The Far Side is known for its wacky humor that veers into dark territory, as artist Gary Larson mined ingenious punchlines from the surreal. As absurd as Larson's weirder brand of comedy may come off as, it's earned plenty of laughs from readers over the years. The Far Side concluded its prolific run on January 1st, 1995, yet it still garners laughs from audiences decades later.
The Far Side's continued popularity is a testament to the humor Larson brought to the table, as he tried to test what he refers to as his readers' "What-the?" reflex. Essentially, Larson aims to evoke a surprised reaction within his readers, in hopes that laughter will come with it.
This strategy proved to be greatly effective, as the shock value of his work is the key to its hilarity – and essential to making so many Far Side cartoons as memorable as they are.
10 The Far Side's Wordplay Gives A Classic Phrase A Dark Spin
First Published: April 3, 1980
In this first comic, an old couple basks on beach chairs as they enjoy a cruise together. One of them remarks on how wonderful their time has been, from the top-tier service to the meals they've shared. She closes out her thoughts by saying, "and that's only the tip of the iceberg!" – and with the reveal that they're on the Titanic, this phrase takes on a whole new meaning.
Gary Larson's penchant for witty wordplay is on full display here. Taking popular phrases and subverting them in deliciously dark ways is one of the most tried-and-true forms of comedy in The Far Side. Here, a common colloquialism becomes far more literal as it's used to call out the tip of an actual iceberg that's about to hit the Titanic, demonstrating Larson's dark humor alongside his love for a good pun.
9 The Far Side's Version Of Hell Isn't What You'd Expect
First Published: July 20, 1984
This comic takes place in the fiery depths of Hell, but given a ridiculous Far Side twist by having the appearance of an office. An authoritative demon reprimands one of his employees by calling him out for letting dead humans go free when they're meant to remain in captivity. As he says, "you've got to stop believing these guys who say they're just stepping out to use the restroom."
By 1992, The Far Side's reputation for obscure humor was well established, and Gary Larson continued to expertly deliver inexplicable punchlines.
This is one of many Far Side comics that depicts hell in laughably absurd ways. In Larson's subversive reinvention of reality, Hell isn't what most would imagine it to be. Instead of more straightforward torture, inhabitants are given wackier forms of torment, such as scorpions in their sandwiches on certain days or aerobics classes that push them to their physical limits.
8 This Far Side Character's Name Is A Bit Too Obvious
First Published: July 6, 1983
A cowboy barges into a saloon in this Far Side rendition of a western, and he has a bone to pick with one of the patrons. With his hand over his sidearm, the man calls out, "Which one of you is the one they call Old-One-Eyed-Dog-Face?", and when one of the cowboys turns around at the summons, his dog-like features and eye-patch indicate that he's the one he seeks.
Considering how many Far Side comics are set in the Old West, it's clear that Gary Larson harbored a particular affinity for this setting. This is especially evident in the way he flips the script on genre conventions of Wild West narratives. Usually, characters in such stories have clever nicknames that tie into their infamous reputations, so their name being called out supplies drama and tension. Old One-Eyed-Dog-Face, however, is too on-the-nose to be cool.
7 The Far Side Portrays a Neanderthal's Genius (Or Lack Thereof)
First Published: March 7, 1985
In this comic, a caveman sets out to create something extraordinary, getting to work with his primitive tool. It takes time, but he eventually chisels away enough at a rock to create a shape that resembles a piano. A commendable feat for a neanderthal has been accomplished, yet when the time comes to play it, he just slams his head against the keys rather than playing a proper tune.
The Far Side's cartoons featuring cavemen are some of the best in the comic's run. With little words, considering cavemen weren't exactly articulate in their time, Larson depicts his ideas about how cavemen might have come up with modern inventions. Here, though the caveman is smart enough to construct a piano on his own, he hasn't quite gotten a grasp on how to play it – but at least it's a start.
6 The Far Side Routinely Transformed The Ordinary Into The Absurd
First Published: February 19, 1990
Here, a man gathers three children around a campfire to regale them with a story to fit the spooky atmosphere. In the dark of night, he provides a painstakingly detailed description of a mechanical creature that would instill fear within anyone. Then, in a surprising twist, he closes out his story with the following:"that's how a vacuum cleaner works." As it turns out, the monster was a mere vacuum all along.
Known for leaving readers confused, Far Side creator Gary Larson explained a typical "obscure" punchline, revealing the inner workings of his humor.
