Over almost fifteen years of writing The Far SideGary Larson has produced thousands of cartoons. Some of them became famous, others infamous – and although the number of Far Side panels with lasting legacies can number in the hundreds, there are still legions of comics that have fallen into relative obscurity.
A select group of hardcore Far Side fans can count one or more of the cartoons collected here among their favorites, but in general, These in-depth comics will be new to most readers, as they have, for one reason or another, attracted less attention than others.
As readers will quickly recognize, these cartoons contain all of the same elements as the most beloved cartoons. Far Side panels and therefore deserve to have their reputation enhanced among the generations of audiences who continue to discover Gary Larson's creatively chaotic work to this day.
10
The other side's enforcers-in-training are one of the many forgotten gems
First published: November 16, 1993
The Far Side had its share of executioners, competent or not, including this room full of interns at the “Night School for Electric Chair Operator” – at least one of which needs to go back to chapter one of the book, while the teacher confirms that pressing the button “up and down very quickly“It's not the way to do it.
Gary Larson's sense of humor was notoriously dark from the beginning of The Far Sideand although his ability to tell a dark joke has become more accurate over the years, this panel is proof that his true sense and style of humor didn't change much between 1980 and 1995. Visually, the giant”On/Off“The switch drawn on the board adds a perfect dimension to the joke, as does the student who answered incorrectly looking at”Douglas”, whose hand went up next.
9
Not every Far Side cartoon won a participation trophy
First published: November 2, 1993
The Far Side humor could be – in Gary Larson's own words – “confusing, obtuse, esoteric and strange.” It is also often called nonsense and occasionally considered offensive. All a Far Side What a cartoon really needs to be memorable is just one of those things; On the other hand, though, when one of Larson's jokes comes dangerously close to being “ordinary,” it can make it register less with readers.
This is the case here, in a panel that depicts a Boy Scout troop being given “Big Boy Velcro Kits“, as the caption explains that”Even the Boy Scouts who fail to tie knots go camping.” It's a pretty funny joke, but the biggest problem is that it doesn't do it justice. The Far Side reputation for strangeness and indiscipline.
8
Sometimes Gary Larson's joke got lost in the details
First published: December 17, 1991
Gary Larson recognized the importance of detail and specificity to The Far Side humor, and in many cases he is right that being specific about certain details increases the impact of your jokes. Occasionally, however, the opposite was also true. That is, sometimes a perfectly funny joke can be obscured by panel details.
Arguably, this can be said to be the case here; the comic depicts a buffalo with a harness tied around its neck, with the other end of the rope tied to the nose of a woman lying on an operating table, as a doctor, identified in the caption as “Dr Irwin Blumenthal”, prepares to scare the bull, biting off the patient’s nose. Evidently, this was something he did”until his medical license was suspended.” It's a lot to process, and while the sum total can be funny, the result can be a delayed reaction.
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The Other Side Has Many Memorable Characters – But Many Others Who Aren't So Iconic
First published: February 19, 1991
In this Far Side cartoon, an apple arrives at his girlfriend's door to pick her up, only for a worm to come out of his head at the most inopportune time possible, causing him to “[feel] himself becoming even redder.“ It's a pretty funny joke, and actually one of Gary Larson's most relatable jokes – but for some reason it hasn't stuck with readers like others Far Side comics do.
One reason for this may be the absence of The Far Side more recognizable characters, who have become references for readers over the years. While anthropomorphized apples are a fun image, they didn't seem like enough to appeal to readers in the same way that the chickens and ducks, or the bears and elephants in the comics, did.
6
Gary Larson reminds readers that the Sistine Chapel also has a floor
First published: January 30, 1991
That Far Side the cartoon deserves a lot more attention than it gets, because while it may not be a funny joke, it is by far one of Gary Larson's most thought-provoking jokes. On the panel, the caption laments that “although history has long forgotten them, Lambini & Sons are generally credited with the flooring of the Sistine Chapel“, as tiles are shown being laid, with the walls and ceiling around the workers an empty, stark white.
