'New Yorker' Cartoon Is Similar to an Old 'Far Side' Comic

By: E&P Staff The Nov. 26 issue of The New Yorker magazine includes a cartoon reminiscent of a "Far Side" comic by Gary Larson.

GelfMagazine.com reported the similarity in a Tuesday article.

The New Yorker drawing -- by Lee Lorenz, former cartoon editor of the magazine -- features three images. The first pictures a woman on a park bench feeding birds, the second shows her surrounded by the birds, and the third implies that the birds have eaten her because only her handbag remains.

Larson's 1980s comic showed a man on a park bench surrounded by birds who seemingly devour him and leave only his winter coat.

GelfMagazine.com said Creators Syndicate, which distributes "Far Side" reruns internationally, declined to comment at this time. First-run "Far Side" panels were distributed by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate before Larson retired his comic more than a decade ago. It was appearing in nearly 2,000 newspapers back then.

New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff acknowledged that the Lorenz and Larson drawings are similar, but said Lorenz "is not a guy who copies cartoons." He added: "This is not plagiarism; rather it is the result of very creative people developing many ideas from a few well-established, well-traveled cartoon settings."

There are also similar ideas in editorial cartooning. Daryl Cagle, who runs a huge editorial-cartoon Web site, occasionally announces a "Yahtzee" on his blog when at least five creators do a similar cartoon.