This is a joke that, while simple on a surface level, is surprisingly in line with The Far Side's premise. At its core, this comic series focuses on defamiliarization as a means of pulling comedy from unexpected places. Larson stretches the known to such an extreme that it becomes unknown again to the reader, just as the story in this comic does with the concept of a vacuum.
5 Gary Larson Strings Together One Of The Far Side's Most Clever Puns
First Published: June 22, 1983
This Far Side comic features a group of cowboys as they're tasked with hanging a man. This idea would normally be gruesome to watch unfold, but in typical Far Side fashion, a misunderstanding is at the heart of this one-panel story. When they'd been told to hang the man, they're told to "string him up", so they do so by literally wrapping him in a ball of string.
The Far Side Complete Collection
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Fans of the far side can't pass up this master collection of Gary Larson's finest work. Originally published in hardcover in 2003, this paperback set comes complete with a newly designed slipcase that will look great on any shelf. The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever published, which amounts to over 4,000, plus more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book and even some made after Larson retired.
Gary Larson excels at many different styles of comedy, but his proficiency with puns is unrivaled. The Far Side features plenty of misunderstandings that stem from puns being taken too literally by characters on the page, and this is one of Larson's funniest takes on this joke. What should be a morbid moment gets a lighthearted twist, a hilarious reversal of Larson's usual dark humor.
First Published: April 22, 1980
The Far Side's absurdist takes on real people are always a delight to read, but Gary Larson has also put his own spin on fictional figures. In this cartoon, two sight-seers watch from a hiding place as a peculiar figure with a tiny body and massive feet walks past, as one of them comments, "It certainly has taken the romance out of the Bigfoot mystery."
Although Bigfoot may be a product of the public's imagination, most tend to share a centralized idea of what the creature looks like; he's commonly envisioned as a tall being who's covered in dark hair. Of course, his name only suggests that his feet are big, but that doesn't mean the rest of his body has to be as well. Larson offers his own version of Bigfoot here, and it isn't a pleasant sight.
3 The Far Side Was At Its Best When It Subverted Prey Vs Predator Dynamics
First Published: June 22, 1986
What must have begun as a run-of-the-mill hunting trip goes awry in this cartoon. Hunters face off against deer, each of them holding a hostage. The hunters say they won't make a trade until they've ensured the safety of their man, showing that the deer have taken the upper hand in a situation where they're typically victims.
The Far Side excels at tackling the complex relationship between humans and animals, with many comics playing with the prey-predator dynamic in nature by giving it a wacky spin; here, the prey gets its revenge on predatorial hunters by turning what should be a one-sided hunt into a stalemate. It is difficult to say how things will end up in this conflict, though it's satisfying to see the deer eke out an advantage for a change.
2 This Far Side Joke A Real Timely Take On Murder Mysteries
First Published: May 5, 1980
A shocking number of murders take place in Larson's bizarre universe, and one of the series' most iconic characters is consistently on the case. The detective may be The Far Side's go-to sleuth, but that doesn't mean he's always at the top of his game. Here, for instance, he struggles to figure out the victim's time of death despite being surrounded by clocks, which clearly display the answer he seeks.
Many Far Side cartoons get more attention for being confusing, but Gary Larson called one surprising 1987 panel "almost universally misunderstood."
Larson has a tendency to defy classic tropes in his work, and this is a great example of him doing exactly that. In murder mysteries, it's common for a clock to be discovered that just so happens to have been stopped at the instant the crime took place. That trope is flipped on its head in this cartoon, as there are multiple obvious clocks, yet the detective doesn't appear to notice.
1 The Far Side's Best Jokes Don't Need Captions
First Published: May, 18, 1982
Gary Larson doesn't need a caption to sell a good punchline, and this last comic proves it.A two-seated bicycle rides out from beneath an overpass, except it has no one riding it, because in its wake, a sound effect is shown, indicating that they've slammed into the overpass as they attempted to duck under it. All of this is portrayed without a caption or word of dialogue.
This Far Side comic is self-explanatory, which cements its brilliance and makes it emblematic of why this series' comedy holds up so well to this day. Other comics rely too much on explaining themselves to ensure that everyone gets the joke, but Larson never bothers with pandering to his audience. In one panel where the visuals do the heavy-lifting, a full story is told that can leave readers laughing for hours.
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
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