Dear Mr. Larson,

I grew up in New Hope, Indiana, a "town" consisting of one house (ours), a church, and a stop sign. 

I don't honestly remember my first Far Side experience, although I would wager to guess that I was about 10 years old when I opened up a newspaper and found a comic that actually made me laugh.

What I know for sure is that your whimsical, deranged work was a welcome retreat from the banality of rural life. 
Your imagination ignited my own, as I began seeing animals, insects, and objects living lives not dissimilar from my own.

I grew older, and dreamed of using my sense of humor to entertain and engage others, before settling on more "sensible" pursuits. A string of increasingly responsible (i.e. miserable) choices followed, culminating in a nine year stretch of factory work soldering small pieces of metal together for 8-10 hour stretches. The people were great, the job was not.

I had found security, but also malaise, and -over time- depression.

Many moons later, in an effort to escape a personal crisis, I sat down and doodled a penguin puking an armless skeleton. 

As a joke, I posted it to the free section of Craigslist and went to bed. 
When I woke up, twenty people had wrote me to tell me they wanted it.

I began drawing and giving away more sketches, finding camaraderie, acceptance, and validation in myself through these early fans.

A street artist convinced me to sell my work, and to my surprise and delight, I found financial success.
And to my delight, I would occasionally receive complimentary comparisons to your work. 

When asked who inspires me, I proudly name you as a source of both influence and reverence. I've sold thousands of pieces, and have had the pleasure of watching innumerable people laugh and smile from a sense of humor that you (however vicariously) helped form.

You've delighted millions through your decades of incredible work, but for me you have offered something even greater:
the belief that success can be found from doing something you love.

Without you, I may very well have retired from that factory without discovering the pride, joy, and peace I feel today. 

You have left an indelible impact on both my work, and my life Mr. Larson. 

So thank you, for giving me not just humor, but hope.

Warmest Regards,

Joey Allgood