The Hilarious Way Far Side's Confusing Humor Came Back To Haunt Gary Larson

The Far Side creator Gary Larson once revealed the way that his notoriety for writing confounding comics came back to haunt him, years after he stepped away from his cartooning desk. As the artist explained, a routine encounter with a repairman resulted in him belatedly receiving comeuppance for his frequently confusing brand of humor.

In The Complete Far Side Volume Two, Larson retrospectively reflected on his reign as "The Great Confuser" of American newspaper comic strips. To illustrate how this reputation had followed him even into retirement, he shared an anecdote about an electrician working on his home, who overwhelmed him with jargon, as "payback" for so many years of confusing Far Side panels.

Delivered with his signature style, Larson's story about the electrician exacting retribution for readers everywhere perfectly encapsulates his legacy in the vein of The Far Side.

The Time A Secret Far Side Reader Got Gary Larson Back For Years Of Confusion

"Consider It Payback"

According to Gary Larson, turnabout is fair play, as he revealed in his story about an electrical repairman who left him scratching his head, asking "What-the?" – just like he did with readers on a near-daily basis for fifteen years with The Far Side. Here is how Larson recounted the interaction:

One afternoon not long ago, a repair guy was at our house, trying to fix a problem with our electrical system. He tracked me down in the kitchen and started to explain to me in technical jargon what was wrong. I didn't have a clue what he was talking about, and at the end of his discourse I just looked at him and said, "Sorry, I'm confused." I didn't think he knew anything about me, but he suddenly narrowed his eyes and replied in an even tone, "Just consider it payback."

Fair enough.

Larson included this story in The Complete Far Side Volume Two as a final note on the matter of his habit of making jokes that were, in his own words, "confusing, obtuse, esoteric, and strange." Playfully, he owned up to the fact that this had become his enduring legacy.

Like the best Far Side panels, Larson's story works on a few different levels. One can read the electrician as having intentionally overwhelmed the retired artist with jargon, in order to give him a taste of how it felt to be one of his readers. Alternatively, the man can be read as a professional, who wasn't going to intrude on Larson's private life, but couldn't resist revealing his feelings about The Far Side when the opportunity arose. In any case, for a creator who was often shy around his audience, this is a particularly amusing exchange.

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's "Electrician" Story Represents His Relationship With The Audience

A One-Sided Conversation

In a way, The Far Side was like a give-and-take between Gary Larson and each individual reader – except it was an uneven exchange, because the vast majority of the comic's readers never got a chance to respond to the artist directly. In his "electrician" anecdote, one of those readers got the chance to do so, and made the most of it. Whether the repairman was a fan, or a critic of The Far Side, Larson skillfully obscures in his telling, because ultimately, the man in the story represents both.

Above all, of course, the story is another example of Larson's trademark wit, and his ability to captivate in short, simple bursts. The exchange need not even necessarily be true to be meaningful, as in the end, it is a valuable summation of the relationship between The Far Side's creator and his audience: largely disconnected from one another, with occasional interactions that illuminate the idiosyncratic nature of Gary Larson as a person, which lead to the delightfully confusing style of The Far Side.

The Far Side

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.