10 best The Far Side comics about fear, ranked

The Far Side was a comic strip based mainly on emotions. Gary Larson's characters were often riddled with fear, anxiety, feelings of unease, or boredom. With these emotions, Larson created panels that resonated with readers who felt these emotions daily, as the panels published on the paper mirrored and provided comfort for many struggling to find joy in a negative headspace.

Fear was an emotion that was necessary for the humor of The Far Side. Placed in situations that called for the most absurd of conditions, it was inevitable that the comic's characters existed in a constant state of stressed fear. However, with many characters fearing for their lives, the strip's success was also imminent. In the pits of hell, or simply walking the dog, humans were often tested on their morality, pain levels, bravery, and loyalty. Larson's version of humans rarely gave fans hope for the future, but with fear, these humans were easier to digest in The Far Side.

A Bee's In This Woman's Car

She's Perfectly Alright About It

It might be a universal experience to fear a bug in the car. In the imminent fear of bugs, being trapped with one in a moving vehicle while operating the vehicle is an experience few call pleasant. In this strip, a giant bee sits in the backseat of a woman's car as she drives and reassures herself.

The visual representation of the bee in the car looking human-sized and menacing adds to the moment's horror. It does not have any dialogue or expression. It simply sits in the backseat in perfect view through the woman's rearview mirror. Its size helps aid the terrible feeling a driver gets when an insect they fear is trapped in a car with them. Because of its humorous delivery and controlled fear, this strip takes the last spot on the list.

This Scorpion Picked The Perfect Spot To Rest

Or The Worst Spot, Depending On Perspective

Scorpions aren't arachnids many are fans of. Poisonous with sharp, painful stings, scorpions are textbook creatures humans avoid. In this strip, fear is the main element of the joke. A scorpion rests on a child's face. The child and his father are camping in the desert for unknown reasons.

The father is scared of the scorpion stinging the child, so to deal with it, he plans to slam a rock against it. In his fear, he forgets to consider the child's face. This strip is a perfect example of how Larson uses fear and demonstrates how irrational human logic is in the face of fear. It can be very funny, but it can make people inconsiderate of others.

A Sudden Test Of Fear

Remaining Calm Is The Key

Aquatic animals out of the water are already ridiculous enough, but one being in a corporate office building staring down at a man with a briefcase is perfect The Far Side humor. The caption implies the man with the briefcase entered the office and calmly questioned the squid's owner about the squid being violent. The man is calm as if the squid is just a dog greeting him at the door.

Of course, readers have many questions. Why is the squid out of the water, why does the owner trust the squid won't eat people, and why are they in an office? What is the man with the briefcase doing there? Once fans question The Far Side's reason for anything in its panels, the line of answers expands its absurdity to unimaginable levels. Perhaps it's better not to ask questions.

Rodney Is Questioning All The Choices That Led Him Here

The New K9s Are Very Astute

Police raiding a party is enough to make anyone feel fear. However, when police enter a party with police dogs trained to sniff out something that could put many people in trouble, that is a different situation. However, when police enter a party with police dogs that can sniff out a nerd, things get Far Side-ishly hilarious.

Readers may wonder why there are nerd-sniffing dogs, but the humor of this piece is in the statement of fact. There are nerd-sniffing dogs; do not worry about it. That is not the point. The point is that Rodney is a nerd and about to get caught. The drawn fear in his face is Larson's perfect execution of nervous anxiousness. There is impending doom for Rodney if he gets caught, and he is very scared, and fear is once again a quick way to hilarity.

These Gazelles Have Flight Instincts

And One Of Them Has A Freeze Instinct

Fight, flight, or freeze are a person's natural responses to imminent danger. Some stay to fight and resolve whatever danger is heading their way. Others have a flight response, making a person run or flee from whatever danger is nearing. A freeze response makes a person remain still and refuse to move. In the panel, many gazelles escape from an incoming cheetah except one.

