Gary Larson's best jokes captured a single moment in time, and as an artist, Larson was always comfortable leaving his readers with questions.
As often as derived from asking "What if?", it also had them wondering "What happens next?"
Of course, this uncertainty was part of the humor of these s – but just as the greatest cliffhangers in film and TV history continue to provoke speculation about characters' fates, Larson's work at times holds a similar quality. This lack of dramatic resolution, so to speak, also made The Far Side's humor especially unique among its contemporaries in the comic medium.
10 Gary Larson Knew How To Push Readers' Buttons With The Far Side (What Does The Big Button Do?)
First Published: February 19, 1988
"One day," the caption to this Far Side cartoon reads, "Irwin knew he was just going to have to push that big button," as the character in question glowers in the bottom right corner of the frame, with the massive button taunting him from a giant control over his coworkers' heads.
What makes this Far Side joke funny is that the button is more than just a mystery to readers, but to the character of Irwin himself, who is being steadily driven mad by this giant unknown in his workplace. As Irwin fights the compulsion to push the button, just to know what it does, readers will similarly find themselves haunted by the lack of resolution in this Far Side .
9 Some Far Side Cartoons Left Readers With A Sinking Feeling (What Is The TV Plugged Into?)
First Published: April 19, 1988
One of Gary Larson's favorite tropes was the "lost at sea" comic, which provide some of the best examples of his ability to capture solitary moments in time with The Far Side. In this , a man on an A-1 life raft watches a television news report about the "A-1 Raft Co." acknowledging that it was "recalling 50,000 of its small rubber boats" because they "lose air and gradually sink over a matter of a few days."
Gary Larson's Breakdown of 1 Far Side Joke Explains So Much About His Sense of Humor
Known for leaving readers confused, Far Side creator Gary Larson explained a typical "obscure" punchline, revealing the inner workings of his humor.
Aside from the absurdity of the life raft having a television, this Far Side comic is interesting because it offers its shipwreck survivor a faint glimmer of hope. While many Far Side characters were unequivocally doomed, the possibility remains for this man that his raft is not one of the defective ones – though given the nature of Gary Larson's humor, readers shouldn't necessarily hold their breath for a positive outcome.
8 A Classic Far Side Chicken Revenge Strip (What Happened To Fifi?)
First Published: May 30, 1990
In this delirious, darkly funny Far Side cartoon, a chicken removes its dog costume, revealing itself to a horrified family at dinner time by saying, "I'm the chicken you thought you fixed for dinner," before asking "would you like to know where your little Fifi is?" and laughing maniacally. Animals often turned the tables on humans throughout The Far Side, but this is without a doubt one of the most gruesome instances.
The implication here is that the family are eating their pet dog, and that the chicken has pulled off a tragic switcheroo. As disturbing as this is, Larson depicts the moment just before the dawning realization of what they're actually eating hits the human characters – leaving it to readers to imagine what comes next as the realization actually hits.
7 The Far Side Depicts The Dark Side Of Family Vacations (Can The Kids Behave Themselves?)
First Published: January 25, 1991
Gary Larson made more than one joke about lemmings – and their infamous habit of running off cliffs – during The Far Side's run, but this is perhaps the most emotionally charged, because it channels very-real fatherly anger, which can quickly ruin a family's vacation.
"I told you kids to knock it off back there," the lemming dad rages in this , "or so help me I'll just take this car and drive it off the first cliff I come to." The use of lemmings, essentially, gives readers the permission they need to laugh at this very dark joke; just as many Far Side fans, however, will be left wondering about the liklihood of the lemming kids behaving to their father's satisfaction for the rest of the trip, in order to prevent diaster.
6 The Far Side Reveals Clowns' One Natural Predator (Is The Bear Going To Notice?)
First Published: September 11, 1991
Gary Larson was notorious for his love of clowns, as well as the dexterity with which he used them in various Far Side punchlines. This stand-out example is notable for its composition as much as for the uncertainty it leaves readers with, as it depicts "the arctic clown" attempting to evade a polar bear by burying itself in the snow, "betrayed only by its nose" sticking above the surface, like a beacon leading predators right to it.
