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Gary Larson's The Far Side took readers on a strange and humorous ride through the cartoonist's perspective on the world around him. With much of Larson's work being inspired by his personal experiences and interests, science and those who study it are a major theme within The Far Side catalog. Having a passion for science, specifically biology, since childhood, Larson would often center his jokes around scientists and their odd inventions.
While The Far Side features many inventions by its resident scientist, such as Professor Schwartzman's famous Canine Decoder, the ones centering on robots are some of Larson's best. A staple of science fiction, Larson's cartoons featuring robots have led to some of the most memorable Far Side panels that never fail to make readers laugh. Among the many bizarre and ingenious inventions in The Far Side, a few cartoons centering on robotic creations stand out among the rest.
Giant Robots Attack The City
Many of the evil scientists of The Far Side never get to realize their evil schemes, but one of them was nearly successful. In this cartoon showing an evil scientist and his assistant, the two have created a giant robot to attack the city. However, as the Robot attacks, it runs out of batteries, with the caption reading "Curses! ... Quick, Igor! Run down to the store and get two size D flashlight batteries!".
Despite being smart enough to build a giant robot, the evil inventor still forgets something so basic as the batteries that power it. This early Far Side cartoon, showing how even smart people can make dumb mistakes, plays into one of Larson's favorite themes of human stupidity. A great visual joke featuring a relatable situation in an insane setting, this panel has all the ingredients of a classic Far Side cartoon.
A Classic Game of Cat and Mouse With a Far Side twist
In the eternal war between cat and mouse, The Far Side evens the playing field. In a comedy tale as old as time, this cartoon shows a cat who is on the hunt for his mortal enemy but comes across a terrifying surprise. As the cat sniffs for the mouse, just around the corner is a giant mouse robot waiting for the cat.
With surprises around every corner, readers never knew what to expect on The Far Side. Where surprise and bizarre are the norm, it only makes sense that the mice would rebel against their cat enemies. The mouse robot is also really intimidating with sharp teeth and claws, leading readers to wonder how exactly this was made, all with even more hilarious conclusions.
A Farmer's Terrifying New Invention Just Made Life Worse for Cows
Cows are a staple of The Far Side and the subject of many of Larson's best cartoons. Often showing their never-ending war against farmers, this panel showcases one of the many reasons why they deserve it. As two cows eat from their hay trough, the farmer comes in to assemble a robot called the Milk-O-Man. The two cows look over suspiciously with the caption reading "I don't like the looks of this".
A dark and hilarious cartoon, this panel featuring the milking robot is a Far Side classic. The scene is filled with great visual gags, such as the cow's expression of the farmer struggling with putting the robot together as he is shown trying to hit his arm into place and even the creepy smile the robot has. One of the funniest parts of the cartoon, however, comes from the box the robot comes in with the tag line "Watch-Him-Go!"
Robot Relationships Are Much More Complicated than Humans
Relationships are hard for anyone, but especially for robots. In this cartoon, two robots go to see a marriage counselor in hopes of repairing their relationship. After their session, the therapist concludes that their problem is that they are both adept at pushing each other's buttons.
A funny look into the emotions of robots, this cartoon also shows Larson commenting on his naturalist views on the world. Believing that humans are no different from any other species on Earth, it seems this also applies to robots. While most robots that gain emotion rebel against their creators in most other sci-fi stories, Larson imagined their issues would be a lot less exciting.
Frankenstein's Monster Gets An Upgrade
Largely considered the first work of science fiction, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was the foundation for stories about runaway technology. This cartoon featuring the infamous monster shows him being worked on by Doctor Frankenstein and Igor. While the monster sits motionless on the table, Doctor Frankenstein attempts to fix his neckbolts when realizing he has the wrong-sized wrench, yelling at his assistant, "Fool! This is an eleven-sixteenths ... I asked for a five-eighths!"
