There are few comics in the history of the medium that are as iconic or hilarious as The Far Side, as the creator of The Far Side, Gary Larson, uses the comic to put an absurd lens over the entire world. Indeed, The Far Side makes even the mundane hysterical, with no limit to what Larson will poke fun at in his own uniquely weird way.
Truly, The Far Side finds a way to even make trees funny, not to mention cowboys, aliens, and even babies. So, it should come as no surprise that the series even makes trains hilarious. Unlike other popular comic strips, The Far Side does not have a main character. Instead, it is just a series of absurd jokes that feature random cartoons that are used to bring home the punchlines. And, in this case, The Far Side uses trains to do just that.
7
Even Trains Have Their Own Form of ‘Turbulence’ in The Far Side
A train is moving along the railroad tracks when it comes around a bend and is met with a number of bumps in the tracks. The engineer alerts the passengers, telling them that things are about to get a little bumpy and that they should take their seats and put their drinks down. The engineer is referring to the bumps in the railroad tracks, but rather than saying that, he says they're about to experience "trackulence".
Obviously, "trackulence" isn't a thing in real life, and this train would be immediately derailed the second it hit those major bumps in the tracks. But, that's what makes this joke so funny, because it's a clear play on how planes experience turbulence when flying through an area of heavy winds or bad weather. "Trackulence" is a train's version of a plane going through turbulence, something that could truly only happen in The Far Side.
6
The Far Side Redefines the Meaning of a “Runaway Train”
A woman is putting away her groceries, giving readers a full view of practically everything she bought at the store. However, her groceries aren't the main focus, but rather the message that is plastered on her grocery bags as well as her carton of milk. Each one is a missing poster, alerting shoppers to the fact that a number of trains have gone missing in the same way as old 'missing children' posters. The implication here is that these trains ran away from home, and authorities need the public's help in locating them.
While it would make sense if these runaways were actually children, it's utterly nonsensical in this Far Side comic. Firstly, trains cannot run away from home, and if any trains were missing, that would mean they were stolen, and authorities likely wouldn't plaster that case all over groceries and milk cartons. Secondly, the term 'runaway train' has a very different meaning in real life, as it refers to a train that has gone out of control on the tracks, and poses the danger of derailment. And that's exactly what makes this Far Side comic so hilarious.
5
The Far Side Takes 1 Famous Tune Way Too Literally
A man named Webster who works for a railroad company is getting chewed out by his boss, as it seems there's an issue with the amount of hours Webster has been working. Webster's boss says that his time sheet has recorded Webster coming into work late, and even leaving early. This seems to be a consistent problem, given the seriousness in the boss' tone. However, the real problem isn't Webster's lack of working hours, but that Webster doesn't seem to understand this particular industry. As his boss points out, "Working for the railroad, Webster, means working all the livelong day".
Of course, Webster's boss is directly quoting the famous folk song "I've Been Working on the Railroad", which in and of itself is utterly hilarious. But what's even funnier is that the song seems to be more than just a popular tune in The Far Side, but a code all who work on the railroad must live by. One does not simply come in late and leave early after they've committed themselves to the railroad, as it is written that they shall work "all the livelong day".
4
The Far Side Proves There’s Nothing Fun About “Workin’ on the Railroad All the Live-Long Day”
While the previous Far Side comic seemed to establish that "I've Been Working on the Railroad" is a song all railroad workers not only enjoy, but literally live by, it seems not everyone in this comic gets the memo. In fact, only one railroad worker seems to be enjoying himself at all, as he's singing the aforementioned song at the top of his lungs while hammering the spikes into the tracks. Meanwhile, all his coworkers not only aren't singing along with him, but are actively annoyed with the singing. However, the one singing is blissfully unaware of his coworkers' annoyance.
It's made pretty clear visually that the one who's singing is new to the job while the others are veteran railroad workers. The other men are large and burly, as if they've been hammering spikes into tracks since they were old enough to lift a hammer. The one singing, however, is thin and doesn't look like he's even broken a sweat. However, if Webster's boss is also this guy's boss, then he'll go far in this industry.
3
Even Toy Trains Have Freight Hoppers in The Far Side
A man is standing over his toy train, screaming at a tiny human who was seemingly trying to hitch a free ride around the model track. This man doesn't stand for it, as he tells this little man to get lost and never come back. And, just so readers are sure this is a toy train and not a regular-sized train with a giant human standing over it, the side of the train clearly reads "Ace Toys". Therefore, there's only one explanation as to what Gary Larson is actually telling readers in this Far Side comic: even toy trains have freight hoppers in The Far Side.
'Freight Hopper' was a name given to those who would illegally ride a freight train to travel across the country. This practice was reportedly very popular during the Great Depression, when a number of individuals were out of work and couldn't afford to pay for travel accommodation. That's why 'freight hoppers' are greatly associated with the stereotypical appearance of a 'hobo', just like the tiny man in this Far Side comic.
2
The Far Side Gives “The Little Engine That Could” a Grim Alternate Ending
A woman is gagged and tied to the train tracks, left to die on the downhill side of the tracks, ensuring that any train traveling along those tracks won't see her before running her over. Whoever did this to this woman clearly wanted her dead, as there isn't any way a train could stop in time to avoid hitting her once it got over that hill. However, shockingly enough, the woman herself isn't the main focus of the comic, but rather the train itself. Indeed, this isn't any regular train, this is The Little Engine That Could.
In The Little Engine That Could, a small sentient train builds up the strength and mental fortitude to go over a particularly steep hill, saying to himself, "I think I can. I think I can." until he finally accomplishes what he set out to do. It's an inspiring tale meant to teach children the value of never giving up. However, in The Far Side, "I think I can. I think I can." is no longer inspiring, but utterly terrifying. Once the Little Engine That Could goes over the hill, this woman is dead, offering a grim alternate ending to the children's story.
1
The Little Engine That Could Couldn’t Keep It Up in The Far Side
It's as if this Far Side comic is a direct sequel to the one that came before, as it once more features The Little Engine That Could, though in a very different light. Instead of giving it all he had to climb up that hill and inspire readers everywhere, this version of The Little Engine That Could seemingly 'couldn't' anymore. Homeless, sitting on the sidewalk, begging for change, this Little Engine That Could holds a sign that reads "I thought I could. I thought I could.", which is yet another grim ending to the inspirational tale.
This comic could also be read as a result of what happened in the previous Far Side comic. Perhaps the Little Engine That Could did make it over the hill just like in the original children's book, only to kill the woman tied to the tracks on the other side. Traumatized and guilt ridden, The Little Engine That Could falls into a deep depression from which there is no escape, resulting in this heart-wrenching end to his story.
While that might not have been how it all went down, the fact that it's even a possibility proves just how hilarious The Far Side is - even when it's making comics about trains.
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.
English (US) ·