In one way or another, each of these Far Side comics embodies the spirit of American conspiratorial culture. From jokes about mind control, to references to the JFK assassination, and more, Gary Larson captured the feeling of questioning the "truth" and doubting observable reality with many of his cartoons – one of the many ways that The Far Side is as relevant today as it ever was, if not moreso.

In a way, all of Larson's work was about looking at things from a different perspective, yet certain comics, in particular, scream "conspiracy theory." It is worth scrutinizing these in more detail, interrogating them in an attempt to get at a deeper meaning, if for no other reason than the ranks of conspiracy theorists are more swollen now than thirty years ago.

That is, these Far Side comics capture the aura of a specific era in conspiracy theory history, preserving it in amber so contemporary readers can look back on how things have changed, and how they've stayed the same.

8 Gary Larson Spoofs Mind Control In This Laugh-Out-Loud Far Side Comic

First Published: July 8, 1994

Readers familiar with as he was of actual science, and conspiracy theory enthusiasts know there is a clear line between sci-fi concepts and a certain strain of conspiratorial beliefs. So, though Larson is making a sci-fi reference here, a featuring mind control in action will certainly resonate with the conspiracy camp.

Captioned "scene from Dog Invaders From Mars," a neighborhood boy is puppeteered by two trenchcoat-wearing extraterrestrial dogs, forced to go up to the front door of "Mrs. Nebbit" and ask to play with her cat. It is a classic Far Side joke, made particularly funny by the framing and composition of the , and the stilted speech of the brainwashed kid. Like many Far Side comics, there is a hint of discomfort under the surface of the comedy, as the idea of the loss of agency through mind control is particularly unsettling, which is why it has become such a potent component of many conspiracy theories.

7 Conspiracy Theorists Won't Be Happy To Find The Far Side Endorsing The "Lone Gunman" Theory

First Published: February 5, 1993

Conspiracy theories have been a thing since antiquity – in fact, in a sense, they thrived in ancient times; yet modern conspiracy culture is said by many to have been born with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The JFK assassination remains one of the most voraciously debated possible conspiracies in American culture to this day, a discourse that is broadly divided between ers of the idea of a conspiracy vs. ers of the official narrative that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

The punchline of this Far Side cartoon is rooted in the "lone gunman theory," as it depicts a storefront window for "Hank's Hi-Powered Rifles," out front of which a man sits by a small stand, labeled "Ted's Maps of Tall, Unoccupied Buildings." The lack of caption is a deliberate decision by Gary Larson, which in this case makes it seem as though he is stirring the pot, reigniting the JFK debate in households across America as people interpreted the comic differently.

6 The Far Side Confirms That Yes, They Are Out To Get You – Whoever They Are

First Published: October 1, 1992

This is another captionless Far Side cartoon, though the illustration contains a pseudo-caption, in the form of a banner reading "National Convention Of People Who Follow Paranoiacs" hanging above a crowded convention floor, packed with people, and full of booths offering everything that spies, voyeurs, and private investigators could need for their shady, possibly nefarious purposes. What makes this particularly funny is Larson's expert execution of his premise, but what makes it stand out to the conspiracy-minded is the premise itself.

The joke here, of course, is that the fear of being followed is a common symptom of paranoid thinking – but in the world of The Far Side, it seems that clandestine tailing of so-called "paranoiacs" is actually quite common, to the point where they have a "national conference" just like any industry would. This evokes the secretive, or shadowy organizations and activities that populate many conspiracy theories, something that is certain to grab theorists' attention.

5 The Far Side Hits Too Close To Home With This Joke About Alien News Broadcasters

First Published: November 11, 1991

On the surface, this Far Side cartoon reads like a silly mix between Gary Larson's wry observational humor and a classic science-fiction premise – yet for those conspiracy theorists who believe the news media is a coordinated disinformation campaign, whether controlled by aliens or a shadowy cabal of human elites, this will hit a nerve. Captioned "why we see news anchorpersons only from the waist up," the comic reveals the answer to be that they are aliens, with their leader gloating that they "now control a prime source of their information."

