One of the joys Far side it’s creator Gary Larson’s knack when it comes to twisting familiar sayings to give them completely unexpected new meaning. Larson’s ability to find humor in popular phrases and iconic idioms was perhaps unmatched at the peak of his career.and created some of his most memorable punchlines.
The comic medium allowed Larson to translate figurative statements word for word, a tactic he has used repeatedly with great success throughout history. Far side escape, leading to some of his greatest works.
These panels were successful largely because they embodied the absurdist side of Larson’s humor while still giving the reader something recognizable to latch onto. In other words, these cartoons represent some of the Far side the most balanced, effective humor, allowing one way or another to provoke a reaction from the reader.
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If anyone knew “Out of Left Field,” it was “The Far Side” creator Gary Larson.
First published: March 16, 1993
“And then WHAM– a passerby explains to the policeman. as she stands on a city street corner next to the body of a man crushed by a giant baseball.”this thing just comes out of left field.” Most readers are probably familiar with this idiom, which uses the geography of a baseball field to describe something completely unexpected. Moreover, fans Far side especially will know that this is apt terminology to use when discussing Gary Larson’s sense of humor.
Here, Gary Larson uses the phrase in the context of the shocking death of a victim who was crushed by a giant falling object—except by turning the object into an actual giant baseball, Larson cleverly doubles down on the woman’s words.
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The Far Side Wasn’t the Place for Cinematic Endings
First published: May 25, 1992
Gary Larson’s love of the Wild West and cowboy imagery provided him with an ideal outlet for subverting conventional iconography and idiom. That’s because for Larson—and for many Americans of his era—the popular concept of the Old West was born out of the decades-long dominance of cowboy films in Hollywood. Perhaps the most famous phrase that spawned these films was the concept of “riding into the sunset”, equated to an optimistic ending for the hero.
In this Far side comic, Larson hilariously turns it around by having one cowboy drags another, burned to a crisp and still burning, into the saloon, shouting:Damn, the fool tried to ride off into the sunset!” It’s a perfect inversion, reminding readers that Far side it was rarely a place where anyone settled peacefully and retired.
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These Far Side Birds Are Lucky To Be Contained By Cages
First published: March 11, 1992
Figuratively speaking, “to shake someone’s cage” means to disturb or upset a person. This Far side The cartoon uses two of the many poultry ribbons to make this literal, as two birds in their enclosures are depicted in the midst of a confrontation, one of which declares to the other:Oh yeah? Well, maybe I’ll just come and rattle your cage!“
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The term, of course, comes from the idea of shaking the cage of a captive animal to deliberately disturb it, and so in a sense what Gary Larson is doing here isn’t really undermining the purpose of the phrase, but returning to its original meaning . This is a particularly fascinating use of Gary Larson’s wordplay skills as it demonstrates a deep knowledge of the etymology of common phrases such as this.
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The Far Side’s Most Exclusive Club – Apples Not Welcome
First published: January 2, 1991
In this panel, Gary Larson takes the idea of ”forbidden fruit”—something you want but can’t have—and puts a delightful spin on it, but then goes even further and twists the meaning of the saying. Far side version of forbidden fruit Apple is denied entry into the Citrus Club and the banana bouncer yells at him that “we don’t allow people like you here“
In other words, the apple is not allowed in; It’s a stupid change of phrase, but that’s the beauty of it. Here Larson demonstrates his ability to find the unexpected in the familiar, which in many ways was the essence of Far sideand which was at the heart of the strip’s most obscure punchlines, as well as its loudest.
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Gary Larson ‘means business’ when it comes to playing with common phrases
First published: April 9, 1990
This is another example of a comic where Gary Larson returns to the origins of a familiar phrase: it depicts a horde of Vikings marching on a castle, all of them carrying briefcases, while the defenders on top of the walls shout in horror: “they mean business!”
