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Gary Larson's The Far Side was seldom afraid of using its stage for all types of creatures and characters. That was, after all, what made this comic strip so great. Despite its simple formatting and size, The Far Side was rarely left behind by its readership. On the other hand, The Far Side was also incredibly loud and obvious, and no character was as glaringly plain as God.
In Larson's world, God is a figure that appears in its most grand iteration, though the moments and events that surround him are human and hilarious. Larson found a balance often perfectly lined with a readership that understood his humor. God creates in the panels he features, whether earth, snakes, or humans. His character makes appearances to offer comic relief, which feels lighter and heavier all at once. Wherever he did appear, God was sure to leave a lasting impression by Larson's experienced hand.
God's Den Houses A Collection Of Planets
And Earth Sits Snug In A Cuckoo Clock
Though he goes unseen in this one, God's character teases an appearance as Larson demonstrates his "den." Packed with famous planets, some books held up by a tree, and a cuckoo clock housing Earth, it's clear that God's den doesn't keep normal objects but otherworldy elements that readers immediately assume are the real planets.
The best part of the character of God in The Far Side is his aloof but warm existence in the corners of the comic strip. He is charismatic and mysterious, creating a person who, much like deities, is beloved and respected. Larson clearly had a vision for how he illustrated God in his work, and it is mostly demonstrated that the character in The Far Side is an almighty entity that sometimes does human things, too. This panel takes the last spot on the list, mainly for its simplicity and the lack of God in the entry.
As A Child, God Was Often Experimenting In His Lab
Most Were Major Successes Except When They Weren't
The idea of a God ever being a small child is creative yet hilarious. In general, God is believed to be a powerful and not-human-like figure. To consider God could've ever been a child introduces the possibility that God had parents and even a small lab for him to experiment in.
God as a kid tries to make a chicken in his room.
It is safe to assume that the God from The Far Side is a very specific version of the deity mostly conjured by Larson's mind. Surrounded by feathers from an exploded chicken and a dirty face from the explosion demonstrates the end of a rather comedic scene. God at work inventing chicken is already perfect, but the experiment going wrong is just masterfully funny.
God Losing A Contact Proves Catastrophic
But It's Hilarious That He Needs Them At All
As a small town is decimated under the weight of a massive contact lens from the skies, a voice calls, "Well, shoot... It's gotta be around here somewhere!" It is safe to assume that the lens is God's by the caption alone. However, questions begin to form as readers wonder why God even needs contact lenses. The simple answer: Because it is hilarious.
The fact God would be visually impaired and would need to put on contacts every morning to see better is a great joke. Still, God losing one of the contacts and it falling over Earth like a destructive meteorite raises the joke to another level, making it impossible not to laugh along with Larson.
God Finds Snakes Are Very Easy To Mold
He Made A Big Batch Of Them That Day
Above the clouds, God stands by a table with clay off to the side. He molds and shapes the clay until it takes a familiar shape. Finally, he puts them off to the side and exclaims as he starts to work on a new one, "Boy. These things are a cinch!"
This panel is hilarious because it shows God making more than one snake. As all-powerful as he is, in The Far Side, God needs to make animals by hand more than once, and so he is hard at work and pleased by the fact that snakes are very easy to shape.This comic is far more charming than impressive, but it places God in a rather fun light, something Larson did with calm ease sometimes.
Earth Was Baked In God's Oven
And It Might've Only Been Half-Baked
God having a den or a kitchen is a possibility that makes perfect sense in The Far Side. As God is hard at work baking the Earth, he notes, "Something tells me this thing's only half-baked." Whether this is a dig at the famous but small planet or if it's more focused on humans isn't immediately clear.
However readers see this panel, the general ideas posited make this a panel that defeats all basic ideas of logic. So, it is safe to assume that it is just one of the many absurd ideas Larson illustrated and made his comic strip famous.
God Has Many Cool Acts
These Are His Most Impressive
When people use the phrase "acts of God," it usually demonstrates that something unanticipated couldn't have happened via anything else but God. However, Larson viewed such a phrase literally and placed God on a stage to perform acts for indulging angels. Of course, using God as a character in Larson's strip, he was bound to gain several oppositionists. One of the many letters he received showed utter disbelief at newspapers for agreeing to publish Larson's work on their pages without a second thought.
