Many of elevated puns to entirely new levels, and took familiar turns of phrase entirely too literally, resulting in some of the most timelessly funny s produced throughout the cartoon's run.
Of all the words used to describe o "sick," in the words of one irate reader – one that doesn't come up enough is "clever."
The Far Side is, if nothing else, the product of an incredibly clever and quick-witted mind – at times, too much for his own good, and certainly for his readers' to be able to keep up with. Arguably, Larson's mastery of wordplay was when his cleverness was accessible to the widest possible audience.
10 The Far Side Made A Hilarious Habit Of Misinterpretation
First Published: July 2, 1980
This represents an early example of a recurring Far Side riff – playing on characters' misunderstandings and misinterpretations, to great comedic effect. Here, that manifests in the form of a linguistic joke; out looking for the Fountain of Youth, two conquistadors instead stumble upon "Yuth's Fountain & Snack Bar," with one remarking to the other that he's "gonna wring [Ponce] de Leon's neck" for sending them on a fool's errand.
The Far Side Nearly Ended Before It Began and Here's Why
Given the obstacles The Far Side faced before it reached publication, fans of Gary Larson's work should be grateful the comic ran as long as it did.
Here, Gary Larson skillfully plays on the real history of early American exploration, extrapolating a punchline from the premise of the infamous quest for immortality all stemming from a misconception. The added kicker is, of course, the anachronism of a 20th century soda fountain in the wilderness of uncharted Florida, which plays a key role in supplementing the wordplay of the comic.
9 Another Outrageous Far Side Misunderstanding Leads To An All-Time Great Punchline
First Published: July 26, 1982
This emphasizes the way a Far Side comic's caption and illustration work together to get a reaction out of readers. Once again, the premise of the joke replies on its character, in this case Robin Hood, mishearing something – hilariously, "until his life's destiny was clarified," the caption tells us, "Robin Hood spent several years stealing from the rich and giving to the porcupines."
While the absurdity of this joke originates from its premise, it is the drawing of a shifty-eyed Robin Hood handing a sack of coins to a couple of confused-looking porcupines which takes this from an amusing twist on a phrase most readers will recognize and makes it laugh-out-loud funny. The Far Side was always "subversive" in the sense that it tweaked the familiar to get a rise out of readers, and this linguistic joke is a great example of that.
8 A Play On Words So Simple, All Gary Larson Needed To Do Was Let It Speak For Itself
First Published: May 25, 1982
Captioned "early man," this Far Side comic features a Neanderthal who is the first to arrive for a dinner party, showing up at the host's door, present in hand, before anyone else. One of The Far Side's most straightforward jokes, this represents Gary Larson's innate ability to embody the literal form of an idea in a comedic way.
That is to say, the character here is both "early man," as in a prehistoric human, and the early man to the gathering, and that double meaning is the source of the 's humor, something the majority of readers should have no trouble picking up on right away. At times, Far Side captions could be too terse, too esoteric for readers, but this one is pitch-perfect; to elaborate any further would have actually risked making the joke less impactful.
7 The Possibilities Of Gary Larson's Were Only Limited By His Inventiveness With Language
First Published: November 18, 1987
Again, this Far Side is strange, but simple. Captioned "fruitcases," the illustration depicts exactly that, a sequence of pieces of luggage that are made out of different types of fruit. This is an example of Gary Larson going the distance with an absurd linguistic "What if?"; here, he literally poses the question, "what if suitcases were made out of fruit?"
How The Far Side's Gary Larson REALLY Felt About the Banjo, Explained (the Truth Is Simple, But Hilarious)
Gary Larson's legendary cartoon The Far Side took multiple jabs at banjo players, but how did the artist really feel about the instrument?
Instead of a ludicrous ing thought, however, Larson illustrates this flight of fancy. This highlights the fact that, in many ways, The Far Side was only limited by its creator's dexterity with words and phrases. The art of The Far Side could always fit Gary Larson's ideas; as long as he could find the right words to express that idea, and play with them to his satisfaction, it could become a cartoon.
6 Gary Larson's Most Over-The-Top Cartoons Often Stemmed From Plays On Words
First Published: September 26, 1988
This ambitious Far Side cartoon pairs a simple caption with extended dialogue from its two characters, a pair of "sucker fish at home" who both remark on the excessive amounts of money they have been hoodwinked out of in just the past few days. Again, the joke relies on a double meaning; the couple are both literal sucker fish, and figurative "suckers," who can't stop overpaying for things.
