The 10 Funniest Far Side Comics from Gary Larson's Final Month (That Just Turned 30)

Gary Larson's comic The Far Side ran from 1980 to 1994, meaning that comics from the series' final month just turned 30. Among Larson's final month are some genius comic strips including aliens, clowns and Noah's arc. We're running through the 10 best comics from the final full month of Far Side's syndication.

10 Alien Gag Gun

Far Side's December 13 Comic from 1994

Aliens appear throughout The Far Side, with Larson always giving his extraterrestial visitors a new design. Despite always looking different, Larson's aliens tend to share a mischievous attitude to humanity, treating us more like funny animals than equals. That's the case in the strip above, where two aliens use a prank gun to freak out a picnicking couple. Of course, while Earth guns go 'BANG!', alien lasers make their own noise, leading to a unique 'flag' that's unleashed instead of deadly beams. Check out some of Larson's alien comics by opening the image gallery below.

Larson draws the alien visitors laughing their heads off, to the point that it's hard not to get in on the joke. Adding to the hilarity is the suggestion that the trio of aliens came to Earth just to pull this goofy prank, with their spaceship still parked nearby. While there are plenty of Far Side comics about aliens, Larson particularly liked joking about first contact, turning a totally unpredictable, potentially momentous occasion into something far more surreal.

9 Should I?...

Far Side's December 6 Comic from 1994

The Far Side is characterized by a dark sense of humor, but some of Larson's strips go so dark, they'd actually make for compelling horror stories. In this case, two workers constructing a high-rise enjoy lunch, with one gradually revealing that he feels the near-uncontrollable urge to push someone to their death. Larson increases the creep factor by having the potential victim trapped between his dangerous co-worker and a lethal drop.

8 Reserved

Far Side's December 22 Comic from 1994

Larson loves the theme of unfortunate hunters, so it makes sense his last month included a final comic on the subject. In this case, a hunter comes across a deer, only to find it wearing a 'reserved' sign around its neck, put there to save the animal for another hunter who'll presumably be along soon. As goofy as this system is, it's clear from the hunter's disappointment that he intends to respect the claim.

7 Futon

Far Side's December 29 Comic from 1994

Originally pitched under the title 'Nature's Way', it's only fitting that Far Side's final month would include a wild animal joke. Larson takes the normal animal behavior of gorillas building nests and adds in a 'Keeping up with the Joneses' element of competitive jealousy, with two simians seething because their neighbor managed to get ahold of a futon.

6 Motive and Opportunity

Far Side's December 21 Comic from 1994

Dogs vs cats is a tried-and-tested comedic formula, but this hound took things too far by catching its owner in the crossfire. To be fair, this is one of the only times a dog comes off worse in Larson's depiction of the canine vs feline war, with Far Side's dogs usually coming out ahead despite their severely lacking intelligence.

5 Decoy

Far Side's December 27 Comic from 1994

In another hunting comic, a duck has been winged by a hunter who lured it out using a decoy. While the bird survived, he's still afraid to go home, because that would mean explaining to his wife why he was lurking around another duck in the first place. Open the image gallery below to enjoy more of Gary Larson's duck comics.

Ducks star in some of Far Side's best ever comics, with Larson often depicting them with an inexplicable air of menace. If there's a duck in a Far Side comic, there's an even chance it's up to some kind of no good, whether tripping humans down the stairs or cornering them in an alleyway.

4 Fly Painting

Far Side's December 19 Comic from 1994

In Far Side's final comic that doesn't use any words, the fly on a painter's glasses causes him to paint a truly horrifying portrait. While Larson's love of language always shines through in his comic captions, there's something special about a Far Side gag that doesn't feel any need to explain itself. As with many of Larson's comics, part of the joke is the anticipation of chaos to come, when the painter has to show his client the finished piece.

3 Mime Rifle

Far Side's December 28 Comic from 1994

The Far Side makes it clear that Gary Larson hates two things more than any other: mimes and the accordion. In this strip, some big game hunters aren't just willing to kill a mime on sight - they brought a rifle specifically made for the task. Weirdly, this would actually be the least disturbing mime death in The Far Side.

2 Kidnapped Clown

Far Side's December 26 Comic from 1994

December 1994 might have been Far Side's last month, but Larson was still creating some all-time greats. In this strip, a group of mobsters take offense at a clown's wide smile, seemingly unaware that it's painted on and their victim is plenty scared enough already. Open the image gallery below to view more of Gary Larson's clown comics.

While Larson may hate mimes, clowns get a slightly easier time in The Far Side. They still get menaced by gangsters, shot by cowboys and hunted by polar bears, but at least sometimes they get a turn at the predator role, whether as pie-throwing street toughs or gigantic, Godzilla-style kaiju.

1 Noah

Far Side's December 30 Comic from 1994

In the best Far Side comic from December 1994, Noah uses the arc's long journey to scam a few animals as the first card sharp. Surprisingly for a Far Side comic, Larson's art emphasizes the lack of human intelligence in the animals' faces, making Noah's scam even harsher. Noah and God both appear throughout The Far Side, including a strip where Noah ends up forced to mediate one of Larson's many dog vs cat conflicts.

Those are the 10 best Far Side comics from December 1994, the strip's final month in syndication, showcasing Gary Larson's humor and the fact that even 30 years later, his comics are as funny as ever.