Gary Larson's Far Side is obsessed with showing the dark (but often still goofy) side of nature, so it's no surprise that wolves feature so heavily. From fairy tales to prehistoric society to werewolf horror, Larson plumbs deep into humanity's obsession with the lupine.
Here are the ten funniest Far Side comics starring wolves - be sure to vote for your #1 in our end-of-article poll, deciding which of these comics is the best of the best and checking in on which strip other readers chose for the gold medal.
10
Look At Those Vacuous Eyes
Far Side Is Obsessed with Prehistoric Firsts
Far Side may be most famous for its cows, but in second place are its cavemen, who appear in dozens of strips over the comic's 15-year run. Larson's favorite gag is to show notable 'firsts,' as early hominids attempt to create modern conveniences. In this comic, Far Side fans get to see the 'invention' of dogs, as a wolf that's been palling around with cavemen loses its killer edge. In a classic case of Larson adopting an animal perspective on human nature, 'domestification' isn't treated as an accomplishment, but something closer to becoming a zombie. Open the image gallery below to see more of Far Side's caveman invention comics.
Other cavemen 'firsts' include milkshake, plumbing, and checkers, generally with the cavemen either stumbling onto a great idea by accident or else having hyperspecific goals that aren't quite sophisticated enough yet - for example, the first version of a checkers board has only two squares.
9
Animal Nerds
Larson Was Almost As Obsessed with Nerds as With Wolves
Custom Image by Robert Wood (from Gary Larson)
In this strip, a 'nerd' wolf misreads his friends' intentions, bursting in on them stalking prey and loudly announcing his presence. Being a family-friendly comic published in newspapers across the country, Far Side didn't have license to indulge in a lot of effective insults. This helps to explain why Larson was so obsessed with the concept of nerds, tackling it from the perspective of cowboys, aliens and even dinosaurs. Open the image gallery below to see more of Gary Larson's comics about nerds.
The world of Gary Larson's Far Side is full of bizarre creatures, so it's no surprise that elves, fairies, leprechauns and gnomes feature heavily.
8
Doris the Wolf
This Comic Is Drawn from Gary Larson's Real Life
In this strip, a family sit down for dinner while the matriarch fusses around them, trying to make memories by recording the occasion with photographs. This being Far Side, there has to be a thread of darkness hiding somewhere, and in this case it's that the 'family meal' is a vicious feeding frenzy around the body of a fallen deer. In The Prehistory of the Far Side, Gary Larson explains that this gag came straight from real life and his own mother's obsession with recording family meals.
Whenever and wherever my family gets together for a big dinner, my mother (whose name is Doris) feels compelled to pull out her camera and take the quintessential shot of the Larsons about to bolt down their meal.
Since wolves are such social animals, it was an easy jump in my mind to go from a wolf-kill to a Larson meal.
In this strip, a pack of wolves move into a suburban house. However, far from being horrified, their human neighbors simply embrace the fact that survival of the fittest means some 'weak and stupid people' are going to be picked off now and again. Larson loves combining the ultimate symbol of Americana - a white picket fence - with the weirdest possible characters, as regular suburbanites are forced to make peace with living next door to cavepeople, howler monkeys and literal monsters. Open the image gallery below to see more Far Side comics about neighbors from Hell.
It's an underestimated aspect of Larson's humor to engage with classic Americana while adding a dark subversion. This likely came from Larson's own childhood, where schoolyard fun was set against the stresses of living through the Cold War. In a 1987 interview with 20/20, Larson shared how his childhood experiences shaped his sense of humor, stating:
It was going from Leave It To Beaver to bomb shelters. I remember sitting in my seventh-grade English class thinking that the world was going to end during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It made you look at the world a little bit askew.
Here are the 10 best Far Side comics starring gigantic monsters - from big names like King Kong, Godzilla and Mothra to giant animals and humans.
6
My Client Is an Endangered Species
Of Course Three Little Pigs Had to Appear
In a list of dark gags based on wolves, it's not surprising that The Three Little Pigs gets its own parody. In this strip, the injured wolf has taken the surviving piggy to court, arguing that the ending of the tale constitutes a premeditated crime. In a particularly dark/fun detail, the wolf's lawyer goes all-in reminding the pig that wolves are rare, while pigs are essentially 'meant' to be eaten. Open the image gallery below to enjoy more of Gary Larson's comics based on fairy tales.
