LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: `FAR SIDE' COMING TO AN END; READERS CAN HELP PICK NEW COMIC STRIP

A lot of folks think Gary Larson is a hoot. Others think he is warped. Either way, Larson's "Far Side" comic has been immensely popular. It will come as bad news to some and good news to others that Larson is retiring at the end of the year.

Universal Press Syndicate in Kansas City, which distributes "Far Side" to some 1,900 newspapers around the world, recently notified editors of Larson's decision. The syndicate sent along a personal letter from Larson as well.

In the letter, Larson said he wanted to stop while "Far Side" was still fresh and amusing. He didn't want to continue doing the strip until it wound up "in the graveyard of mediocre" comic strips. Good for him.

There is a difference between Larson's "Far Side" and other comic strips that goes beyond his unusual humor. This difference is staying power. Larson is right when he says his strip at some point will wear thin. His brand of humor has an appeal that is linked to culture and the shifts in society that make dark humor wildly popular one day and a part of the trash heap the next. It is much like the humor of stand-up comedians who find their routines have limits and that audiences grow weary of them.

Other comics, like other comedians, however, endure. "Gasoline Alley" and "Blondie" are two comics in the Southeast Missourian that have been a part of readers' lives for more than one generation. In some cases the originators of venerable strips are retired or deceased. They have been succeeded by assistants or family members who have kept the strip alive and, for the most part, interesting for longtime readers.

This is much like the humor of comedians such as Red Skelton, who draws huge crowds today and whose humor is timeless.

With the end of "Far Side" in sight, it is time to consider a replacement. All of the syndicates have offered suggestions. Most of them have offered strips that are off-beat in the Larson tradition. Is that what you want?

This is an opportunity for readers to let us know what they think about a "Far Side" replacement. If you have seen something in another newspaper you like and think would be a good addition to the Southeast Missourian, let me know.

Send your suggestions to: Comics, Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702.

Thanks.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.