The dialogue here pushes this funny pun into absurd territory, highlighting how Gary Larson's wordplay wasn't always the endpoint of a punchline, but rather the starting point for an absurd scenario. Often, Larson's wildest Far Side ideas started with an idiosyncratic twist on a word, a phrase, or an idea, as this cartoon exemplifies, through the way it layers multiple meanings to hilarious effect.
5 Many Successful Far Side Cartoons Riffed On Iconography From Familiar Pop Culture
First Published: December 19, 1990
"Say, Anthony, this looks like a pleasant little place," a worm wife says to her husband, as they drive up to the "Bait Motel," an overt reference to the "Bates Motel" from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Psycho over the years, but this is perhaps the funniest, as a result of both its wordplay, and its faithful recreation of imagery from the film.
Hilariously, the cartoon directly evokes the setting of Hitchcock's film – with the important, and hilarious, added detail of the silhouette of Norman Bates' mother in the window holding a fishing rod. For any reader familiar with the movie, Larson's linguistic twist forges an immediate connection, while his use of worms as protagonists is classic Far Side.
4 Gary Larson Challenges The Classic Assumption About Old Dogs
First Published: June 3, 1992
In this memorable Far Side dog , a "hushed crowd" watches as a canine named "Rex" attempts to unicycle across a high wire, while hula-hooping, juggling, carrying a cat in his mouth, and balancing a vase on his head, all at once. Aside from the degree of laugh-out-loud detail to this , the humor naturally stems from the caption's climax, which notes that Rex "couldn't shake one nagging thought," that "he was an old dog, and this was a new trick."
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.
Readers wouldn't be wrong in suspecting that the traditional message of the phrase, that old dogs cannot learn new tricks, portents catastrophic failure for Rex's stunt, but that is the genius of Gary Larson's decision to set his joke in the middle of the attempt. It isn't about whether Rex succeeds or fails; rather the comedy comes from the canine acknowledging the trope itself.
3 It's All Fun For These Far Side Cowboys Until Somebody Gets Shot
First Published: January 7, 1993
Cowboys were a Far Side staple, and this comic illustrates what made Gary Larson's warped take on the Wild West so funny, while also illustrating his ability to come up with unconventional alternative meanings for familiar sayings. In the , two cowboys stack six-shooters on a saloon table, until the sheriff barges in and reminds them there's "no gunplay in this town."
Readers familiar with Wild West tropes will recognize this scenario as a staple of the genre – except delightfully reinterpreted according to Larson's imagination, with "gunplay" being overly-literalized, with an emphasis on play. While there may seemingly be no harm to this activity on the surface, it is worth ing that the guns of this era were anything but reliable or easy to handle.
2 Gary Larson Gives A Piece Of Jazz Terminology A Totally Unexpected Meaning
First Published: July 21, 1994
Gary Larson was a jazz musician, and he slyly incorporated jazz references and terminology into a number of cartoons throughout the years. Here, that results in an amusing play on words, in which the term "walking bass line" takes on a whole new tenor. "Hey Leon!" a trumpet player says during a break in band practice, pointing out the window at a stand-up bass that has grown legs and is currently hustling away down the street, "your bass sure is walking now!"
Again, this is an example of Larson's ability to take something too-literally on purpose, in order to arrive at unpredictable punchlines. Of course, as funny as the wordplay here is, the funniest part of this Far Side cartoon is the look on Leon's face, as he begins to process his instrument's sudden departure while mid-bite of a sandwich.
1 The Far Side's Success Was More Than Just A Matter Of Luck
First Published: August 19, 1994
"I'm just a lucky skunk, Bernard," a skunk tells its rabbit friend, sitting back in a luxurious arm-chair, in a lushly decorated den, and smoking a pipe. "I make no claims about my success," the skunk says, adding "I never worked hard, I never went to school...and I'm not particularly bright," as it completely disavows any responsibility for its achievements.
10 More Far Side Comics That Will Keep You Laughing Long After You Read Them (Including Some Of Gary Larson's Best Wordplay)
These Far Side comics by Gary Larson are a testament to his style of humor as they still earn plenty of laughter decades after their publication.
It is always fascinating to consider how an elaborate scenario like this could spring to life in Gary Larson's mind from a simple turn of phrase. Moreover, it is a reminder that, unlike the skunk in this cartoon's lavish lifestyle, the success of The Far Side was not a fluke, but was the product of a mix of hard work, and Larson's singular talent.
- 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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