Despite its commercial success,The Far Sidewas 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 Sideside of the aisle.
The Far Sideencompasses 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 likePeanuts' Charles Schulz andGarfieldcreator 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 ofThe Far Side’sunparalleled style and wit – and in the process, will hopefully win the strip a few new fans.
10The Far Side’s Bedside Manner Wasn’t Always Gentle – And That Is Part Of The Appeal
First Published: July 16, 2025
“I’m afraid it’s bad news, Mr. Griswold,” a poultry doctor tells his patient in thismemorableFar Sidechicken 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.
9Gary Larson’s Jokes Often Contained Insightful Social Commentary – Intentionally Or Not
First Published: August 04, 2025
ThisFar Sidepanel 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.
10 Funniest Far Side Comics That Prove Gary Larson’s Humor Has No Expiration Date
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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 thisFar 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.
8The Far Side Was Able To Get Big Laughs Out Of Simple Twists Of Fate
First Published: August 17, 2025
Gary Larson frequently used the “lost at sea” tropeto great effect, and if this panel does not strike a chord withFar Sideskeptics, 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 aFar Sidejoke that dances along the border between comedic and dramatic irony 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 mostFar Sidecartoons, more nuanced than detractors might give it credit for.
7The Far Side’s Operating Ethos Was: “To Err Is Human”
First Published: August 05, 2025
“Through some unfortunate celestial error,” the caption to thisFar Sidejoke 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 involvestaking 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.
6The Far Side Evens The Playing Field Between Two Perennial Adversaries
First Published: June 26, 2025
A running gag throughoutThe Far SidewasGary 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
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 havinga 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 madeThe Far Sidefamous, with the reader caught in the dissonance between the two and left to sort it out for themselves.
5The Far Side’s Humor Was More “Brainy” Than It Gets Credit For
First Published: August 04, 2025
Igor, the assistant to mad scientist Doctor Frankenstein, wasa favorite subject of Gary Larson’s, and his appearances often resulted in some ofThe Far Side’sfunniest panels. Here, Larson depictsIgor strolling down the street, past a variety of shops selling brains– which, in the artist’s interpretation ofFrankensteinlore, the assistant is most routinely tasked with acquiring.
Whether its jokes were silly or deadly serious,The Far Sidewas 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.
First Published: June 09, 2025
ThisFar Sidecartoon,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 Sidetrains its readers to understand its humor; meaning that the more one readsThe Far Side, the more intuitively one willpick 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.
3The Far Side’s Mix Of “Dark,” “Absurd,” And “Silly” Humor Was Its Recipe For Success
First Published: July 09, 2025
This captionlessFar Sidecartoonembodies 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 readingThe Far Sidefor some, it keeps others from fully digesting the punchline – a risk its creator was regularly willing to take.
10 Funny Far Side Comics That Prove Gary Larson’s Humor Has Aged Like Fine Wine (The Best of November 1984)
Here are the 10 funniest Far Side comics that just turned 40 in November 2024 - including leopards, aliens, cows and the Devil himself.
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.
2The Far Side Was More Complex Than It Gets Credit For – But It Didn’t Always Have To Be
First Published: August 12, 2025
For someone to not at least crack a smile at thisFar Sidecartoon, 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 ofThe Far Side’smany endangered ACME door-to-door salespeopleapproaches 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 manyFar Sidecomics 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.
1The Far Side Was All Over The Place, But It Wasn’t “Random”
First Published: June 02, 2025
The Far Sideconstitutes a wide range of styles, and a variety of themes – all reflecting creatorGary 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, 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 aboutThe 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.
