There is a surprisingly complex answer to the question of “who coloredThe Far Side?” As it turns out, it wasn’t always creator Gary Larson, at least not during the comic’s original run in publication; often, newspaper editors had a great deal more leeway to “mess with” Larson’s work than some fans might realize, andthat included having discretion as to how, and when, to colorizeFar Sidecartoons.
Today, for the many of the thousands ofFar Sidepanels Gary Larson produced, there are both black-and-white and color versions in circulation; moreover, for a significant number ofFar Sidecartoons, there are multiple different colorized “variants” out there.
Of course, this has led many fans of Larson’s work to question which are the “correct” versions, and while there is no concrete answer,Far Sidereaders do have a source that can be considered as definitive when it comes to how the cartoons should look:The Complete Far Side, published in 2003.
The Far Side Was Originally Published In Both Black-And-White And Color, Depending On The Newspaper
The Limits Of Gary Larson’s Creative Control
When it comes toThe Far Side, every detail is important to the joke, or at least, can have an impact on the reader’s perception of the joke. This was a result of the cartoon’s single-panel format, as well as its one-off nature; yet while, in some ways, Gary Larson was able to maintain tight control over the execution of his creative vision, there were other ways in which his work was collaborative, or in some cases, could be compromised by editorial decisions he had no control over.
Some newspapers, for instance, cropped Far Side cartoons to fit the formatting standards of their comic sections, which at times resulted in crucial details being left out of the frame. Alternatively, there were newspaper editors who opted to colorize his cartoons, which they had received from Gary Larson’s publisher, Universal Syndicated Press, in black-and-white.This is the reason that there are multiple, disparate versions of differentFar Sidecartoons in existence, though it still leaves open the question about the degree to which Larson was involved in these changes.
Letting Other Artists Color The Far Side Was A “Necessary Evil” Of Gary Larson’s Success
The Result? Multiple Interpretations Of The Same Comic
In the 1989 bookThe Prehistory of The Far Side,Gary Larson offered one example of an editorial color changethat impacted the meaning of one of his jokes. In this case, though, the change wasn’t to a new comic as it appeared in print, but rather an existingFar Sidepanel that was being reprinted as a poster. For readers looking to find out how Larson felt about editors colorizing his work, answers remain elusive, though it is possible to speculate.
[Gary] Larson certainly liked to be the one with final say overFar Sidecartoons, but realistically, especially as his career reached its peak in the 1980s, he was savvy enough to pick his battles.
That is, to be perfectly honest, it is likely that Larson didn’t love it, but at the same time, he must have recognized it as a “necessary evil” ofThe Far Side’ssuccess; if nothing else,this can be inferred from his acquiescence to colorization of existing cartoons for merchandising opportunities, such as the previously mentioned poster. Larson certainly liked to be the one with final say overFar Sidecartoons, but realistically, especially as hiscareer reached its peak in the 1980s, he was savvy enough to pick his battles.
The Far Side’s Production Schedule Limited Gary Larson’s Ability To Color His Cartoons
The Fast Pace Of Larson’s Work Schedule Led To Compromises
Gary Larson was often the first to undermine his own artistic skills, but to be clear, outsourcing colorization ofThe Far Sidewasn’t a result of Larson’s lack of ability, but rather lack of time. The production schedule forThe Far Sidewas intense, and Larson was known to spend hours drawing and re-drawing images, and to tinker with the wording of a caption for just as long. In other words, even when it was within this capability, Larson simply did not have the time to color his own cartoons on a regular basis.
While there are no “lost"Far Sidecomics, there are certainly lost “variants” ofFar Sidecartoons, versions that were altered for publication at the lower level that…have not been preserved.
However,there is also evidence that supports the idea that Larson had a hand in coloring someFar Sidecartoons, or at least provided detailed instructions as to how color should be applied to his work. Most notably,The Far Side’ssuper-sized Sunday cartoons, which ran for a limited time during the comic’s run in publication, were full-color, and it is safe to assume Larson at least directed the colorization of these. Again, this is only speculation, and there are certainly still differences between version of many of these cartoons.
This also raises the interesting point that, while there are no “lost"Far Sidecomics, there are certainly lost “variants” ofFar Sidecartoons, versions that were altered for publication at the lower level that did not become notable in some way or another, and have not been preserved in posterity. This is part of the nature of tracking something, likeThe Far Side, published in an analog medium, during an analog era, in the contemporary digital milieu. However, there is one sourceFar Sidefans can hold up as containing the “definitive” versions of Gary Larson’s cartoons.
“The Complete Far Side” Offers The “Remastered” Versions Of Gary Larson’s Body Of Work
Published In 2003
The Complete Far Sidewas published in 2003, and comprises two volumes collecting everyFar Sidecartoon Gary Larson produced in his fifteen-year career, as well as some invaluable behind-the-scenes commentary from Larson, as well as his longtime editor, Jake Morrissey. More importantly,The Complete Far Sidefeatures many colorized versions ofFar Sidecomics that were originally published in black-and-white;it essentially offers the “remastered” versions of Larson’s cartoons, and as such, is the default source for fans who want the creator’s vision in its fullest form.
The Far Side Complete Collection
The panels presented inThe Complete Far Sidewere unquestionably signed off on by Larson himself, who was heavily involved with the production of the book, which came out nearly a decade after heretired from full-time cartooning. It is very much a retrospective of his work, but it was also intended to be the ultimate rendition ofThe Far Side. Yet at the same time, especially today, earlier and alternate versions ofFar Sidecartoons are proliferate on the internet, andfor some readers, there is a definite nostalgia to discovering the version they remember first encountering.
For those who would like a simple answer to whetherThe Far Sidewas originally published in black-and-white or color, the truth is complicated by the fact that it could vary from newspaper to newspaper, from town to town across America.
Especially for older readers, this is complicated by the multiple incarnations of differentFar Sidecomics floating around. And for those who would like a simple answer to whetherThe Far Sidewas originally published in black-and-white or color, the truth is complicated by the fact that it could vary from newspaper to newspaper, from town to town across America, on a day-to-day basis. Meaning it is far from a straightforward task to trace which version of a particularFar Sidecomic originated where.
