Gary Larson (born in Tacoma, Washington on August 14, 1950) is the creator of The Far Side, a comic panel which appeared in many newspapers for fourteen years until Larson's retirement January 1, 1995. The Far Side (which is widely considered by many to be the greatest single panel cartoon strip ever drawn) was original in that it catered to the more scientific mind for its material - the purity of science, and its seeming incompatibility with human beings and their erroneous ways, was a consistent theme underlying Larson's work.

In 1985, Gary Larson received the prestigious accolade of having a newly-discovered species named after him. The Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a biting louse of a genus only found on owls. Gary was far from offended, and has since said: "Actually, I considered this an extreme honor. Besides, I knew no one was going to write and ask to name a new species of swan after me. You have to grab these opportunities when they come along."

In 1998, he published his first post-Far Side work, There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story, an illustrated story with the unmistakable Far Side mindset.

External links

• Article at Salon.com
• The Far Side at Toonopedia