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Part of The Far Side'slegacy is its reputation for controversy. From its humble beginnings in just one newspaper, Gary Larson's off-beat, off-the-wall cartoon prompted concern, questions, and even outright outrage from readers. As The Far Side became popular nationwide throughout the 1980s, the number of letters to the editor complaining about Larson's comics increased exponentially as well.
This list looks at some of the most noteworthy pieces of hate mail The Far Side received throughout the '80s, especially at the top of its game in the middle part of the decade.
These reader complaints help us understand why The Far Side was so polarizing. In retrospect, they are also often laugh-out-loud funny themselves, like the comics they lambasted.
"The Far Side Does Not Represent Humor. It Represents Illness."
The Minneapolis Tribune, Circa 1981 (Reproduced In The Complete Far Side Volume 1)
There's one word that comes up again when people complain about The Far Side: "sick." Critical readers often declared Gary Larson to be a disturbed and depraved individual. If you've ever watched, listened to, or read an interview with Larson, you know this is actually pretty far from the reality of his personality.
This early detractor, for example, was upset that animals were harmed in The Far Side. They wrote:
Larson has some kind of sickness in that he has to portray animals in some kind of suffering situation. I think we have enough people in the world who inflict pain on helpless animals and we don't have to encourage this craziness on the comic pages.
If only the author of this letter to the Minneapolis Tribune knew how much of an animal-lover Larson actually was. Far Side fans know its creator was an environmentalist, even though throughout its run it was maligned by animal advocates.
"What Lies Behind These Warped Cartoons?"
The Los Angeles Times, Circa 1982 (Reproduced In The Complete Far Side Volume 1)
In 2026, it's easy to post your opinion online. 40+ years ago, it took a little more effort. Writing a letter to the local newspaper wasn't a reflex for most people, the way commenting on Reddit, or X, or Instagram is today. It was a measure of last resort. It was something you were compelled to do. Pushed to do when you couldn't stand to be silent anymore.
Even if the thing you had to speak up about was The Far Side. As one reader put it:
What lies behind these warped cartoons? I wish some one would clear their meaning (of them) to me...To me, they are a waste of space and are an insult to a L.A. Times reader who can find no reason for them in your newspaper.
It reads like a proto-Reddit post, doesn't it? The grammatical lapses. The outrage. In 1982, The Far Side was still in a select few newspapers. It hadn't gone nationwide yet, so the true deluge of negative responses hadn't begun. Yet this anti-Far Side missive makes it clear that already it was just plain bugging some people.
Now, let's jump ahead a few years to peak Far Side. In the mid-1980s, The Far Side started to spread exponentially; the number of newspapers across America it appeared skyrocketed between 1984 and 1986. Through the remainder of the '80s, Gary Larson received the most attention and critical acclaim of the year, but also the most hate mail.
"Why Don't You Get Rid Of That Garbage?"
Times-Advocate, Circa June 1986 (Reproduced In The Complete Far Side Volume 1)
Here's another letter from a reader who just couldn't abide The Far Side anymore. Something had to be said. This one features a recurring refrain from Far Side-haters: "won't somebody think of the children?" Yes, parents all across the U.S. were legitimately stressed about Gary Larson being a bad influence on their kids.
As this California resident wrote:
When Gary Larson, creator of "The Far Side," made fun of pornography with "Amoeba Porn Flicks," I was sensitive that my children would see it. I passed it off as something that slipped by the better judgment of the editor. But when I opened the June 8 edition and saw "The Far Side" in the Sunday funnies depicting "Dog Hell," where dogs carry pooper scoopers and are presumably forced to collect their own feces, I came close to canceling my subscription. Why don't you get rid of that garbage?
You can feel the anger radiating off this letter, but it's also inadvertently funny, given how the author carefully spells out what makes this Far Side cartoon funny. For fans of Larson's work, the panel is worth a chuckle, but it's legitimately hilarious to imagine it sending someone into a fit of rage at their newspaper.
"It Was The Ugliest, (Most) Obnoxious, And Sadistic Cartoon I Have Ever Seen In A Family Paper"
The Herald Statesman, February 19, 1987 (Reproduced In The Complete Far Side Volume 2)
Far Side comics set in dungeons, featuring torturers and torture victims alike, got Gary Larson in hot water repeatedly over the years. Human rights organization Amnesty International famously called Larson out for an early Far Side dungeon panel, but that didn't stop Larson from revisiting the setting periodically. Including in a 1987 panel that led to an over-the-top piece of hate mail.
As one outraged reader wrote to New York's Herald Statesman, speaking of a Far Side from a few weeks earlier:
It was the ugliest, (most) obnoxious, and sadistic cartoon I have ever seen in a family paper. The so-called artist, Gary Larson, must be sick. I hope you agree.
Not only did Statesman editor Nancy Q. Keefe not agree, but in an absolutely baller move, she printed the reader's letter along with a response defending The Far Side as a work of satire. Despite a stream of letters like this, editors like Keefe all around the country stuck to their guns, and their own sense of taste, in keeping The Far Side in publication.