The cheetah nears the hesitant gazelle, and like a classic The Far Side, readers don't get to see a continuation but an unfolding scene captured in the most pivotal moment. By letting fear win, the gazelle remains frozen and is left behind to be eaten by the cheetah. While it is darker and less funny, this comic perfectly captures one of the biggest problems with fear.

The Chances A Duck Is Watching Are Slim

But Never Zero

Anatidaephobia comes from the Greek "Anatidae," meaning "duck," and the Greek "Phobos," meaning "fear." The opening word in this comic's caption contains the word fear — and fear it illustrates. One of Larson's most famous The Far Side comics, this strip shows a man sitting at his office in a tall building. The man looks nervous. Behind the man, there's a window showing other tall buildings. One seems abandoned, except in one of the windows, where a duck watches the man directly.

The man has the rare anatidaephobia. The comedic language of the phobia and how it is described makes this strip iconic. From how the man nervously looks forward to how the duck lurks in an abandoned building menacingly looking forward, the illustrated material works perfectly with the caption. Fear takes center stage in this one, as a looming sense of weariness leads it onward, and for that, it takes the middle spot.

The Intercom Light Looks Similar To The Low Fuel Light

Or, The Pilot Shouldn't Be Flying A Plane

Flying is many people's worst nightmare. Flying thousands of miles in the sky aboard a piece of metal, hoping it'll be alright in the end, is not everyone's idea of a good time. Flying can be especially stressful when the crew responsible for one's safety seems tense. If a flight attendant looks weary, it won't be long before the passengers follow suit.

When a pilot panics and accidentally informs the rest of the plane about his concerns, much like flight attendants, the fear of the person flying the plane is mirrored by those trusting that person to get them safely back to the ground. This strip shows how powerful fear can be and how easily it can wreak havoc.

Dogs Can Smell Your Fear

Or, In This Case, They Can Measure It Accurately

A man enters a home. The dog measures his fear level at the gate with a "fear-o-sensor." This strip plays with the saying, "Dogs can smell your fear." Though it is a true statement, the way this dog gets a sense of the man's fear is absurd. The man seems unbothered by the dog, taking his fear level, though the indicator appears to lean far to the right.

Whatever the man's fear, readers get to see the moment before the dog gets an accurate reading. It's also worth noting that fear is once more at the center of this comic. There's a moment of quiet, determining the outcome, with fear as the defining factor in how the strip's ending will unfold. It's hilarious and interesting to wonder how the story ends, especially without a caption.

Controversial Methods To Overcome Fear

But If They Work, They're Also Effective

Overcoming fear is a constant battle people face daily. Be it a fear of heights, the dark, or small spaces, everyone grapples with fear and the desire to conquer it. According to Professor Gallagher, overcoming them all at once seems like a perfectly plausible method to eliminate their fears. Hanging from a tall building, enclosed in a dark box surrounded by snakes, a man screams in terror. From the window where the box hangs, Professor Gallagher watches on.

The caption calls it controversial, and indeed, it is. Not only will the subject be scarred more likely than cured, but the dangers of locking a person in a dark box with snakes from a great height spells out a cause for disaster. It is hilarious to see the situation unfold solemnly, with the professor watching as if the experiment is perfectly sane.

This Phobia Is More Common Than We Think

Not Many Would Enjoy Going Through This One

The sweaty feeling in the hands when watching a free-climber work their way up a mountain or building without any protective gear is incomparable. Somehow, this strip captures that same uneasiness. A boy is chased around a kitchen table by two timber wolves. He has socks on, and the floor is waxed, making it extra slippery.

This is a very specific phobia composed by Larson, and the entirety of the phobia is not described in its name. "Phobia" for "fear" in Greek, "Lupos" for "wolf" in Latin, and "slipa" for nothing at all except perhaps "slip" in English. It is an incredibly silly comic illustrating a made-up fear, but it is a fear every reader would experience if caught in the same situation. So, while luposlipaphobia is not an actual phobia, it is iconic for the genuine fear readers feel to imagine themselves in such a pickle. This strip takes the number one spot for the most accurate portrayal of fear and its hilarious demonstration method.