Being fond of dark humor and science, Frankenstein and his monster became a great source of comedy for Gary Larson. While not a machine like a typical robot, Frankenstein's monster shares a lot of parallels with the relationship between man and machine and the dangers that can come with it. Biochemist and writer of the Robot series, Isaac Asimov, coined the term Frankenstein Complex to refer to humans' fear of robots and how it will become stronger the closer robots come to being human. Despite not being made of machine, Frankenstein's monster could be considered one of the first creatures of science created by human hubris.
A Space Rover Causes An Invasion
While most of the robots on The Far Side are created for destruction, some are made for the pursuit of knowledge. In this cartoon, a space explorer lands on an unknown planet ready to complete its mission when its presence leads to disastrous results. Seeing the small robot with the name "USA Explorer II" on the side, the planet's alien inhabitants launch an invasion to find the intruders with their leader pointing the way for his army of spaceships.
A hilarious panel about the dangers of the unknown, this cartoon is a subtle use of robots, but to great effect. The small robot explorer is a funny representation of how humans often go where they don't belong, and their sense of self-importance often leads to trouble. Larson further pokes fun at this idea by having the rover label informing the aliens exactly where to find the intruders, all because humans believe they can claim a planet simply by putting a robot with its name on it.
A Dog's Ingenious Training Robot
Most people think of robots as giant killing machines, but some have simpler objectives. Instead of complex machinery and programming, this cartoon envisions a dog's idea of a robot. In this cartoon depicting a professional stick chaser's training camp, one of the dog trainers writes instructions for the young pups while a wooden robot designed to throw the sticks trains the other dogs.
One of the many cartoons about the secret life of dogs, their idea of a robot is just as funny as it is silly. While simple, this wooden robot serves its function and makes the life of the trainers just a bit easier, as any good robot should. Since dogs don't have thumbs and can throw a stick themselves, it only makes sense that they would design something to be able to improve their skills.
Robot Testing Leads to New Opportunities
Not having a cast of recurring characters for the sole reason of being able to do terrible things to them, characters in The Far Side regularly find themselves in harm's way. As the two scientists begin their test of the new robot, they notice that the janitor is still in the testing room. However, instead of stopping the test, they see this as a rare research opportunity.
Merging his love of science and dark humor, this cartoon featuring scientists testing their new robot leaves readers with horrible and hilarious implications. What makes the cartoon come together is that the janitor makes the test more interesting, implying that its main objective is to kill or at least cause destruction. Many people have done terrible things in the name of science, which Larson found to be a great source for his comedy.
Killer Dog Robots From The Basement
Known for showing animals in strange situations, The Far Side often used house pets as the source of its comedy. A mundane aspect of everyday life, Larson found the relationship between humans and pets to be a hostile one. This cartoon shows a poodle who has lost his mind from being kept in the basement and is building a giant robot to get his revenge.
People often neglect their pets, but Larson gave them the tools to fight back. What's even more funny than the way larson draws the insane dogs is the robot being a dog as well, adding another layer of getting his revenge on the humans. The panel is instantly funny on its first viewing and is a hilarious commentary on why people shouldn't leave their pets unattended.
A School Project Goes Too Far
While there is no set cast of characters in The Far Side, nerds make many appearances in Larson's world. This panel shows a kid submitting his metal shop project to his teacher, but with a dark twist. As the kid stands behind his teacher, he calls him Mr. Big Nose and says his project is ready for grading while a giant killer robot stands behind him.
An ominous and hilarious Far Side panel, this is actually one of the few cartoons for which Gary Larson offered some explanation. In The Prehistory of The Far Side, the cartoonists explained that the kids' project was to build a peaceful robot, but that it went completely off the rails when the students were left unsupervised. This explains why the kid has beef with his teacher and seemingly wants to kill him. Larson also confirmed that the nerd did indeed want to harm his teacher, as their first test of the robot was in front of a school assembly that resulted in carnage and a failing grade.