The humor of the comic comes from the anachronistic”Lambini & Sons” being pushed back to Renaissance-era Rome, still on a conceptual level, makes evocative of the fact that for Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Chapel, many people whose names were lost to him had to first build the Chapel, from the foundation above .
5
Many Far Side comics are about to be revived as new fans discover them for the first time
First published: July 26, 1990
In this Far Side cartoon, a careless janitor accidentally turns off a room full of bodies, as well as some disembodied heads, preserved in the “Frozen Friends Cryogenic Company,' after wrapping the leg around the power cord.
This comic is a great example of Gary Larson's ability to be absurd to varying degrees; While the abrupt deaths of these individuals as a result of caretakers' negligence may shock readers, the sheer silliness of their freezing being plugged into an easily accessible outlet is crucial to the joke. In fact, this hilarious Far Side The comic deserves to be thawed and introduced to a new generation of fans, because it's the best of all time and hasn't earned the reputation it deserves.
4
Not all the terms Gary Larson coined on the other side were caught
First published: October 16, 1985
The Far Side coined the famous term “tagomizer”, for the tail of a stegosaurus, which was adopted by the scientific community. However, that wasn't the only terminological joke Gary Larson made over the years, it was just the one that stuck. That's because he identified something that didn't have a name, but could use one, and coined the term for it.
This cartoon is actually much funnier, but the word it invents only applies to a scenario that is both hyperspecific and also highly unlikely. According to the caption, “luposilipaphobia“means”the fear of being chased by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a freshly waxed floor“, with the illustration portraying precisely this scenario. While this is a hilarious image, thankfully no one has apparently needed to use Larson's term in the decades since he created it.
3
Some jokes on the other side have obstacles to overcome to stay in readers' minds
First published: January 28, 1984
That Far Side cartoon – in which a man on safari is frightened by Indian drummers and ends up trapped in a fence, while a gazelle gracefully leaps over him – is a perfect representation of the hundreds and hundreds of panels that were perfectly useful in the quest to get distracted laughs from readers as they leafed through their daily funny pages, in this case on a Saturday morning.
As far as posterity is concerned, there is nothing that jumps out at the reader in a way that will stick with them, especially in comparison to so many other Far Side comics. It's definitely fun, but in a way this comic is fighting a losing battle, because even if it manages to catch readers' attention, it will have difficulty keeping it for long.
2
Sometimes the other side was too simple for its own good
First published: April 15, 1982
Far Side Readers can probably recall examples of cartoons where the weirdness really got in the way of the joke, or times when Gary Larson asked too much of his readers, hoping they'd catch a reference that ended up going over most people's heads.
On the other hand, there were occasional Far Side cartoons that were actually overly simple, making them more quickly forgettable. That's probably the case here; the panel shows two dogs scratching a human's belly, making his leg kick – and that's it. The illustration is sparse and the panel has no caption, although it does not need a caption. This is undoubtedly a perfect example of Gary Larson's “inversion” technique, but beyond that, it doesn't grab readers' attention in the same way that so many The Far Side Dog jokes do.
1
The other side delighted in portraying the moment before everything collapsed
First published: May 21, 1980
So soon Far Side cartoon is one of Gary Larson's best and absolutely deserves more inclusion on “best of” lists. “Hey, who's that smart guy who keeps snapping his fingers?” says a boy in a tree fort, as he is interrupted whilst trying to hold a vote for the club's new name – not realizing that a beaver has chewed through almost the entire trunk of the tall tree they are leaving.
This panel is a perfect collusion between image and caption, in a way that makes it more memorable Far Side cartoons. There is no good reason why this panel wouldn't have a greater legacy, other than it simply fell into obscurity over time. However, Far Side fans will recognize its merit and sing its praises, which means that, hopefully, like so many great Gary Larson cartoons, it will find a new audience in the years to come.