Last Chapter and Worse

Far Side Collection #16

by Gary Larson

This collection includes the last six months of Far Side cartoons from newspaper syndication, plus 13 new cartoons drawn by Gary Larson since his retirement.

Genres: Humor, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comic Strips, Graphic Novels Comics, Art

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Gary Larson was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. His parents were Vern, a car salesman, and Doris, a secretary. He attended Curtis High School before attending Washington State University and graduated in 1972 with a degree in communications. In 1987, Larson married Toni Carmichael, an archaeologist.
Larson credits his older brother Dan for his "paranoid" sense of humor. Dan would pull countless pranks on Gary, taking advantage of his phobia of monsters under the bed by, for example, waiting in the closet for the right moment to pounce out at Gary. Dan is also credited with giving Gary his love of science. They caught animals in Puget Sound and placed them in terrariums in the basement; even making a small desert ecosystem, which their parents apparently did not mind. His adept use of snakes in his cartoons stems from his long-standing interest in herpetology.
Since retiring from the Far Side, Larson has occasionally done some cartooning work, such as magazine illustrations and promotional artwork for Far Side merchandise.
In 1998, Larson published his first post-Far Side book, There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story, an illustrated story with the unmistakable Far Side mindset.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have probably read every Larson book and cartoon out there. I own all the Far Side Gallery books, and the Prehistory of the Far side so when the Last Chapter and Worse came out I behaved predictably.

On the bright side, still hilarious. I miss Larson's (twisted) sense of humor and can still read these over and over, though I'm getting to the point where I may need to put them away for a while...a fairly long while as I am starting to memorize them....oh well.

Enjoy (and try not to come down with cows).

[David Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was working in any of the many bookstores where I was employed and I did not want (or have the time) to read my current book, I would grab one of these collections to read on my too short break. I slowly but surely worked my way through several series. These are great time killers and will usually improve your mood no matter how hectic the day. Laughter can be the best solution to dealing with the public.

Larson's seeming obsession with nerds, cows, and all things bizarre always led to a wonderful collection of humor and sometimes confusion. People always wonder how horror writers like Stephen King can come up with such strange stories. I personally was always more amazed that Gary Larson could come up with such strange notions that could be summed up in a one panel comic strip.

[Michael Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend loaned me this book, and I have always enjoyed Far Side. I used to read Gary Larson in the paper every day. And when a book came out I would buy it.

So, I knew I was going to enjoy this book. What I did NOT know was that this was Gary’s last book. He is now in Retirement. Now, that was a shock. I just always thought, when I picked up a paper I would find the Far Side.

This book did not disappoint. I love it and laughed all the way through it. I have to return this book to my friend. But, I need to buy a copy of it!

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this is evidence for why it was smart to retire. Though I love these cartoons. These are the last six months + extras. And, it's so familiar.
Still, it's Gary Larson and The Far Side. Imagine you are a New Yorker cartoonist only you have a deadline every day.
So, here are the last, for the moment, of these.
We should honor this guy. And reread some earlier cartoons.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you can’t make it better, you can laugh at it.” I wish I had said that, but it’s a very wise quote from Erma Bombeck. Channeling my inner eight-year-old, favorites are the ones about poop and flies!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4

This is (supposedly) Larson's final piece of work. Included are a few pages that tell a little more about him.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As tasty of a treat as a bag of dark chocolate!

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true delight. There's something melancholic about this one; like leaving an old friend after a long journey. Yet said friend is also well aware of the sorrows, and uses them to be funnier than ever. This has two of my favorite Far Sides ever: "It's MY Couch! MY Couch! Don't They Understand?" and "Just A Simple Rorschach Test" -- as you can tell, amidst the puns and goofiness, I absolutely love the sheer DARK comedy at work here. It's hilarious, and a great way to go out.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Far Side comics are hit and miss for me. Some make me roll my eyes, some make me scratch my head, some bring out a guffaw, and some have me laughing so hard tears form. This was the typical mixed bag. I loved some, I could do without others. The last 13 cartoons are new for this book and never appeared before. The very last one is a series of illustrations the author's father shared with him as a boy that shed a bit of light on how Gary Larson turned out the way he did.

Notes on content: That last series of illustrations starts off innocent and ends up looking like a bare butt. I personally wouldn't hand this collection to elementary or middle school kids.

[Barnaby Haszard]

I loved THE FAR SIDE as a child. I also loved Garfield comics, so you can't completely trust my judgement. Certainly these are funnier, and smarter, and more keenly observed, but almost always a really obvious gag. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just that by now, I've seen enough superior iterations of these gags on THE SIMPSONS and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT etc to no longer need Gary Larson, or single-panel comics in general.

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd love to say that I started rereading this because I saw that Larson was coming back, but i started rereading because I was removing 'stuff' from the parents place before they tossed it. Still a mix of funny and kinda amusing.

By the way, if you didn't know - Larson's website indicated the Far Side was coming back - this time online.

[Thomas Scholtes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Larson, and sad that it's the end of his cartooning era. But I love the ending of this book, as well as just getting these cartoons that weren't contained in any of the other anthologies. Can't wait to go back and re-read the others!

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff. If you're not a fan, you should be.

[rhodeswarrior · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny material, excellent drawings, and an unexpected... 'last chapter'. Or was that the 'worst'.. ? ;)

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Gary Larson, how can it not be good? I still miss his cartoons in the paper and I wish he had come back as he suggested he might in this collection of his last syndicated cartoons.

[Hailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a really good layout, Funny and weird. Not something I like because it is a graphic Novel and not something that i am really wanting to read

[Kasey Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

pg 58. The first comic on the page.

5 stars.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larson added some new cartoons for this, his last, Far Side edition

[Haaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the farside comics. I remember having a copy though I can't remember which one it was. These are witty and make you chuckle.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the Far Side. Not his best, but enjoyable for sure.

[Kenneth Sowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

classic final chapter of Gary Larson

[Annie Garvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larson should write about his Dad. What a character.

[Sarah Buzz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was full of old comics that didn't make the cut in the newspaper. Larson brings to live his silly cartoons for us to all enjoy.

[Marshaferz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forget how laugh-out-loud funny and amazingly clever Larson is until I go back and read his stuff in concentrated doses.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hysterical book. Yay

[Michael A. Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

*snicker* threatening clouds 🤣
I needed that :)

[Michael (Horror Gardener) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still weird all these years later.

[Rick Christiansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I have the Far Side Gallery books 1-5, are these books part of the gallery collections?

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book for my Dad 23 years ago when he was sick. He thought the Far Side was hilarious and so do I !

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larson has such a whimsical and absurd sense of humor. I love it.