The Far Sidefirst appeared in newspapers forty-five years ago – and thirty-five years ago, ten years into Gary Larson's career, in 1990, the artist was still arguably at the top of his career, producing some of his strongest panels, including these ten selections, which celebrate the anniversaries of their publications this month.
The truly wonderful thing about The Far Side is that any curation of ten comics – whether drawn from a specific span of time, as the ones included below are, or to highlight a specific aspect of Gary Larson's humor, or to be honest, simply chosen at random – is more than likely to contain everything that makes the series enduringly hilarious.
From the memorably macabre, to the delightfully dorky, Larson's comedic sensibilities are on full display in these cartoons from February, 1990, which prove to be a perfect time-warp back to that era.
First Published: February 9, 1990
This Far Side cartoon is a potent example of Gary Larson's patented dark sense of humor; it features his take on a "Donner Party Memorial," which amounts to a dinner plate on a raised platform, with an oversized human foot sticking out from between two pieces of bread.
While some might consider the punchline to be in poor taste, for many readers, the passage of time will have mitigated any potential offense at the joke, instead leading them to focus their reaction more on the brazen quality of Larson's joke, along with the over-the-top absurdity of the imagery. As far as jokes about one of the bleakest tragedies in the history of America's westward expansion go, Larson perhaps lays claim to one of the best.
9
Danger Was Always Lurking On The Far Side, But It Wasn't Always Obvious
First Published: February 12, 1990
Of all the settings Gary Larson explored throughout The Far Side, the living room was perhaps the most versatile; this cartoon is representative of a specific subgenre of Far Side jokes – that is, the ones in which peoples' living rooms became dangerous places to be, rather than safe spaces for relaxing, away from the horrors of the world.
Here, "the deadly couch cobra" sits coiled on a sofa, its striped pattern matching the upholstery, as an unsuspecting man walks into the room reading the newspaper, about to plop down on top of the waiting serpent, suggesting that he is one of The Far Side's many tragically doomed characters. The humor of this strip comes from the absurdity of the "couch cobra" premise, certainly, but it is amplified by the tension of knowing the snake is waiting to strike, while the ill-fated man with the newspaper does not.
8
The Far Side's Traveling Salespeople Were Among Its Most Beleaguered Characters
First Published: February 13, 1990
In this wordless Far Side comic, a door-to-door salesman walks down the sidewalk, headed for the next house on the block, though what he sees in the front yard should give him pause – as there is a scarecrow dressed in a nearly identical trenchcoat and hat, with an arrow, a pitchfork, and an axe sticking out of it, very plainly suggesting that any sales pitch is not welcome.
Despite the Far Side's reputation for sowing confusion, Gary Larson's humor was often overly literal, as his "Chicken of Depression" comic shows.
When Gary Larson opted to omit a caption from certain Far Side cartoons, he did so deliberately; the reason why tends to be a mix of the joke being self-evident, or alternatively, Larson desiring his reader to take a more active role in crafting the joke from their end. In this case, readers might not know what happens next, but if they're familiar with the Far Side, it is not unreasonable to assue the salesman will make the poor decision of approaching the house anyway.
7
The Far Side Depicts The Ultimate Valentine's Day Tragedy – A Lack Of Lips
First Published: February 14, 1990
The Far Side's chickens are among its most beloved recurring characters, often appearing in some of Gary Larson's most surreal panels, including this strange, yet laugh-out-loud funny panel from Valentine's Day 1990. In the cartoon, a gaggle of hens crowd around a mirror, unsuccessfully attempting to apply lipstick – with one of them egging on "Wanda" to admit that it's futile, as the chickens "just don't have lips."
Larson's humor often relied on taking the obvious and making it feel unusual, and in that regard, this is a very successful Far Side joke; the hens' lack of lips should be obvious from the get-go, especially to the hens themselves, but nevertheless, the erstwhile attempt to use human cosmetics provides a strong visual element to the cartoon, along with a memorable punchline.
6
An All-Time Great Far Side Pun Coupled With An Iconic Gary Larson Illustration
First Published: February 15, 1990
This Far Side cartoon is often cited as one of Larson's best, or at least it deserves to be, as it combines the author's skill with wordplay and his artistic ability to conjure bizarre, but striking imagery. "And down they went," the caption explains, "Bob and Francine– two more victims of the La Brea Carpets," as a man and a woman are shown clawing wildly to keep themselves from going under.
