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These classic Far Sidecomics feature some of Gary Larson's most memorable dialogue. The Far Side is best known for its visual humor, but the captions were equally important to the cartoon's comedic equation. And some of The Far Side's best captions came when Larson slipped into a particular, often peculiar character's voice.
The comics collected here come from 1984 and '85, as Gary Larson was entering the "second act" of his career. This was when The Far Side went from a local curiosity to a national phenomenon. It's also when Larson's confidence as an artist and writer leveled up. One of the results of this upgrade was more dialogue-driven cartoons.
Larson's jokes started to become more layered and complex in this era of The Far Side. He started to experiment with more scenes, going beyond just static punchlines. It was a prolific period for The Far Side, in which Larson produced some of his most iconic work.
The Far Side On The Meaning Of Life
First Published: September 17, 1984
"No doubt about it," a scientist says to his colleague in this Far Side classic, "we've mathematically expressed the purpose of the universe." That's no joke, of course; such a discovery would certainly alter the course of human civilization. Except a closer look at their equation for the meaning of life shows a long, complex formula...which all equals out to 0.
That's right, a big goose egg. Yet that doesn't seem to bother the speaker here. He's just jazzed up at having figured the problem out, no matter the implications. "God, how I love the thrill of scientific discovery," he says excitedly.
It's an A+ example of The Far Side's formula firing on all cylinders. That is, its image and its words work together in perfect harmony. The punchline is in the illustration, yes, but the humor is a two-pronged attack, coming at readers from both the cartoon and its caption.
The Far Side Produces The Most Macabre Puppet Show Ever
First Published: September 18, 1984
This is one of The Far Side's darkest comics, and also one of its funniest. Here, a bear uses the skulls of a pair of hikers it devoured as hand puppets, in order to entertain its cubs by reenacting the ill-fated humans' final moments.
The bear mimics "Bob" and "Jim" making the bone-headed decision to wander into the bears' cave looking for them. It's a grim gag, one that makes it clear that Far Side creator Gary Larson was on nature's side in the great "man vs. nature" conflict. At least, that is, when it came to hunters, who always had it rough on The Far Side.
You'd Better Wish You Don't Get These Far Side Surgeons
First Published: June 26, 1984
The Far Side frequently found humor in the dark side of surgery. This is a particularly memorable example. It's also a prime example of a Far Side comic where the dialogue drives the joke. The cartoon depicts three surgeons standing around an operating table, working on a patient. It's the caption that explains what's going on.
And it's gruesome. "Okay, Wellington. I'm comfortable with my grip if you are," one doctor says to the other, before adding: "Have you made a wish?" The darkly hilarious implication being, obviously, that the surgeons are about to use the patient's ribcage as a wishbone.
It's the kind of Far Side joke just as likely to make readers wince as chuckle. Either way, it gets a reaction, and it does so in a single, evocative line of dialogue.
It Might Be Better To Cross To The Far Side Of The Street
First Published: July 28, 1984
In this absurd Far Side cartoon, a man on the street begs for spare...armadillos. Which is weird and hyperspecific, making it even more inexplicably hysterical when a passerby approaches with two armadillos tucked under his arm, thinking, "Uh oh, how can I get by this guy?"
That's an amazing joke, plain and simple. The guy walking down the street does, in fact, have a spare armadillo, but as it turns out, not an armadillo to spare. He doesn't want to give up either of the two he has. Which is going to make walking by the guy with his hand out supremely awkward.
Though they don't actually speak to each other, the dialogic call-and-response between the two characters creates the comedic tension of this Far Side scene. Readers are left to simmer in that tension, imagining for themselves what happens next with these Far Side characters.
The Far Side's Most Obtuse Detective, Confirmed
First Published: October 17, 1984
Here, one of The Far Side's more inept detectives is hilariously oblivious to a huge clue right in front of his face. That is, the "K.K." initials embroidered on the giant handkerchief left behind by the monster that savaged the city.
"Take this handkerchief back to the lab," the detective instructs a subordinate. "I want some answers on which monster did this," he says, and then starts naming suspects: "Godzilla? Gargantua?" All the while, he's literally staring at King Kong's initials at his feet, but the giant ape doesn't seem to occur to the investigator as a suspect.