Funny as this Far Side punchline is, it is also likely to resonate with readers on a more significantly level now more than ever, as distrust of news sources – especially those that were, for a long time, considered mainstream, or the standard in journalism – has become an endemic part of contemporary culture, causing trouble for people all across the political spectrum.

4 The Far Side's Bermuda Triangle Joke Is Deeper Than You Think

First Published: October 22, 1991

This Far Side cartoon about musicians, captioned "three more careers are claimed by the Bermuda Triangle of Jazz," features a hilariously goofy illustration in which three practicing musicians are attacked by their instruments, becoming entangled by their upright basses and whacked on the head by the piano. Gary Larson's direct reference to the "Bermuda Triangle" conspiracy theory is one thing, but for those readers who are willing to dig deeper, to read between the lines, there is also a potent commentary on a familiar trope in conspiracy thinking: loss of agency.

That is, the idea that these musicians could have achieved success, had it not been for the intrusion of an outside force into their lives, or their stumbling into a territory that somehow warped their destinies, is low-key a notable allusion to the interruption or alteration of fate. Or, to put it more bluntly – many conspiracy theories involve external forces ruining people's lives, and this Far Side comic fascinatingly captures that.

3 Sometimes Bringing Up Conspiracy Theories In The Harsh Light Of Day Isn't The Best Idea

First Published: July 17, 1988

In this hilarious Far Side vampire cartoon, a man on a city street corner cries out that "vampires are everywhere," frantically trying to warn ersby on the street – yet crucially failing to look to his left, as two men carrying a large mirror capture his reflection alone, revealing the crowd of people around him to actually all be vampires themselves.

In addition to riffing on the "man on a soapbox" trope, this comic seems deliberately ambiguous in that it is unclear whether this scene is happening at night, or during the day. If it were the latter, it would be at odds with usual vampire lore, but the man would be justified in not expecting them to be out and about. If it is taking place at night, his desperation has made him careless, a potentially fatal flaw for anyone loudly revealing a tightly maintained conspiracy.

2 This Far Side Conspiracy Theory Reference Is Probably Unintentional – But You Never Know

First Published: October 9, 1985

This Far Side conspiracy connection requires a bit of unpacking. "Sheep dipping" is a practice in which farmers submerge their sheep in a bath of insecticides/fungicides; however, the term was also appropriated by the U.S. military and intelligence community, who use it to a member who has officially "retired" but remains covertly active – and so naturally, in conjunction, it has become a common term in conspiracy theorist circles as well.

Larson's comic, in which wolves at a party dunk whole sheep in "Carol's sheep dip," is a classic Far Side bit of wordplay, and it is without question a reference to the agricultural definition of the term. That said, conspiracy theorists are – by nature and by practice – in the habit of looking for esoteric clues, and ascribing meaning and purpose where others might see coincidence or randomness. Which is to say, the eyes of a conspiracy theorist who clocks Larson's use of the term might read more into it than there actually is to be deciphered; of course, such is the nature of the conspiracy theory mindset.

1 The Far Side Confirms Readers Suspicions: The World Around Them Is Not What It Seems

First Published: June 13, 1985

This Far Side comic won't with most people as anything more than a superfluous joke, but for a certain subset of readers, it will parallel their beliefs that observable reality is untrustworthy, if not outright fabricated – which, unintentional though it might be, makes this the perfect illustration of how Gary Larson encapsulated conspiratorial thinking. While the punchline will be amusing for most, and no more, for a few, it will be supercharged with significance, pointing toward a greater understanding of life, the universe, and everything.

In the cartoon, a pair of sightseers on a road trip stop to look at a beautiful western terrain at twilight, the sky turning deep red and orange, beautifully reflecting on the majestic rock formations in the valley below – except the bottom of the landscape ripples and lifts, as a broom emerges from behind it, sweeping up some debris, and shattering the illusion of nature's brilliance. For conspiracy theorists, this is exactly the kind of moment they are all waiting for, the point at which some deeper truth, whether metaphysical, or extraterrestrial, or bureaucratic, is revealed to them, something that is brillaintly captured by this Far Side comic.