"It Is Possible This Sort Of Humor Could Entertain Preteens In The Pages Of Mad Magazine..."
Newsday, January 15, 1988 (Reproduced In The Complete Far Side Volume 2)
Another familiar theme in anti-Far Side rhetoric was: "you're better than this." That is, critical readers often framed their beef with the cartoon as an appeal to the good taste and reason of the newspaper. Take this complaint for example:
It is possible this sort of humor could entertain preteens in the pages of Mad magazine, but not a paper read by as many people as Newsday is...Larson has gone a little too far into his "Far Side" world and I am afraid Newsday has not gone far enough to see that this sort discreditable satire does not present iself in Newsday.
To this person's credit, they at least recognized Far Side as satire, but everything else about this is a swing and a miss.
It's a rhetorical fallacy. Because this person doesn't find The Far Side funny, it doesn't belong in a publication they read. The really amusing thing is that the author of this letter was a scientist, irked by Gary Larson's frivilous scientist humor, even though The Far Side was widely beloved within the scientific community by the late '80s. The exception that proves the rule, we suppose.
"Larson's Expressions Of Himself Are Dehumanizing, Demoralizing, And Insulting"
The Florida Times-Union, February 21, 1988 (Reproduced In The Complete Far Side Volume 2)
"Baby In A Bottle" is one of The Far Side's most outrageous comics, to be sure. And it earned this reputation by outraging a bunch of people. The Complete Far Side reprints two angry letters from readers who were upset by the cartoon. We wish we could reprint the letter received by The Florida Times-Union in full, because it is unhinged.
For the sake of brevity, though, we'll stick to the highlights:
I read the Times-Union every morning and ignore The Far Side because I find it very distasteful and unedifying....Larson's expressions of himself are dehumanizing, demoralizing, and insulting. I am offended not only for myself and children, but for all the other decent folks out there who patronize the Times-Union...If Larson must earn a living by selling his material, I suggest he peddle it elsewhere.
This one's a doozy, folks. It hits all the major beats, "think of the children," and "you're better than this," while throwing some truly savage shade at Gary Larson on a personal level. It's possible nobody has ever been more affected by The Far Side in its history, but not in a good way.
"If It Really Is One Of The More Popular Strips In The Country, It Is A Sad Commentary On The Intellectual Status Of The Nation"
The Deseret News, April 6, 1988
In the '80s, newspapers would occasionally publish a round-up of reader commentary on their comic strip selection. Looking back, articles like this show the sharp divide between praising and condemning The Far Side that existed within every single newspaper's readership. It also shows that the editors at these papers liked to have fun with this juxtaposition.
In an April '88 issue of The Deseret News, side-by-side positive and negative reviews of The Far Side were offered. While a fan said it was "in a class of its own," a critic called it "too sick to be on a comic page read by children." Sound familiar?" This person went on to muse:
If it really is one of the more popular strips in the country, it is a sad commentary on the intellectual status of the nation.
The ironic thing about this dig is how wrong it is. The Far Side was extremely smart, sometimes too much for its own good.
"Gary Larson Deserves A Vacation...A Never-Ending One"
Lakeland Ledger, October 26, 1988
Our next two entries also come from round-ups of reader feedback. This time from the Lakeland Ledger, a Florida newspaper. This person's one-sentence criticism was short and to the point: "Gary Larson deserves a vacation...a never-ending one." Zing. Got 'em. This lacks the outrage of some other Far Side complaints; instead, it shows how some people were just plain tired of seeing it.
Notably, this comment didn't come unprompted. It was in response to the news that Larson was, in fact, taking an extended sabbatical from creating new Far Side comics starting November 1, 1988. Larson didn't return to drawing Far Sides until 1990. So, it wasn't the permanent vacation this reader hoped for. And unfortunately for them, repeats continued to be published through 1989.
"I Can Tell You I Think The Far Side Is Sick, Sick, Sick"
Lakeland Ledger, October 26, 1988
The October 26, 1988 edition of The Lakeland Ledger ran an article entitled "Rest Easy, Larson Fans; The Far Side Remains," confirming that the cartoon would carry reprints of The Far Side from the early '80s, before it first appeared in the paper, during Gary Larson's 1989 sabbatical. Yet the negative comments the Ledger included are what truly stick out.
"I can tell you, I think The Far Side is sick, sick, sick," one person wrote. It's possible they were an early, analog troll, and were referencing a classic Far Side cartoon, but it's more likely they just really hated it. Another person called it "the most uninteresting, disgusting, uncomic strip ever written." Yet The Ledger stuck with Larson, which tells you what its staff thought of The Far Side.
"I Wish We Could Drop The Far Side, Which Is Pointless, And Put In The Jumble Puzzle, Which Is Fun & Interesting"
Star-News, August 3, 1989
This one is just plain funny. Even during Gary Larson's hiatus, people were still complaining about The Far Side. This person derided it as "pointless," before hilariously offering what was, in their mind, a superior alternative: "the jumble puzzle." Which this reader called "fun and interesting." That is, in comparison to The Far Side.
What do you think, readers? What's the wildest take on The Far Side you've heard?
