10 hilarious Far Side comics that'll make you lose hope in humanity

Life can be very rough. Our daily existence tries to throw as many challenges in our direction as possible, leaving us to seek assistance in overcoming all levels of obstacles. In general, we can turn to comics as a distraction, a method to lighten the mood and brighten our days.

Maybe not these comics, though.

Gary Larson's The Far Sidecomic strip has always been replete with absurdist takes on everything from the most mundane aspects of ordinary life to major historical events. While this helped it to establish one of the biggest legacies the industry has ever known, not to mention one of the widest fan bases, this didn't necessarily help to lighten the mood for many of The Far Side's one-panel gags.

If anything, the extremes that comedy and horror both strive to attain have found themselves perfectly melded in the panels of The Far Side strictly because of the series' overtly absurdist bent. As such, there is no shortage of The Far Side comics that lean heavily into the more morbid aspects of their own jokes. And, while all of them are good for a laugh, some achieve the perfect blend of dark humor, slapstick, and utter ineptitude that can only make readers start questioning their faith in humanity.

The Far Side Reminds Us That Not Every Theory Needs Testing

"Laughter is the best medicine" is a timeless adage that certainly carries some amount of truth. In ordinary circumstances, people understand that keeping one's spirits up in times of malady makes the recuperation and recovery process that much easier. In The Far Side, however, it is a theory that must be tested from every angle, most of all ludicrous.

The sight of a group of doctors pointing and laughing at a bedridden patient in an attempt to test whether laughter really is the best medicine is a classic gag. At the same time, it drums up a nagging reminder that we live in an unprecedented era of medical misinformation and malpractice, with wellness influencers selling everything from fish oil to bags of rocks as the next great health cleanse. At that rate, we might not be far off from seeing treatments like those seen in The Far Side, though being laughed at is probably among the least offensive of its kind.

The Future Isn't Great for Everyone in The Far Side

There's nothing like spending quality time with loved ones in the great outdoors. Taking in the fresh air, relaxing in the sunshine, and enjoying life on its most simple terms are some of the few pleasures that cost nothing and are readily available. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily apply to people, and The Far Side is more than ready to offer that ever-painful reminder in one panel.

Between the threat of actual nuclear war as depicted in The Far Side, there are very real wars unfolding across literal battlefields, cyberspace, and trade routes all the same. Worse still, the profits made from those wars seem to be driving them more so than most other factors, and for worse reasons than many of them started in the first place. If nothing else, there is some solace to be found in knowing that such economic struggles and influences won't be a problem in the future, even if only because the bugs and insects who will inherit the Earth don't have any of their own to be concerned with in the first place.

Depression is Far More Interesting in The Far Side

Of all the mental health maladies that people can suffer, few are as common and as profound as depression. For those who haven't a care in the world, there is the Bluebird of Happiness to be looked toward as a symbol of further happiness. For those who are all worry, however, there is simply a world devoid of any auspicious signs and any Chickens of Depression to signal a demonstrably deep downturn.

The idea of a Chicken of Depression is a send-up of the concept of a Bluebird of Happiness. Within the confines of this single-panel The Far Side gag, it works well enough to garner a chuckle from the idle reader. In the wider context of human existence, it is a stark reminder that there are no reliable signs from above nor anywhere else and that we all have to go on our best instincts and whatever diagnoses we receive from licensed professionals.

The Far SideOffers Some Painful Reminders About Mental Health

Even if most people would like to think that their friends, family, and loose acquaintances are enough human interaction to get them through their days, everyone can benefit from discussing their issues with those who genuinely understand what those issues entail, not just the person having them. That being the case, support groups and similar gatherings are something countless people look forward to or at least attend begrudgingly out of a sense of duty to themselves and their loved ones.

Of course, if a support group is going to be successful, it needs to be supportive on every level, not just the surface. When it comes to the clowns of The Far Side's most useless therapy session, that means having an innate understanding that it is okay for things not to be okay. Unfortunately for them, like so manyreaders of The Far Sidecan surely relate to, one member of their support group doesn't seem to understand that unfettered optimism isn't actually helpful, let alone that it only makes things worse on numerous levels.

