omitting a caption from his Far Side comics entirely. These captionless s depended on their illustration's ability to convey the joke from premise to punchline, resulting in varying degrees of success over the years.

Broadly speaking, Larson’s captionless comics can be divided into four categories: there are those Far Side comics where a caption would be superfluous, and possibly even make the joke less funny; there are the Far Side cartoons that don’t need a caption to get their joke across, but could perhaps use one to elevate the humor of the ; finally, some Far Side comics leave readers wanting more.

And of course, there are those Far Side comics that could use a caption, because without one, they leave the reader asking “What the?”

10 An Early Far Side "One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others" Comic

First Published: June 26, 1981

The reason The Far Side stood out among the crowd of syndicated newspaper comics from its earliest days was because it routinely featured characters who stood out themselves; Gary Larson loved to depict oddballs and outcasts, but also moments of strange, and often silly, incongruity. That is the case with this early Far Side cow comic, which features three cows lined up at a trough, two of them munching hay, while the one in the middle blows a bubble with bubble gum.

The joke here comes through clearly enough, and the cow on the right side-eyeing the bubble-blower is an amusing subtle detail, but many Far Side fans would agree this is a that could be even funnier with even a short-but-sweet line of Larsonian dialogue to add another layer to it.

9 Cows Make A Break For It In This Far Side Comic That Focuses On The Visual

First Published: August 14, 1981

In another early Far Side cow cartoon, a pair of bovines are depicted making their way to freedom on a moon-lit night, bying the farm's barbed-wire fence by burrowing underneath it, using cow-bells on their heads.

It is an amusing joke, and it makes sense why Gary Larson might have chosen to let the visual here speak for itself; the cartoon might evoke an initial "What the?" reaction from some Far Side readers, but again, it isn't unfair to think that it feels there is something missing here as a result of the lack of caption. More than many captionless Far Side s, this one might give off the sense of being half a joke, with that vital "words" half of the formula missing in the completion of this cartoon.

8 For Creator Gary Larson, The Far Side Was Both A Marathon And A Sprint

First Published: September 16, 1981

This Far Side cartoon relies on the reader's recognition of its Wizard of Oz reference in order to "get" its humor, as the heroic journey of Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow through the dark, ominous forest is intruded upon, and interrupted by, a marathon running down the road in their direction.

It is a simple, lighthearted Far Side gag, one that is clear enough, but once more would arguably be even funnier with the right caption. It is worth noting that, Gary Larson has noted in essays from The Complete Far Side, he operated on a tight production schedule with The Far Side, which clashed with his own natural tendency toward extensive revision, meaning some of his cartoons had to go "out the door" to his editor in an imperfect form. Whether this is an example of such or not, it is still valuable context for why some Far Side cartoons can feel less "done" than others.

7 Gary Larson's "Sequel" To One Of His Earliest Comics Could Use More Context

First Published: September 3, 1982

This cartoon is actually a follow-up to, or re-do of, one of Gary Larson's early pre-Far Side comics; it features a stampede of wild bulls, or bison, running through a canyon, with the cowboy hat hanging in the air above them, and the coffee pot stuck on one of the frontrunner's hooves, it is clear that they just trampled a cowboy.

While this represents an amusing continuation of Larson's earlier cartoon, which had the cowboy in the foreground, with the stampede coming at him from the background, for most readers it comes across as one of Larson's more subtle punchlines. It is not necessarily confusing, but a caption's wry or satirical commentary on what just happened potentially could have made this more engaging for readers.

6 This Far Side Comic Is A Hoot, But Its Joke Can Be Easy To Miss

First Published: December 16, 1982

This is another subtle Far Side joke, which certainly stands well enough on its own, but when paired with a caption, may have gone from amusing to laugh-out-loud funny. As it stands, the breaks from The Far Side's single image tendency to depict a sequence of three moments: in the first, two owls sit next to each other on a branch; in the second, one owl taps the other on the shoulder; in the final moment, the second owl spins its head around 180-degrees in response to the tap on the shoulder.

