The Far Side is famous for his deadly sense of humor, and One of Gary Larson's favorite methods of getting rid of characters was to crush them with falling objects. Whether it was pianos, trees, or any number of random objects that spelled the destruction of one of Larson's creations, this timeless trope highlights The Far Side at its tragicomic best.
Since the origins of literature in antiquity, things have fallen from the sky to destroy hapless heroes, and Gary Larson has illustrated this classic comic maneuver in numerous ways over the years.
Of note is Larson's “piano falling” comic series, which managed to be The Far Side in its most caricatured and at the same time most violent aspect. Overall, among the entries listed here are some truly excellent examples of the strip's brand of campy comedy.
10
Fair or foul, death can strike at any time on the other side
First published: March 16, 1993
In this panel, Gary Larson uses the familiar saying "out of left field" and makes it frighteningly literal, like a man is shown crushed to death on a city street by a giant baseball. In real life, death is unexpected and unpredictable, and The Far Side The morbid sense of humor offered a hyperbolic extension of this, which allowed his jokes about death to be funny.
In other words, readers recognize the absurdity of this cartoon before they recognize its cold and depressing reality – but, in fact, the two things coexist in the panel, and this overlap is a fundamental part of what makes it funny. This dimensionality is what elevates Gary Larson's mood, for anyone who invests time in knowing how Far Side cartoon function.
9
The other side asks a familiar philosophical question, with a dark twist
First published: December 28, 1992
Gary Larson offers a distorted view of "If a tree falls in the forest..."question in this Far Side cartoon, asking if"Hit a mime, does anyone care?" Like Larson's best work, his illustration captures a moment in time, while the caption offers a timeless joke. It takes something familiar and subverts it in an unexpected way. It's very funny, at the same time it's a little disturbing.
All in all, this is, by most metrics, a perfectly executed execution. Far Side cartoon. It may not be the best-remembered entry in Larson's oeuvre, but it deserves more attention as it captures the spirit of the artist's overall style well, delivering a scene as fatally funny as any in cartoon history.
8
A far side for comics who once felt like the universe itself was out to get them
First published: September 17, 1991
This is maybe The Far Side the best-known comic strip starring God, as well as being one of the funniest examples of Gary Larson's "falling piano" cartoons, of which he has produced a few over the years. Here, on a panel subtitled "God on Your Computer”, the Almighty is depicted pressing the “FERRAR" on the keyboard, causing a piano to fall on a random pedestrian's head walking down the street.
This is a simple but amazing joke, expertly illustrated by Larson. Once again, the artist comments on the abruptness of death, but instead of portraying it as random and chaotic, he attributes it to a capricious creator. For anyone who has ever felt like God, or fate, or some cosmic force was against them, this comic will be darkly relatable and definitely hilarious.
7
When he got to the other side, art was dangerous
First published: February 28, 1990
That Far Side amateur artist meets a dark fate, crushed by a fallen tree in her own living room, as the Bob Ross analogue on her television set reminds her of "make your trees look like happy trees." It's a funny joke, but also one of the The Far Side the darkest deaths, showing how light and dark were hopelessly intertwined when it came to Gary Larson's humor.
The Far Side It was commercial art, in the sense that it was published in newspapers and targeted a wide audience – despite its seemingly niche humor – but it was also daring, in the sense that it tested the limits of what was possible in commercial art. Panels like this are a great example of this, as Gary Larson proved that the average reader could tolerate a macabre twist on the morning paper.
6
The vultures on the other side take extreme measures in this classic cartoon
First published: February 5, 1985
Gary Larson often portrayed characters lost in the desert and also created a number of Far Side panels with vultures. This cartoon is the best of both worlds, as it depicts a man crawling towards a life-saving oasis of water in the middle of the sand - while a vulture that was counting on him for a meal does everything he can to finish off the survivor, dropping a piano on him.
Of course, the absurd and physics-defying aspect of the joke immediately jumps out at readers, but what makes this panel truly memorable? Far Side The vultures' dialogue is comical. "Damn, I think he's going to make it to the water,” says a vulture, while the one with the piano coolly comments, “Oh no, he's not", in a hilarious yet delusional way, Far Side moment.
5
The Far Side's best movie reference didn't come out of nowhere
First published: November 6, 1984
In one of the most widely recognized Far Side cartoons, Gary Larson portrays a unfortunate victim of King Kong's fall from the Empire State Building – and his poor pet dog, who gets his collar stuck under the giant ape, next to his crushed owner.
The Far Side made many references to classic films, and this is by far one of the most striking, in part because of the sad implication of the joke, but also because it illustrates how Larson was able to extrapolate the most unexpected but latent humor of classic cinema. In other words, a joke like this almost writes itself – but someone like Gary Larson had to show up and actually make it happen.
4
In this side panel, “heavy” rain takes on a dangerous new meaning
First published: March 7, 1983
"I'd hate to be caught out there on a day like this"a man says to his wife, standing at his window and watching the pianos fall to the floor. While these Far Side characters seemingly escape unscathed from this absurd storm of falling Steinways - thanks, presumably, to an incredibly well-reinforced roof - this is, however, one of the most potentially deadly "falling piano" cartoons Gary Larson has ever produced, as well as one of the most visually stunning.
It's a strange joke, which gains a reputation for “surreal” humor that The Far Side is known for. While Gary Larson's work tended to be more grounded than he deserves credit for, this one is entirely unrealistic, as fans have come to expect from his cartoons.
3
It's all fun and games until your parents catch you with the piano stuck to the ceiling
First published: April 6, 1982
Once again, Gary Larson delivers a joke in which a piano defies the laws of physics – although, much more worryingly, the boy in this Far Side panel apparently challenged his parents, attaching the family piano to the ceiling while they are out at night, which he tries to knock down with a broom when they return home.
The image of the young man "Billy"standing precariously beneath the piano - inexplicably fixed to the ceiling above him, as he tries to free it - will elicit a ripple of laughter from most readers, as the potential for catastrophe is hilariously, and deliberately, underplayed by Larson, as exemplified by the indifferent annoyance of his parents' reaction, who admonish him for "receiving [himself] in some kind of problem", as usual.
2
The unluckiest guys on the other side
First published: September 8, 1981
"You're kidding! I was struck twice by lightning too!", says a man in a cast and in a wheelchair to another, in almost identical conditions - while a meteor enters the frameit went straight to crushing them both. This is an iconic Far Side cartoon; Of all the death and destruction that Gary Larson has portrayed throughout the comic, it could be argued that this is the funniest.
This is because the joke intentionally delivers a truly astronomical degree of bad luck, on the part of its two ill-fated characters. What makes their legendary bad luck truly uproarious, though, is the fact that until the last few seconds, the pair probably think of themselves as opposites, as two immensely lucky souls, having seemingly survived the nearly impossible - only to succumb to the the highly unlikely.
1
The other side reminds readers not to neglect observation
First published: July 4, 1981
In a way, this classic Far Side The falling piano cartoon perfectly sums up Gary Larson's patented comedic strategy - that is, draw the reader in, let their guard down, and then drop something unexpected on their heads. Here, Larson illustrates this literally, as a man looks down, perplexed, at a broken piano bench on the floor, unable to look up and see the piano following himabout to crush him.
This is also one of Larson's many memorable Far Side cartoons that don't need subtitles to convey their joke. The joke will be morbid to some, highly amusing to others, but it is unmistakable in one way or another, as it will be immediately clear to most readers that the character's mixture of curiosity and lack of awareness around him dooms him in this unforgettable story. Far Side panel.