibians, Age of Reptiles (considered the best age), Age of Birds and Mammals, and The Future (I'm sure of it). Every Sunday comic strip has been watercolored by Donna Picket-Korris and gray washed by Jerry McKeeham.

The Far Side became very popular in the early 1980's, and continued into the 1990's, until Gary Larson decided that he was going to retire the comic strip. It was seen daily in hundred of newspapers and enjoyed by millions. The Far Side is just as the name imply...just on the far side of sane. Most of the strips feature humans, but not all. If an animal is the main character, then they are usually placed in the shoes of a human. Most of the Far Side strips deal with the stupid things humans do in every day things. Other strips deals with things that are just totally wacky. Either way, they make fun of us and everything we do. And since it is human nature to laugh at the misfortune of others . . . you will probably find this comic strip to be very funny.

Review

Way, way back in college (in the mid 1980's), I used to tape The Far Side comic strips on my notebooks so I would have something fun to read during a boring lecture. I worked for my step-father packing antiques for shipping and we used newspapers as the packing material. So, whenever I got to the funnies section, I would cut of the The Far Side comic strips and keep them. But when I left that job, I no longer received the newspaper, and therefore missed out on the comic strips that are shown in Unnatural Selections. While reading this book, these were all new to me. Fantastic! It is as if Gary Larson were still creating this series. It was wonderful to read what I considered new Far Side comic strips. After all, I have read my older collections many times.

All of the comic strips in this collection are great, but I think I am still more impressed with Gary Larson's earlier works.

Still, Unnatural Selections is a wonderful collection and worth the read. So, if you love The Far Side, pick up this book today and be prepared for some wacky moments that only Gary Larson could think of.