Everyone has their favorite Gary Larson comic, right? The creator of "The Far Side," an artist who's now heavy into environmental causes, started the strip on a lark while working at a record store in Seattle. After submitting a few dashed-off, single-panel comics to local newspapers, he was surprised by the reception. The papers loved them - and so did their readers, who reveled in his dark, surreal vision of life, people, animals and even wee insects. The strip ran nationally for 15 years, its finale in January, 1995.  To me, "The Far Side" has always been an anomaly in the comic strip world. Children as well as adults used to look forward to their favorite newspaper comics in the morning - with cereal! - because they wanted to laugh with their favorite characters, like Snoopy or Cathy or Ziggy or Hobbes. But with "The Far Side," you weren't looking forward to recurring characters, you were looking forward to what Gary, the artist, was going to p...

What are your favorite "Calvin & Hobbes" strips? Tough to choose, I know, but I remember when I saw the one below for the first time because I could not stop giggling. Art Credit: Bill Watterson/Universal Press Syndicate

Some things eclipse their originators in popularity. Think "The Simpsons," which remains phenomenally successful after first appearing in 1987 on "The Tracy Ullman Show," the latter which lasted 4 seasons compared to "The Simpsons" 36 (and counting!).  Similarly, the short-lived, 1920s flapper comic, "Fritzi Ritz," is best remembered nowadays for introducing Fritzi's niece... ...or the comic juggernaut we all know as "Nancy," which began regularly appearing as a headliner in newspapers in the 1930s. Yet I'm more intrigued by one spin-off that didn't happen. Late in life, Charles M. Schulz told a biographer that he had regrets; he should have spun-off Peppermint Patty into her own strip. She was the only character from "Peanuts," he felt, who could have held her own as a singular comic star.  What comics are you enjoying lately? Don't forget to post them! We could all use the giggle.  Art Credits: World Feature ...

Are you tripping balls from the comic above? So were newspaper readers from 1905 to the early 1920s, when artist and animator Windsor McKay published his strip, "Little Nemo In Slumberland," which charted the jaw-dropping dreams of its young hero, Nemo. You can have a clearer look at the strip above by clicking and enlarging it, and read all of Nemo's eye-popping adventures right here .  McKay's strip is considered one of the most influential of all time and it's not hard to see why. Even Walt Disney acknowledged the debt he owed to McKay's comics and pioneering work in animation . Federico Fellini was also said to have been influenced by his work, along with Maurice Sendak, Art Spiegelman and Robert Crumb. Given his work, you might assume that McKay took shrooms - or something! - but apparently, he never even touched alcohol.  What are your favorite comics this week? You get extra Pecker Points™ added to your account if they're Mother's Day related.  ...

Art Credit: Bill Keane/King Features

Peckerwood's Weekly Lunocracy Post is   RIGHT HERE.  Art Credits: John McNamee, Tyson Cole, Amy Kurzwell