Since The Far Side tends to only use one panel, Larson often taps into narratives and concepts that readers will already be familiar with. This allows Larson to draw on a range of complex ideas while also adding his own spin. For example, it would be near impossible for Larson to set up why a wolf is suing a pig, but Three Little Pigs comes complete with a narrative that instantly justifies that set-up.
5
Luposlipaphobia
Larson's Love of Language Shines Through
Custom Image by Robert Wood (from Gary Larson)
In a fun opportunity to learn a new word, Larson introduces the concept of 'luposlipaphobia' - a genuinely terrifying situation with a commendably silly name. This wasn't the only time Far Side introduced a new word, but the most impressive is 'Thagomizer' - a made-up term for the spikes on a stegosaurus' tail that was adopted by real-world archeologists partly because an official term didn't already exist.
One interesting detail about 'luposlipaphobia' is that it stars Larson's most iconic stock character - the Nerdy Kid. Going by various different names, the Nerdy Kid appears across many Far Side comics, generally portraying the clueless nature of childhood. Open the image gallery below for more comics starring the Nerdy Kid.
While Larson never wanted to have recurring characters, since he wanted to avoid fans developing affection for characters he wanted to put through hell, he did develop stock characters to use in The Far Side. In one hilarious meta comic Larson introduces the cast of The Far Side, portraying his stock characters as actors who play similar roles across different comics.
These Far Side comics are even funnier for any fan of Gary Larson who also loves superheroes, including Superman, Wolverine and Iron Man.
4
Farmer MacDougal
Larson's Genius Is In the Details
This single panel tells an entire story where Farmer Macdougal's 'loyal' dog has been corrupted by local wolves, only for his crimes to be discovered by his suspicious master. Far Side often embraces the surreal for its own sake, but in this case everything makes perfect sense - even the beers the wolves are drinking are part of the narrative of betrayal. Easily Larson's coolest decision in this comic is to frame the entire thing through Farmer Macdougal's binoculars, giving the invisible character a starring role.
3
That Same Obnoxious Tie
Far Side Has a Soft Side for Horror Movie Monsters
As much as Far Side loves depicting a goofy take on nature, it also loves making fun of horror movie monsters, so a werewolf is an obvious inclusion. In a short story that would actually be pretty creepy if written by Stephen King (himself an admitted Far Side fan), the seller of werewolf-killing silver bullets is a lycanthrope who targets his own customers, knowing for a fact that they lack the weaponry they need to harm him. Open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics starring horror movie greats.
Larson's references range from public domain figures like Frankenstein and Dracula to movie icons like King Kong and Jaws' shark to otherwise forgotten figures like the giant ants from Them! It's clear that as with nature, horror cinema is one of Larson's favorite themes.
Every Far Side fan has a different favorite, but we still didn't expect the vote for Gary Larson's best cat comic to be so incredibly close.
2
Sheep's Clothing!
Far Side's Wolves Hatch a Bright Idea
In this strip, two wolves who were apparently trying to get close to sheep using gorilla costumes suddenly hit on the idea that dressing like sheep might be a brighter idea. Larson flips the logic of a wolf in sheep's clothing, imagining a world where the urge to try on disguises came first, while trying to make the sheep feel safe is a secondary goal only discovered in beta testing.
Again, this comic somewhat draws from Larson's real life - attempting to describe his family's sense of humor in The Complete Far Side, Larson calls them a family with, "a deep, sincere appreciation for the many uses of a good gorilla mask."Sadly for Far Side's wolves, Gary Larson's world doesn't always reward inventiveness...
1
Wait a Minute!
Far Side's Wolves Just Can't Catch a Break
In this comic, wolves disguised as sheep make an unfortunate discovery - the plan is so good that all the wolves are engaging with it, leading to a fake flock that doesn't actually contain any prey animals. The gag is particularly funny when presented alongside the previous comic, telling a story where the wolves discover the 'in sheep's clothing' tactic then overuse it to the point of self-defeat. Larson may love animals, but he never handed them a win they didn't totally earn, and even when they did, it's still essentially a coin flip whether they actually come out ahead.
Those are the 10 funniest Far Side comics starring wolves - remember to vote below for the #1 funniest comic from those above.
Written and drawn by Gary Larson, The Far Side is a comic strip series that ran from December 1979 to January 1995. A worldwide hit, The Far Side explores life's surreal side and uses a mix of humans and anthropomorphic animals. As of 2020, Gary Larson decided to pick his pencil back up again and has started The Far Side up, circulating the comics on his official website.
Which of these Far Side comics starring wolves are the funniest?
Custom Image by Robert Wood (from Gary Larson)
Custom Image by Robert Wood (from Gary Larson)
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