It is not surprising that a warped mind would enjoy ridiculing Almighty God. What is surprising is to find a respectable family newspaper such as the BIRMINGHAM NEWS providing a platform for that warped mind.
The editors and Larson's team understood that Larson never meant any harm, and his panels were often harmless when depicting the all-powerful deity. But, no matter how hilarious the cartoonist was, angry readers would always be just around the corner to rebuke the jokes. Thankfully, there were always fans of the strip happy to enjoy it however it was presented. Because of readers' mixed responses and hilarious humor, this strip takes the middle spot on the list.
Ernie Gets A Divine Phone Call By Mistake
His Life Was Changed Forever After That
Larson didn't often use multiple panels in his strip. As a single panel cartoonist, it was rare for him to require more than one box for his illustrations. However, whenever Larson did break his single-panel rule, he always made them count.
As Ernie sits by his TV with his cat calmly sleeping beside him, Ernie is surprised to find the phone ringing. As he answers, God himself greets the man, "Hello? Hello? This is God! Who's this?" Ernie is surprised, but he answers, "Uh, this is Ernie Miller, Sir." After realizing he dialed the wrong number, God apologizes and hangs up. However, the act is done, and so for the rest of his life, Ernie tells anyone who will listen that he spoke with God. Larson shows readers that the moment did indeed happen, and how hilarious a situation it was.
God Made The Prey First
Predators Came A Day After That
Looking on at all the animals he's created, God puts his hands on his hips and says, "Hmmmmm... not bad, not bad at all... Well, now I guess I'd better make some things to eat you guys." Showing what Larson believes the situation might've been like in heaven when God realized his animals needed predators to form a balance is both hilarious and dark.
This strip is the perfect mixture of what made The Far Side great. Larson was a creative writer who often used every weapon in his arsenal for humor. This panel is one of the many that demonstrates how great he could be in his most simple form.
God Goes On A Game Show
Obviously, He Wins Every Round
In The Prehistory of The Far Side, Larson described his detailed process when creating this panel: "I was careful to do two things: First, I made God look the way I think most of us are pretty sure he looks. Secondly, I made sure he was really winning hands down. Even if Norman had only ten points it would have meant that he beat God to the buzzer at least once, and someone would have gotten mad." Unlike the usual tone Larson took with his comic strip, when it came to God, Larson made sure to be as careful as possible.
He balanced a line of humor and respect that he didn't normally consider in his comic strip. Mostly, when Larson told a joke, it was at the expense of whoever was the subject, but these jokes were never made to offend. Larson simply had a specific type of humor that some readers struggled to understand, and, when it came to God, he was just slightly more careful not to toe a line that seemed far more delicate than any of the others. Here, that perfect balance is demonstrated flawlessly.
God Has A Computer For Watching Humans
He Wanted To Be Modern When He Smites People
Sitting at a computer, God watches an unsuspecting passerby on a sidewalk go under a strapped piano being hoisted to the top floor of a building. Upon a closer look, readers notice God's keyboard has very specific buttons rather than letters. Alongside a classic 'F1' key, God's finger hovers over the 'Smite' key. This is by far one of Larson's most famous and well-known panels. When it was released, its simplicity and attention to detail were two relevant factors that pushed this image to the top of many fans' lists. Of course, other readers were offended that newspapers dared to publish such a panel. Newspaper editors and Larson's own editor, Jake Morrissey, understood that Larson never meant any harm with his comics.
In Morrisey's own words, "The thornier problems were those readers who understood a Far Side cartoon but didn't like what they read and felt the need to express their indignation. I became adroit at replying to a litany of protests about the cartoon: How it was anti-dog, anti-cat, and anti-God; how it was pro-torture, pro-Satan, and pro-violence against animals. None of this was true, of course, as I tried over and over to explain." No matter how harmless Larson attempted to make his comic, it was inevitable that some readers would remain unhappy. Thankfully, Larson never allowed said readers to dampen or slow down what was a masterful and jovial body of work.