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Visually, this is engaging because of the stark white landscape it depicts, with the red clown nose in the foreground the sole dash of color. Naturally, readers will be left dying to know whether the polar bear spotted the nose, or whether this "arctic clown" survived to goof around another day.
5 Stumpy Settles His Business Like A Real One...By Playing Table Tennis (Who Wins?)
First Published: October 29, 1991
In this Old West Far Side , a frontier town gathers to watch a duel – as two cowboys step up to the ping pong table and settle their differences in a sportsman-like way. "Stumpy didn't know how he got in this situation," the caption amusingly explains, "but with the whole town watching, he knew he'd have to play it out."
In typical Far Side style, this cartoon finds its humor in a peak moment of tension; the lack of resolution to this moment is part of what makes it so effective. By design, there is no winner or loser – though interestingly, Gary Larson revisited this premise years later in a similar , which instead featured the aftermath of an Old West ping pong game, though not the same one.
4 The Far Side Presents A Sort Of Ethical Quandry (Should Sid Jump?)
First Published: July 23, 1992
"Go ahead and jump Sid!" a man at the reigns of an out-of-control horse and buggy tells his bunny copilot as they careen helplessly toward the edge of a cliff, with only seconds to spare. "Hell, I know you're thinkin' it!" Hilariously, the rabbit is depicted with a look of horror on his face – as is the helpless enger inside the carriage, leaving readers to debate whether Sid should, in fact, leap to safety or not.
This uncertainty gives this Far Side cartoon a certain weight, in spite of how silly it is. Most readers will agree that Sid the rabbit should save himself if he can, but it is still an ethically uneasy situation, given how the human characters – and the horses – have little to no chance of survival once they go over the cliff
3 Gary Larson Reminds Readers Never To Play Around With An Electric Fence (Is This The Far Side's Cruelest Farmer?)
First Published: February 24, 1993
In this bleak Far Side cartoon, one of Gary Larson's ubiquitous cows hoists itself up on the farm's fence, in a bid to impress its friends, saying, "look, if it was electric, could I do this?" – as inside, watching through the window, the farmer reaches to flip the switch to activate the fence.
The Far Side often played with tension between farmers and farm animals, but this is perhaps the most outright cruel farmer Gary Larson ever depicted, as it can be inferred that he is going to relish watching the cow be cooked by the fence when it turns on. Though readers have a good sense of what is about to happen, the way Larson leaves this moment in media res will stick with fans.
2 A Tense Moment On The Train To The Far Side Of Town (Is This Llama Trying To Start Trouble?)
First Published: March 2, 1993
"I ain't gonna tell you again," an angry, muscular man shouts in the middle of a crowded subway car, wiping spittle from his face, pointing at a man sitting across from him, and saying, "quit spittin' on me" – though he seemingly doesn't realize that it is actually the llama sitting next to the man that is the culprit.
The Far Side Complete Collection
Fans of the far side can't 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.
This Far Side cartoon is lush with detail, but particularly amusing are the fact that the llama is drawn wearing a suit, and reading a newspaper that seemingly says "Llama news." At the same time, the llama's intentions, and what happens next, are left deliberately ambiguous, for fans of Gary Larson's work to debate ad nauseum.
1 It Wasn't A Far Side Party Until The Claws Came Out (Why Would He Open The Cage?)
First Published: May 27, 1994
"The party was going along splendidly," the caption of this Far Side comic notes, featuring a group of people mingling in a living room, as one of them edges near a cage full of snarling wild animals, "and then Morty opened the door to the wolverine display."
Understandably, this comic will have readers asking "What the?" as just the first of many question; to cite just a few, readers will be dying to know whether this is Morty's party, and if these are Morty's wolverines, and whether they are or not, why he would think it was a good idea to let them loose during the party. This strange, hilarious Far Side will flummox readers, but that is part of what makes it representative of Gary Larson's comedy.
- Writer
- Gary Larson
- Colorist
- Gary Larson
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.
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