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JERRY BECK
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AMID AMIDI
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The Argyle Sweater
by jerry
May 10, 2008 6:00 pm


argyletony.jpg

Today’s The Argyle Sweater, Scott Hilburn’s new panel cartoon, recently launched in 130 newspapers by Universal Press.

05/10/08  7:43pm
Fred Sparrman says:

Looks like a case of Larson-y to me…

05/10/08  8:12pm
Ron says:

very reminiscent of the far side

05/11/08  12:44am

My God. How does one get away with nearly duplicating a man’s artistic style and humor?

Gary Larson must be spinning in his grave. Which is unfortunate, since he’s not dead yet. Someone should probably get him out now.

05/11/08  2:24am
granitemind says:

gawd I hate plagiarists!!!

05/11/08  4:51am
Nathan says:

Single Panel… check!
Offbeat humor… check!
Different characters in each comic… check!
Overweight characters… check!
Characters that use a horizontal line for eyes… check!

All he needs is some more comics featuring cows or women with beehive hairdos.

He’s got some original ideas. It’s a shame the art is so derivative of Larson’s.

05/11/08  9:37am

It looks just like Larson’s work, but it sure isn’t funny like his.

05/11/08  10:44am
Some Guy says:

Haha! Not funny!

Also, what a wonderfully appealing art style. I guess the thin jagged scratchy line look is coming back.

05/11/08  10:57am
Paul N says:

Before I clicked on the comments link, my thought was “I’ll bet someone gripes about it being a Far Side rip-off…”

05/11/08  11:34am
Ryan says:

Hmm,
When I was a wee lad of 8, I managed to get a near-plagiarism of Ren & Stimpy published in my primary school’s newsletter, so I guess it’s okay that he’s getting published in 130 different papers. Maybe? Nah.

05/11/08  11:52am
sean says:

I wish luck Scott Hilburn the best of luck with his new strip.

Is it highly reminiscent of Gary Larson’s work? Yeah and So What!

Scott’s strip still gives me a chuckle and far as I know Gary Larson is not making any more NEW Far Side strips.

05/11/08  6:16pm
doug holverson says:

Everybody loves an epigone!

OTOH, some of Larson’s cavemen and scientists of the ’80s looked a lot like Kliban’s cavemen and scientists of the ’70s. Maybe it’s a good thing Larson didn’t draw tabbies….

05/11/08  11:59pm

It’s not just the art style and humor and all; it’s even the concept of the example cartoon posted here that’s derivative. I know of several Far Sides that made hay of the “showing off the stuffed trophies” gag—remember the dogs with the front end of a car stuffed and mounted on the wall? The wife saying “Oh, don’t listen to him—he didn’t catch it. The stupid thing swerved to miss him and ran into a tree”? And I could swear I’d seen others in a similar vein—Smokey Bear or something.

Larson had many imitators during and immediately after his career (many popped up right after he retired, hoping to fill the void). It’s refreshing in a weird way to see the tradition is still alive.

05/12/08  2:53am
Matt Clark says:

05/12/08  10:57am
Jimchig says:

I’ve been reading this strip online for quite a while and think it’s wonderfully funny and creative.
It’s reminiscent of Larson, but plagiarism? C’mon, get real.

It’s near impossible to create a truly original strip these days. It’s all been done. If it pays homage and is still funny, that’s all that matters.

I love reading Jerry and Amid’s contributions, but sometimes I dread reading these comments. Closed minds and negative criticism abound.

05/12/08  11:26am

These comics share the same humor as Larson’s strips. This one and the one he’s currently got up on his site made me laugh out loud.

After reading his Bio it’s apparent he’s been into cartooning and writing for a while. So I don’t see the need to render something SO close to Larson, even if paying homage is the excuse that is used.

Great strip, but not original in any way.

05/12/08  12:01pm

If it doesn’t look and behave exactly like The Far Side, comics page editors don’t want it, and readers will stick with Love Is or Ziggy. Don’t blame him for plagiarism, blame him for being another guy who got into cartooning not for the love of the medium, but for the hope of a greeting card deal.

05/12/08  1:19pm
Bruce says:

I looked at some of his other cartoons. They have a distinctive voice I’d put more in line with real-life adventures than far side.

http://www.gocomics.com/reallifeadventures/

Argyle sweater is very, VERY pun-heavy, and big with giant-talking inanimate objects, lots of self-referential humor, pop-culture reference, breaking of the fourth wall, etc. Reading a number of them, I don’t get a Larson vibe at all.

They aren’t to my taste, but not very much in the funnies is my taste. Mutts seems to be the only strip I can stand… the images are so kinetic that it feels like animation to me, and good old golden-age character designs straight outta the black and white days.

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