The Far Side's Mobsters Get Creative With "Mr. Thingy"
First Published: October 25, 1984
"Well, we've tried every device and you still won't talk," one of The Far Side's many mob enforcers says to a man tied to a chair, flanked by a couple of goons. "Every device, that is," the mobster adds, "except this little baby we simply call 'Mr. Thingy.'"
This is another pitch-perfect fusion of caption and cartoon. In the illustration, the trench-coat-clad thug holds up a frivolous-looking device, "Mr. Thingy," with a crank-handle, several different horns on it, and a carrot dangling from a miniature fishing pole. It's likely not even Gary Larson could begin to suggest what "Mr. Thingy" does, or whether it is effective in interrogations.
In a subtle, curious bit of detail, or lack thereof, the man being interrogated is drawn without a mouth. As though he couldn't tell his interrogators anything even if he wanted to. Meaning he's about to meet "Mr. Thingy," but his captors won't get the info they're looking for, whatever it is.
The Far Side Delivers A Deliriously Funny Riff On "Jaws"
First Published: December 18, 1984
The Far Side made enough Jaws references over the years to make it clear Gary Larson was a fan of the 1975 film. This is one of his more oblique homages to the movie, but low-key, it might be the funniest. In the cartoon, a woman explains to a police officer how a shark "wriggled its way up the beach, grabbed Jonathan," presumably her son, "and dragged him back again."
It's a parody of the "Kintner boy" from Jaws, with the twist being that the mom here is exceptionally chill about her son being devoured by a shark. To be fair, unlike in Jaws, there's a sign posted in the background that says: "Warning, sharks in area." Meaning they knew the danger, even if they expected to be safe on land.
The kicker in this Far Side comic, though, is the lady's final line: "I mean, the poor thing must've been half-starved!" That's right, she feels bad for the shark that ate her son. An outrageous capstone on an over-the-top Far Side.
These Far Side Criminals Are Repeat Offenders
First Published: January 5, 1985
In another glimpse of The Far Side's criminal underworld, a group of gangsters prepare to vacate their pet shop hideaway because "the cops are closing in." One gives his subordinates the address of their "new hideout," and then instructs the two thugs to "say it together about a hundred times" so it sticks in all their memories.
Hilariously, they're sitting in a room full of parrots. The gangsters will be long gone when the police raid the place, but the birds will be there ready to squeal, or more accurately squawk, and drop a dime on the criminals' location. Another perfect Far Side panel where the "action" is expertly spread across the art and caption.
This Scorned Far Side Wife Says What Should've Been Said Long Ago
First Published: January 16, 1985
This Far Side cartoon depicts the final straw in a marriage. A woman packs up her bags and prepares to fly the coop, but not before getting in one good, final dig at her "shiftless, low-down, good-for-nothing imbecile," of a husband.
That is, she says what everyone around him has been thinking for years: "and, might I finally add, you have the head of a chicken." Absurdly, she's not being hyperbolic; her soon-to-be-ex has a human body but the head of a barnyard chicken. It's a 10/10 strange Far Side joke, but what makes it work is how effectively Gary Larson delivers the wife's voice through dialogue.
The Far Side's Most Unfortunate Character Can't Catch A Break
First Published: May 11, 1985
In this underrated Far Side masterpiece, a man with his arm in a sling and his head wrapped in bandages sits at a bar and explains how he got hurt to the bartender. "And so this truck starts heading right for me, y'know, so I take out this here red handkerchief and start waving it like this, y'know..."
To illustrate his point, the guy produces the handkerchief and waves it in the air. What he fails to realize is the dude sitting next to him isn't a dude, it's a bull, and the bull is side-eyeing the handkerchief, getting more riled up as the guy tells his story.
Gary Larson brilliantly peppers the guy's monologue with speech modifiers, making him feel like a more fully realized person. When he gets to the part about "thinking, 'is this really happening to me?'" readers can't help but feel bad for this unfortunate Far Side character, even as they laugh at what's going to befall him next.
