Gary Larson's "The Far Side" returning after 25 years?

Looks like it. This is what's on the Far Side website right now:

 

I should write down the spot.

 

That is udderly good news.

 

Now, if Calvin and Hobbes would just reappear as well....

 

Bill Watterson: the Syd Barrett of cartoonists.

 

Bill Watterson made a rare reappearance in the Pearls Before Swine strip in 2014.

 

I'm happy for "C&H" to remain at rest. I think anything new would inevitably be a disappointment...

 

I'm not entirely convinced that this announcement means new material...

 

What was on the website before this announcement?

Unless I'm too stupid to figure out how to work the site - possible! - I see nothing available on the site other than the announcement.

Did they used to have access to old strips and other content? I would assume so - unless the site itself is brand new!

 

thawing out Farside...great news!

 

This got me to thinking: hasn't Gary Larson been notably unwilling to let his work appear online? I seem to recall a discussion here in one of the forums about how after years of opposition he finally had, grudgingly, made peace with the idea of people sharing his old work with each other or on forums via the Internet. If I'm remembering that correctly (and I freely confess my memory is by no means infallible), perhaps this announcement could just mean that he's given the OK for a site to host his work from back when Far Side was still running.

 

Couldn't we say the Peter Green of cartoonists? Syd blew his mind out which ended things. I would hate for that to be the reason Bill Watterson is not drawing for us. Peter Green was a brilliant guitarist but got in too deep and stepped away only to reappear infrequently. I can't think of another parallel. Maybe Mick Taylor? I would like to use Jeff Beck but he's been really prolific.

 

I think this is it exactly. For whatever reason, he has never been fond of sites that share his work. I followed a Facebook group that was sharing his stuff and I believe it was shut down.

My feeling is this is simply Larson giving people what they want in terms of his past work and controlling (as best as possible on the Internet) where people see it.

By the way, if folks haven’t seen this and have access to it, it’s a well-done mockumentary about Larson.

Searching for Mr. Larson: A Love Letter from the Far Side

 

I would be happy with anything Bill Watterson or Gary Larsen put out for us. For Bill it doesn't have to be C&H but for Gary, I want my Far Side!

 

I feel the same, if Watterson comes back to cartooning it should be with new characters, C&H is one of very few modern pop culture legacies that feels as though it ended at the right time and has been allowed to remain completely self-contained, like a proper piece of literature. The Far Side’s absurd non-sequiturs and lack of consistent characterizations makes it more ripe for a revival in which it doesn’t feel like it’s trampling over any of the original work’s integrity, largely because it was rooted entirely in humor and wasn’t ever really asking much in the way of sincere emotional connection from the audience.

 

Yeah, I have no idea what the "Far Side" website looked like prior to this "dethawing" announcement - or even if the website existed at all.

That's why I asked if the site previously hosted old cartoons or not.

Your reply leads me to think it didn't, and if that's correct, I think the odds the "big announcement" will just be that fans can access the archives online go up substantially...

 

This tweet shows what it looked like before the update, it having been unchanged since 2000.
Andy Baio on Twitter
No, the site did not previously offer archives, and it’s possible that’s all this is. But the picture featured on the placeholder page is new artwork, right? I haven’t seen anything to suggest otherwise, and that definitely shows some more-than-expected amount of involvement from Larson beyond giving it the OK. I wouldn’t hold my breath, but we’ll see shortly.

 

Yeah I think they mean unfrozen as in slightly moving, i.e., subtle animation of each classic still-image panel.

 

Wow - the official website was just an ad for a videotape, and it stayed that way for 19 years? That's funnier than any "Far Side" cartoon could ever be!

Not that the official "Calvin and Hobbes" site is much better:

https://www.calvinandhobbes.com/

 

And that is truly excellent stuff. To see the full sequence (though some without Bill Watterson work), which includes the set-up and completion, here and here.

 

‘The Far Side’ Is Back. Sort Of. Gary Larson Will Explain. ​

 

I'd say he's more like the Artie Shaw of cartoonists. Happily, voluntarily retired rather than unable to work anymore due to mental health issues.

 

Was a big fan of The Far Side as a kid, so many perfect little, single panel, works of art! The 2 part TV series left something to be desired though.

Calvin and Hobbes ended perfectly and beautifully. Was also a big reader of Foxtrot, Dilbert and, to a lesser extent, Garfield.

Couldn't believe last time I was at Universal Studios theme park that they have a comics section with huge buildings dedicated to Heathcliff, Blondie and Dagwood, Beetle Bailey, etc.

 

I was just there last week and commented to my wife how all those strips are getting lost to time. Prince Valiant! Broom Hilda!

 

Happy for fans that there'll be some new "Far Side". Might not be much, but it's better than nothing!