The Far Side didn’t always need subtitles to tell the reader his joke – and, in fact, Some of his most memorable cartoons avoided the caption entirely, instead relying on the image to be self-explanatory.. Although artist Gary Larson sometimes misjudged his ability to get his point across, more often than not he excelled at visually conveying his mood.
Arguably, illustrations are what hook readers when it comes to The Far Side more often than subtitles – although Gary Larson’s panels were closer to perfection when they found the precise balance between the two.
With that in mind, taking a closer look at what made Larson’s best untitled film Far Side Such Effective Comics offers greater insight into why his work stood out among his peers in the comics medium and why he continues to attract new generations of readers to this day.
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Gary Larson established early and often that life on the other side was precarious
First published: April 28, 1980
In this great moment Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson deftly plays with the boundaries between art and the natural world – featuring a bird with a helpless puppet stuck in its beak, bringing the two-dimensional representation back to be the finishing touch to a nest in progress.
If one were to rate the humor of The Far Side on a scale of increasing complexity, it would rank at the simplest level. The virtue of the joke is its obviousness; As readers who have spent much time reading Larson’s work will know, this can be said of many of his jokes, despite The Far Side reputation for being shady. The joke here is rooted in the intrusion of an overtly illustrated figure into a naturalistic scene, and most readers will notice this immediately, at least implicitly.
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The best Far Side comics leave room for ambiguity, even those with the simplest jokes
First published: August 10, 1981
The joke of it Far Side cartoon is straightforward, but what makes it a notable example of Gary Larson’s sense of humor is the way in which, even in its simplicity, it leaves room for the reader’s interpretation. That is, the panel’s “facts” are unequivocal; a pair of bears killed – or at least knocked out – a man walking through the forest, ripped his wallet from his backpack and are rummaging through it.
However, readers who examine this comic in more detail will be left wondering what the bears are thinking, based on the quizzical expressions Larson has drawn on their faces and the precise moment he catches them in the act. A bear is extracting money from a man’s wallet – but whether that’s what they’re after or simply ursine curiosity will keep readers guessing indefinitely.
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Gary Larson’s captionless comics sometimes operated on the precipice of confusion
First published: February 21, 1981
In this classic Far Side cowboy comics, two thieves are involved in a fight on the edge of a cliff overlooking a steep drop, at the bottom of which is a man playing the piano, who casts a glance over his shoulder, looking up at the two in alarm.
Admittedly, there is room for confusion with this Far Side cartoon, as readers might not immediately recognize that the pianist was supposed to play the dramatic theme of this cliff fight – but in a bit of Mel Brooks-style slapstick, the musician himself was inserted into the Wild West scene. However, as this reveals itself upon further analysis, it’s sure to elicit a chuckle at Gary Larson’s banter, at the very least.
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This entrepreneur on the other side couldn’t explain his business if he tried
First published: October 4, 1982
The Far Side has featured its share of characters wearing grim overcoats, and this unusual huckster is perhaps the most inexplicable – but that’s exactly what makes him the funniest. The man, wearing sunglasses and an oversized coat, sits hunched over at a table on a city street, selling jars labeled “the Willies“,” “nervousness,” and the “heebie jeebies“, for reasons that were probably as intriguing to Gary Larson himself as they were to readers.
Of course, as much as readers may think they want, even yearn, for a definitive explanation for Far Side cartoons like this, the truth is that the uncertainty of the humor is part of what makes it appealing. The Far Side tended to keep his readers off balance, asking questions – and at least those who shared his sensibilities, wanting more.
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This comic on the other side is “right place/right time” or “wrong place/wrong time” (it’s a matter of perspective)
First published: January 13, 1983
In this hilarious no subtitles Far Side Tarzan cartoon, the jungle man swings from one vine to another – only to discover that it is a snake, which promptly bites off his head. The Far Side is famous for its “man versus nature” jokes, and over the years they have come from both sides of the conflict; This cartoon is interesting because it presents an unbiased third-person perspective. This is either a score for the snake or a tragedy for Tarzan, depending on how the reader views the situation.
This is also another example of the simplest level of Far Side cartoons; What happened and why it’s funny are evident even without the use of captions, leaving few readers looking for an explanation in the way so often attributed to Gary Larson’s humor.
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The details of a distant side panel used to be where Gary Larson’s humor really came from
First published: July 22, 1983
That Far Side cartoon might make readers ask “What?“, but only because it is strange and subtle, not confusing. The panel depicts a caveman’s room, and Although the bowl of raw meat on the coffee table in place of a bowl of fruit is what will first draw readers in, a closer look reveals that the entire room is worn and broken.given the uncivilized nature of its inhabitant.
This is a great example of Gary Larson’s talent for detail. The bowl of meat clearly signals the joke to the reader, even without subtitles, but the broken window, the torn curtains and the crooked lamp – and, interestingly, the blank pages that the caveman is holding, in place of a newspaper – they all where the humor in this Far Side comics are truly elevated.
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Even on the other side, there’s nothing worse than slipping up in front of your peers
First published: September 12, 1983
In this memorable Far Side elephant comics, a young pachyderm is pictured lying on its back, narrowing its eyes in humiliation, after having slipped on an old banana peel. This is another simple Far Side joke, free from unnecessary subtitles; All it takes is the tiny banana peel in the right corner of the frame, in contrast to the embarrassed young elephant, surrounded by his herd, to make the reader laugh.
More than funny, this Far Side In fact, the panel accurately captures the feeling of shame around friends, family, or colleagues – and it does so with just one image, using the framing of the action and the eyes of its elephant characters to create a familiar, lasting moment.
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This Dark Far Side Chicken comic depicts the temptation of convenience
First published: January 12, 1985
In this hilarious speechless Far Side chicken drawing, a mother hen stands at the kitchen counter, pouring cake mix into a huge bowl, surrounded by all the necessary ingredients – except one, as she narrows her eyes and looks at her handful of huge eggs in the adjacent room.
The darkly funny implication here is obvious: the chicken is thinking about using her own eggs to make the cake. While an alternative interpretation – that she is grimacing at the harsh reality that chicken eggs are so essential to the culinary arts – is possible, the former explanation is more likely, as it is more in keeping with the dark vein of humor. that Gary Larson often uses. exposed in his work.
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The other side’s classic inversion of animal and humorous behaviors is on full display in this cow drawing.
First published: August 10, 1986
Gary Larson’s use of animal characters to invert, subvert, and satirize human behavior is perhaps The Far Side most recognizable recurring motif, and this panel provides a clear illustration of this, all without the need for a caption. The cartoon shows a trio of bulls working construction on a city street, “calling out” to cows as they pass by on the adjacent sidewalk.
The joke here is straightforward, in the sense that it asks readers to consider how inherently ridiculous – and animalistic – behavior like “whistling” is, swapping cows for human characters. There’s enough humor and social criticism built into this premise alone that Larson doesn’t need to take the humor further, or obscure the “point” of the comic by adding additional context.
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Gary Larson toes the line with this bland, borderline side panel
First published: February 9, 1990
The Far Side has had its fair share of tragic characters, and Gary Larson often drew inspiration from the true story, but rarely combined the two, this comic being a notable exception. Here, Gary Larson makes light of the real Donner Party incidentrepresenting a “memorial” which is a statue of a large foot sticking out between two pieces of bread.
Without a doubt, this cartoon will elicit an immediate reaction from readers, whether it’s a shocked laugh or a grunt of horror, and that was Gary Larson’s goal. Some readers will consider this comic to have pushed, or even exceeded, the boundaries of good taste, but what few can deny is that it unmistakably captures the spirit of The Far Sidein all its infamous glory.