This idiom takes the word “business” and makes it synonymous with any serious activity – in this case, comically extrapolated to its patented extreme. Far side a fashion signifying the sack of a city. With the exception of Larson’s Vikings, these are just a few of many that popped up all over the place. Far sidein fact they actually have things to do as their spears and swords have been replaced with briefcases. Once again, by presenting this line literally, Gary Larson demonstrates its inherent stupidity to comedic effect.
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Knocking on death’s door is one thing, but after dinner?
First published: May 7, 1986
In one of Gary Larson’s best Grim Reaper jokes: the traveling salesman is “knocking on death’s door” – literally, interrupting.”Deaths“just as they are getting ready for the evening. Larson’s jokes about mortality were often so ironic, containing allusions to the different ways people talk about death and dying.
“I’m knocking on death’s door“usually used to describe a sick person who seems to be on the verge of the end of his life. It can be thought of as the welcome knock when death usheres the deceased through the door to whatever comes next; The point of the joke here is that Larson specifically targets this trope, instead inverting it so that his hammer is actually in the way, inconveniencing these Reapers during their off hours.
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What else could these great white men on the far side be wearing?
First published: August 7, 1985
Far side is known for often being unclear, but there have been times when Gary Larson’s punchlines intentionally hit the nose—and since this Far side The shark panels are perhaps the funniest parts of the strip. Features of this simple joke two huge white men, dressed in their best clothes, ready to go on a luxurious date, and one says to the other:Well, if you’re almost ready, I’m dressed to kill”
Here, Larson highlights the hyperbole of the “dress to kill” idiom, expressing how strange it really is that extreme fashion sensitivity is equated with violence. He does this by putting words into the mouths of nature’s ultimate predators, sharks, in one of Far side the most amazingly thought-provoking cartoons.
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Gary Larson answers one of life’s most puzzling questions
First published: July 15, 1985
“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, will it make a sound?“It is one of philosophy’s most enduring thought experiments, having stimulated the minds of countless people over the past several centuries. Although its roots are unclear, over time this unanswerable question has become ubiquitous, giving Gary Larson the perfect opportunity to provide his own answer in this Far side panel.
Larson’s fallen tree not only makes a sound, but doesn’t even shut up, first bemoaning its fate, but then distracted by retreating and saying:this reminds me of a story…“ before his word balloon runs out of space. It’s as simple as it is effective; since everyone knows the question doesn’t have an answer in the first place, offering an answer is an almost instantaneous way to get a laugh.
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Sometimes on the far side hell was the lack of options
First published: July 10, 1985
WITH Far sideGary Larson has created many cartoons in Hell, mining the depths of the underworld for maximum fun. Here Larson literally interprets the phrase “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” depicting the unfortunate soul stuck with a pitchfork in the back, forced to make this unenviable choice, as the impatient devil mutters,”come on, come on – either one or the other.”
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The humor in this cartoon is based on a completely literal interpretation of the phrase, which is emphasized by the panel details, especially the pose of the main character, combined with the expression of disappointment on the devil’s face. Given that the phrase represents a choice between two equally undesirable outcomes, few artists have ever represented it more fully than Gary Larson does here.
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All work and no play makes rodents boring, but the brilliant cartoon “The Far Side”
First published: February 15, 1985
Without a doubt this is one of the Far side The funniest thing is this one familiar phrase. It depicts three mice: one working on a complex equation at a blackboard, while the rest of us read weighty tomes such as Is the Universe Contracting? and “Social anarchy among rodents,” as the fourth mouse enters the room and admonishes them: “Come on guys, there is no cat, and everyone is so serious.”
Let’s clarify the phrase “while the cat is away, the mice will play“, this panel features iconic anthropomorphic animals by Gary Larson, as well as Far side the creator’s passion for science, all in the service of a delightful interpretation of a classic adage that both takes the idiom literally and turns it on its head. In other words, this is one of Gary Larson’s most beautifully executed punchlines, and one of Far side the most effective cartoons.