Cows, chickens, dinosaurs, microorganisms. It's not difficult to identify the influence of The Far Side , Gary Larson's iconic comic strip, on The Argyle Sweater--an influence which lends both strengths and weaknesses to Scott Hilburn's strip. While readers will enjoy the same skewed sense of humour and subject matter, a feeling of deja-vu lingers over many of the panels and, like most pastiches, it's a level below the original. However, Hilburn does hit the mark with many of his gags (you'll hate yourself for laughing at a strip with the Pillsbury Dough Boy) and fans of The Far Side who are still going through withdrawl are well-advised to take a look. (It'll be interesting to see if Hilburn can inject more individuality within Larson's formula).

My two boys both asked me if this was a "Far Side" collection in disguise, and that's honestly how I'd have to characterize this comic panel collection. The art is fairly different, but the style of humor is unmistakeable. And if it's a concious imitation of Gary Larson's stuff, it's quite a good one, with several worthy of the master himself. I do prefer Larson's cleaner and more stylish artwork, but that's a minor quibble in a strip like this. ( )

Along the clever spirit of ye "Far Side" of olde, with the flair of visual puns. A good, fun quick escapist half hour. Some are definitely chuckle-worthy, others exist on the quieter side of an internal response of, "Ooh. Nice one." As for the packaging - man, I wish this sort of high-quality coloring & paper existed for the comics strips of my youth. ( )

The Argyle Sweater is about the closest cartoon one can find these days to Gary Larson's Far Side. From the drawing style, the single-panel framing (for most of the strips), and the absurd, punny humor, it is clear that this strip was inspired by (and pays homage to) The Far Side. Unfortunately, this means that the reader finds him or herself comparing it to Larson's inimitable creations.

While a decent collection in its own right, one comes away feeling that the best Argyle Sweater cartoons only begin to approach the Far Side. This being said, for someone who has felt a hole in his or her cartoon humor intake since Larson stopped publishing the Far Side, The Argyle Sweater is about as close as you'll come. For anyone who loved the Far Side, give this one a look. It may go a fair way in filling the void. ( )

There have been many cartoonists who have tried to fill Gary "The Far Side" Larson's wackily skewed clown shoes. Some have come close with the art, some (very few) have been in the general vicinity of the humor. Well, Scott Hilburn nailed the art and came closer to grasping the humor than any of the competition. In fact, about a quarter of the panels are virtually impossible to tell from Mr. Larsons, a percentage high enough to give Far Side fans hope the Mr. Hilburn keeps knitting on that sweater. ( )