The Far SidePoints Out the Futility of Life in Hell

In the same vein as "laughter is the best medicine," the saying "damned if you do, damned if you don't" is intended to provide some small amount of comfort to people who are caught in a particularly tricky or inconvenient situation. And, while there is no shortage of such circumstances for a person to be swept up in throughout their ordinary life, The Far Side provides the additional element of fantastical situations that would otherwise be entirely unfathomable.

For the exceptionally unlucky subject of this exceptionally unsettling edition of The Far Side, the inconvenient situation that has enveloped his life is a choice between two doors. Because he is quite literally in the bowels of Hell, both the "damned if you do" and "damned if you don't" doors probably lead to the same place. Then again, one doesn't need to be trapped in Hell to feel stuck in an identical situation, nor does Gary Larson's The Far Side need to emphasize just how frustrating the reality is.

The Far SideProves That There Is Always Someone Better Than You

People considered true experts and professionals in their respective fields usually spend years, if not decades, studying, practicing, and honing the skills and knowledge they wield. Even when it comes to game show contestants, this concept holds true more often than not. This also makes it so aggravating when someone else arrives on the scene who can only show up the best of the best.

For Trivia Tonight's reigning champion Norman, that person happens to be ineffable, largely because they are God. It is not that they are some vague figure of divinity or a pointed deity like Zeus or Poseidon, but they are just God. This alone leads to questions about whether God's answers to the questions he receives are correct, even when false. Still, the worst part is the crushing doubt it instills in every reader who has felt the immutable forces of the universe itself were working against them for whatever reason.

Inept Colleagues are Inescapable - Even in The Far Side

There is little that can crush a person's spirits so quickly as being stuck at work with an incompetent colleague. Usually, this results in delayed work, mistakes, and messes that shouldn't have needed cleaning up in the first place. In industries where incompetence can lead to people getting hurt or worse, the office clown quickly becomes more than a minor irritation.

That is precisely the situation in this iconic The Far Side comic. Rocket science is a field of study requiring no small amount of precision. At the same time, building missiles by hand will probably only ever be seen in fiction, which means that no real rocket scientist will have to worry about the explosive results of the world's most poorly timed paper bag balloon.

The Circle of Life is as Cruel as Ever in The Far Side

There is no denying the fact that nature is beautiful. With so much flora and fauna across many landscapes, the world is replete with seemingly endless wonders just waiting to be uncovered. Of course, nature is also terrifying, with the same circle of life that provides so much splendor and is responsible for some of the harshest truths anyone could ever learn.

When it comes to The Far Side, those harsh truths could have been completely avoided if only God had decided not to create fearsome predators such as humankind. Although the look on the animals' faces when they hear that they are about to be introduced to some exceptionally tough competition is priceless, there is no escaping the underlying horror of their situation, nor is there any escaping the mortal coil we are all bound to be shaken free from eventually.

Willful Ignorance Exists Everywhere - Especially in The Far Side

The Far Side's Neanderthals have been the source of some of the best jokes of Gary Larson's entire career. These early proto-humans shared many of the same problems we do today, ranging from broken plumbing to failing at school to trying to uncover the secrets of the Thagomizer. The cave people of The Far Side also had to deal with the threat of a baffling sort of ignorance that, while good for a laugh on the surface, is indicative of some profoundly deep issues.

In the same way that these two cavemen aren't sure if the ice wall only inches from their home has gotten any closer as of late, the world seems to be increasingly inhabited by those who cannot comprehend the most basic cause-and-effect relationships. This doesn't mean that everyone is completely oblivious to the consequences of their actions nor to those of society as a whole. Still, there are more than enough who fit that description for this particular The Far Side comic to hit too close to home for comfort.

The 'Wings Fall Off' Switch is The Far Side's Most Disturbingly Prescient Comic Strip

Many of Gary Larson's best The Far Side comics don't need dialogue to get their point across. Some only require a snappy caption or a minor piece of signage for their jokes to land. Unfortunately for Ted and his fellow airline passengers, the joke that they are a part of will never land, mostly because it is destined for a fiery crash that could have been avoided if not for the presence of the plane's "Wings Fall Off" switch.

It isn't Ted's fault that he is about to subject himself and everyone else aboard the plane to a tragic demise. If anything, it is the airline's fault for using a plane that has a "Wings Fall Off" switch that is so readily accessible or the factory and designer's fault for putting it there in the first place. To make matters worse, this is one joke that gets harder to laugh at with every passing year, especially in an era of consistently unsafe airline practices and increasingly lax regulations.