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This is an example of a Far Side joke's premise and execution being perfectly in sync, yet what really elevates the panel are its finer details – most notably, the way the presumed homeowners look on as their floor sucks up two more guests, with Gary Larson capturing their expressions at a moment that could work as either horror, or amusement, at the plight of "Bob and Francine."
5
A Uniquely Far Side Brand Of "Coming Of Age" Story
First Published: February 16, 1990
"Well, there he is Billy – Big Red," a cowboy tells a young kid, as they look at his potential new steed, adding that, "sure he's tough, but if you can ride him, he's yours," – hilariously leaving unstated what the reader can plainly see, which is that in addition to being literally big, and literally red, the horse in question is also covered in vicious looking spikes, with a medieval mace for a tail.
The surface level absurdity of this Far Side panel is what makes it stand out as such a funny joke, but it also carries a note of subtext, playing on the idea that when one is young, certain things seem absurdly difficult and insurmountable, yet as a person ages, these things become easier. That deeper layer of meaning isn't necessary to appreciate the punchline, but it is there for fans to surmise as they scrutinze Larson's work in more detail.
4
The Far Side Taught Readers To Expect The Unexpected – Even When The Joke Was Obvious
First Published: February 19, 1990
Captioned "Tales of the Known," this Far Side cartoon features a man telling a group of kids a campfire story – about "how a vacuum cleaner works," giving a step by step account of the device's functionality, in the manner of a scary ghost story. In effect, the anticlimax of the joke is the punchline itself, as though Gary Larson is subverting his own creative tendency toward subversion.
That is to say, Larson's joke has no tricks up its sleeve here, no curveball to throw at the reader – which, for Far Side fans accustomed to having their expectations upended by the comic, is in itself a twist that makes this panel stand out from much of the rest of the author's body of work.
3
On The Far Side, Humanity Was The Most Dangerous Game AND The Deadliest Predator
First Published: February 21, 1990
The Far Side's depiction of the perennial "man vs. nature" conflict featured a constant back-and-forth battle for supremacy, with animals often giving humans their comeuppance for their mistreatment of nature, while at other times humanity prevailed. This comic is an example of the latter case, in which a poor duck "fighting insomnia" by going to its kitchen "for a midnight snack" is ambushed and shot by a camouflaged hunter.
Gary Larson's humor is never what it seems, so it makes sense that The Far Side is full of disguises and camouflage designed to fool the naked eye.
"Unfortunately, he never saw the duck blind," the caption explained, as readers recognize the barrel of a shotgun sticking out of an out-of-place patch of tall grass in the shadowy corner of the duck's living room. It is a metaphorically potent depiction of humankind's transgressions against nature, but it is also an overtly funny gag, making this among the most truly nuanced Far Side panel.
2
In The World Of The Clovers, The Four-Leafed Flower Is King
First Published: February 26, 1990
The superstition associating good luck with four-leaf clovers stems from the fact that these are much rarer than the three-leaf variant – yet this Far Side comic turns that upside down in order to achieve its punchline, by depicting a world of anthropomorphized four-leaf clovers, in which a three-leaf clover sits on a street corner with a "down on my luck" sign, begging for help.
The initial appeal of the joke comes from its premise, the visual representation of four-leaf clovers walking around in humanoid form, with the "down on my luck" bit adding a wry level of comedic irony to the panel. It stands out as the kind of Far Side panel in which readers can almost feel Gary Larson's "aha" moment, that flash of inspiration when the punchline came to him.
1
Mad Scientists & Amateur Inventors Were Near & Dear To Far Side Creator Gary Larson's Heart
First Published: February 28, 1990
The Far Side featured more than its share of wild, unexpected inventions, which often seemingly reflected Gary Larson's conception of his own work, and his own idiosyncratic creative process. This is one strange, but notable example, in which a deer shines two high beams attached to a car battery in the eyes of his startled house guests, as his wife tells him "I'm sure the Jeffersons are quite amazed at your car headlight device."
It is a seemingly innocuous joke, one that is accentuated by the look of surprise Gary Larson draws in the eyes of the "Jeffersons," which fulfils the promise of the panel's core "deer in the headlights" premise. As with most of The Far Side's amateur inventors, "Frank" the deer is not appreciated for his creation, in the same way that, despite the success of his work, Gary Larson may have felt undervalued in his time.
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.
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