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Despite its commercial success, The Far Side was divisive in its time – and it continues to split successive generations of readers into opposing camps, those who find it funny, and those who don't. This list is for those in the latter category, who might not "get" Gary Larson's sense of humor, but are at least open to the idea of being converted to the pro-Far Side side of the aisle.
The Far Side encompasses a diverse set of reactions, from confusion, to outrage, to outright fan-worship of Larson, who is widely considered one of the GOATs of the newspaper comic medium, alongside contemporaries like Peanuts' Charles Schulz and Garfield creator Jim Davis.
For anyone who is unsure exactly why Gary Larson is considered a titan of cartoons, alongside these other greats, this deep dive while hopefully help foster a greater appreciation of The Far Side's unparalleled style and wit – and in the process, will hopefully win the strip a few new fans.
10 The Far Side's Bedside Manner Wasn't Always Gentle – And That Is Part Of The Appeal
First Published: January 21, 1991
"I'm afraid it's bad news, Mr. Griswold," a poultry doctor tells his patient in this memorable Far Side chicken cartoon, "the lab results indicate your body cavity is stuff with a tasty, breadlike substance" – as Mr. Griswold, a bird that has clearly been stuffed, takes the diagnosis in stride.
This cartoon encapsulates artist Gary Larson's ability to fully realize even the most oddball situations, from the improbable, to the unexpected. The caption and the image of this comic work together to deliver a clear, effective punchline, while still leaving a dimension of the joke for readers to supply themselves, in the way the panel lampoons doctors' use of technical medical terminology when dealing with the average patient, here hilariously substituted with language straight out of a cookbook.
First Published: July 18, 1988
This Far Side panel doesn't need a caption, because the visual delivers the punchline effectively without one. In the illustration, a prehistoric man puts the finishing touches on the first wheel – as nearby, an entrepreneurial caveman chisels the first parking meter.
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It is a straightforward joke, one that should easily connect with most readers, and get a chuckle out of even the most stone-faced critic of Gary Larson's. It is also a great example of Larson's ability to embed social critique into his humor, even if this was a byproduct of his creative process, rather than an end goal. With this Far Side, the artist seems to clearly say that wherever there is human innovation, there is someone who will move just as quickly to capitalize on it.
8 The Far Side Was Able To Get Big Laughs Out Of Simple Twists Of Fate
First Published: April 19, 1988
Gary Larson frequently used the "lost at sea" trope to great effect, and if this panel does not strike a chord with Far Side skeptics, few will. Here, a man adrift on the open ocean – though inexplicably possessing a working television, an absurd note that is, to fans, part of the joke's charm – learns that his "A-1" raft may very well be defective, suggesting that his days are numbered.
This is an example of a Far Side joke that dances along the border between comedic and dramatic irony in order to make an impact on readers. There is an element of absurdity to the premise, while the punchline carries a note of tragedy; these layered aspects make this panel, like most Far Side cartoons, more nuanced than detractors might give it credit for.
7 The Far Side's Operating Ethos Was: "To Err Is Human"
First Published: November 9, 1987
"Through some unfortunate celestial error," the caption to this Far Side joke explains, "Ernie is sent to hog heaven," with the human character in question sporting a halo and wings, standing on a cloud among a crowd of pigs. There is a lot to love about this joke; it is a particular kind of Larsonian play on words, which involves taking a familiar concept or phrase entirely too literally, which proved to have potent comedic power time and again over the years.
Further, there is something abjectly funny about the idea of this man, Ernie, achieving the ultimate metaphysical reward at the end of his life – only to be sent to the wrong afterlife by a quirk of cosmic bureaucracy. Most readers will feel a slight pang of sympathy, while belly-laughing at the overall screwball tone of the joke.
6 The Far Side Evens The Playing Field Between Two Perennial Adversaries
First Published: May 20, 1987
A running gag throughout The Far Side was Gary Larson's depiction of the endless "man vs. nature" conflict, particularly as it was embodied by human hunters, and their animal prey. Over the years, each side managed to get the upper-hand – or hoof, or claw – on the other, but what makes this cartoon so memorable is the unique way that it depicts the two sides coming together to duke it out fair-and squire.
The Far Side Complete Collection
$71 $125 Save $54
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.