The true humor of this Far Side cartoon relies on the reinterpretation of a classic lighthearted prank, using owl physiology. That said, this is a "premise is also the punchline" variety of Far Side comic, and while funny, an equally funny caption to match would have made this cartoon 2x as satisfying.

5 This Far Side Caveman Comic Could Use A Caption For Emphasis

First Published: September 13, 1984

Here, Gary Larson returns to one of favorite subjects, the invention of the wheel, as one of The Far Side's ubiquitous prehistoric characters stands outside his cave and chisels the finishing touches into his large stone wheel, only to be upstaged by his neighbors busting out of their cave and joyriding around in a convertible.

The blur of the car full of Neanderthals in the background of the frame, and the tire tracks trailing them back to their cave, combined with the way the caveman in the foreground stares wistfully off at them in the distance, definitely convey Larson's joke here, but once more, this Far Side cartoon could be taken from good to great with a solid caption, perhaps one capturing the sense of defeat on behalf of its focal character.

4 One Of The Far Side's Most Inexplicable Comics; Can You Figure It Out?

First Published: November 5, 1984

At times, The Far Side's confusing comics were the result of miscommunication, or misunderstanding, between creator and reader. What makes this one of Gary Larson's most difficult-to-decipher illustrations is that it is hard to even tell, in this case, whether this is an example the former or the latter.

The image depicts a man and woman, and their dog, having a picnic at night, under a looming full moon, and though they are drawn as little more than silhouettes, it is clear the attention of both human characters has been caught by something strange in the sky, as what look like antenna sticking out from a cloud floating by. It is difficult to make out what is happening in this Far Side cartoon, and even harder to extract some evident humor from it, making this an underrated contender for Gary Larson's most confusing comic.

3 Another Far Side Prehistory Joke That Could Use More Elaboration

First Published: August 21, 1985

In this Far Side caveperson cartoon, a pair of loincloth-wearing prehistoric characters stand in the midst of an iced-over landscape, looking down at an automobile, a red truck, frozen beneath a thick sheet of ice.

This is an amusing visual, but it is another example of a Gary Larson comic where the humor does not entirely translate between author and reader. Certainly, some fans will be able to pick up on the inferred punchline here more than others, but many more will be left scratching their heads, with only a vague sense of what the joke is actually about, something that could have been alleviated by the use of a caption with this Far Side .

2 This Far Side Comic Leaves Fans With Some Burning Questions, In A Good Way

First Published: October 10, 1991​​​​​​​

It's safe to say that this hellish Far Side comic is hilarious even without a caption, as it depicts a trio of horned, pitchfork-wielding devils sitting in their office cracking up as they read notes from the underworld's "suggestion box," as flames lick the office door, the silhouettes of the damned visible among them.

Yet to the extent readers can wish for more when it comes to a Far Side cartoon, many would say that a caption revealing the suggestion that the demons are laughing at could elevate this joke even further; to be fair, though, there is also the contigent of readers who would say that it is unneccessary, even if they might want it, because this does everything right to deliver a classic captionless Far Side punchline.

1 The Far Side's Most Controversial Location Is The Setting For This Classic Captionless Gag

First Published: October 22, 1993​​​​​​​

When Gary Larson retired at the end of 1994, he adhered to the old show business adage of "always leave them wanting more," and this shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone, because so many of his Far Side jokes over the years embodied the same quality.

Take for example this Far Side dungeon cartoon; despite being his most infamous setting, Larson routinely returned to this locale right up until the end of The Far Side's run. Here, a group of forlorn prisoners are arranged mid-torture, tied to "the Rack" or hanging from the walls, including one upside down, all while the hooded dungeon master reads a book entitled "Inner Torture." Far Side fans will be left questioning whether he is seeking more diabolical ways to break his subjects, or perhaps less likely, if this torturer is trying to get to the root of his own internal anguish, brought on by his nightmarish occupation.