Hilariously, it does this by having a hunter throw his gun to the ground, while his deer adversary tosses aside its antlers – as the caption notes that "they decided they would settle this the old-fashioned way." This comic highlights the clash of the real and surreal that made The Far Side famous, with the reader caught in the dissonance between the two and left to sort it out for themselves.
5 The Far Side's Humor Was More "Brainy" Than It Gets Credit For
First Published: September 19, 1985
Igor, the assistant to mad scientist Doctor Frankenstein, was a favorite subject of Gary Larson's, and his appearances often resulted in some of The Far Side's funniest panels. Here, Larson depicts Igor strolling down the street, past a variety of shops selling brains – which, in the artist's interpretation of Frankenstein lore, the assistant is most routinely tasked with acquiring.
Whether its jokes were silly or deadly serious, The Far Side was more of an intellectual exercise than many readers readily give it credit for. This is because, by design, Gary Larson sought to elicit an emotional reaction from his readers – whether it was a laugh, or a shout of dismay. Still, the underlying motivation of the comics, from their concept to their execution, was smarter and more deliberate than it might seem at first glance.
4 The Far Side Trains Its Readers The More They Read – If They Have The Patience For It
First Published: July 20, 1985
This Far Side cartoon, depicting a man trying to train his dog to balance a treat on its nose, while the dog thinks "this is it, I'm going to kill him," is certainly surface-level funny, but what hopefully will instill a greater appreciation for Gary Larson's humor in some readers is the way that it slyly reflects their relationship with the artist.
That is, even on a subconscious level, The Far Side trains its readers to understand its humor; meaning that the more one reads The Far Side, the more intuitively one will pick up on what Gary Larson is putting down. However, this requires a kind of "buy in" from the reader – those who are resistant, or downright annoyed, like the dog in this comic, won't have the same relationship with the artist's work as those who invest time and effort in understanding it, and therefore won't have the same experience.
3 The Far Side's Mix Of "Dark," "Absurd," And "Silly" Humor Was Its Recipe For Success
First Published: January 12, 1985
This captionless Far Side cartoon embodies the complex spirit of Gary Larson's humor; it is blatantly ridiculous, while also containing the seed of something sinister, with these disparate aspects once again leaving the reader in an uncertain state. While this is part of the enjoyment of reading The Far Side for some, it keeps others from fully digesting the punchline – a risk its creator was regularly willing to take.
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Here, a hen labors over a homemade cake in the kitchen – surreptitiously side-eying her own clutch of eggs in the adjacent room, as she realizes the one ingredient from the recipe on the back of the box that she is missing; the joke is obvious, and immediate, but the darkness of it might belatedly hit the reader, adding to its memorable quality.
2 The Far Side Was More Complex Than It Gets Credit For – But It Didn't Always Have To Be
First Published: March 26, 1983
For someone to not at least crack a smile at this Far Side cartoon, they have to be truly committed to their opposite to Gary Larson's style and mode of humor. Here, Larson illustrates one of his most beautifully simplistic plays on words; as one of The Far Side's many endangered ACME door-to-door salespeople approaches a house, he is greeted by a "Beware of Doug" sign on the fence, as a poorly-hidden man, presumably Doug, hides behind a tree in the front yard.
This is the kind of joke that arguably anyone could come up with, but Larson turns it into a fully-envisioned scene, to great effect. While the nuances of many Far Side comics tend to go unheralded, and underappreciated, this exemplifies the opposite: the fact that many of the comic's most underrated installments were straightforward, and simple.
1 The Far Side Was All Over The Place, But It Wasn't "Random"
First Published: April 27, 1981
The Far Side constitutes a wide range of styles, and a variety of themes – all reflecting creator Gary Larson's diverse set of interests. The strip's sense of humor, on a day-to-day basis, can be described as eclectic, but it was never actually arbitrary or "random." That is, there was always a root in some cogent observation about humanity or society underlying even Larson's most absurd jokes.
Case in point, this panel, in which a farmer solemnly carries a chicken to a stump, in order to slaughter it – as its fellow hens look on, with one remarking that "when it's my turn, I just hope I go quietly...you know, without a lot of running around." With this punchline, Gary Larson takes the familiar "chicken with its head cut off" trope and turns it into an actually poignant reflection on facing death with dignity. For anyone on the fence about The Far Side, this comic should serve to help them re-evaluate everything that Gary Larson's magnum opus has to offer.
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.
English (US) ·