“what-the?” is among the most common reactions that readers have to The front sideWhether they are new to exploring the absurdist cartoon, or they are deeply familiar with Gary Larson’s idiosyncratic sense of humor. Part of learning how to navigate the topsy-turvy world of Larson’s comics includes accepting that some of his jokes are going to confuse, rather than entertain.
In 1990, Gary Larson returned from a year-long hiatus, and began what would ultimately be the final stretch of For side Cartoons, as he then retired from Cartoons at the end of 1994.
Although it may come down to a matter of degrees, it can be argued that on his comeback, Larson’s already-absurd and quizzical comedic style grew there even more; The result, however, was that during this period, The artist produced many of his most outrageously unforgettable For side Panels.
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Imagine Gary Larson relaxing on a beach and this is what he thinks about
First published: January 8, 1990
One of the first For side Panels that Gary Larson produced when he returned from his 1989 hiatus, many fans of his work would also point to this cartoon as one of the strangest, hands down, ever created in the annals of the artist’s work. There is a woman sitting on the beach, Watching as fractal branches emerge from the ocean, each with a busy fish bowl on the end of it.
captain”Encroachment of the fish developers,” readers can almost picture the origin of the joke: Larson on vacation, thinking about how the coastline is increasingly populated by condos, and then imagining the goldfish equivalent. For side Jokes are produced, starting with Gary Larson’s blank observations of the world around him, but even he is often perplexed by the strange end results of his reflections.
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Sometimes the most obvious jokes far side are the funniest
First published: February 14, 1990
Readers familiar with Gary Larson’s work know that each For side Comic succeeds or fails to get a reaction as a result of the interplay between its illustration and its caption. A great caption can elevate a funny drawing to full-on hilarity, and vice versa. Alternatively, a strong interplay between can take an amusing premise for a joke and make it a whole”what-the?“Moment.
That’s the case here, as this Valentine’s Day comic Features a gaggle of chickens trying to apply lipstick — and failing, because, “It’s like they say…we just don’t have lips.” Gary Larson’s precise use of language stands out here; The chicken attributes the fact that chickens lack lips to a nebulous “them” is particularly funny, while the final line punctuates the absurdity of comics with a striking dash of obviousness.
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On the far side, “all purpose” really means all purpose
First published: March 8, 1990
In this multi-panel For side pass, Gary Larson delivers a twisted take on an infomercial, depicting the various uses for “STOPPIT: An all-purpose product– including fixing a leaky faucet, hailing a taxi, putting out a cigarette, making a baby stop crying, and stopping a charging elephant.
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Certainly, the cartoon is a great opportunity to provoke a chuckle from readers, but it is an undeniable “what-the?“Quality running through each panel in the sequence, starting with reasonable household usage and then escalating absurdly.what-the?” Reply to The front side is most commonly associated with confusion, it is actually much more commonly a product of incredulity. In particular, the image of smiling parents spraying “STOPPIT” on their baby will have many readers shaking their heads.
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An unusual moment of quiet reflection on the far side (why does it feel so weird?)
First published: April 13, 1990
For the acclaimed to The front side Constant use of talking animals, there is nothing particularly funny about this comic, which Features an adult bird and its baby sitting on the rear-end of a rhinoceros, with the parent musing, “Someday, it will all be yours.”
Besides the lack of overt weirdness is exactly what will prompt readers to wonder, “what-the?“The punchline is pretty straightforward, as rather than a home and property, or family heirlooms and business assets to pass down between generations, the birds only have the butt of one of The front side Many rhinos to land on. After this simplicity is its own kind of curveball, like For side Readers will likely find themselves scanning the panel, looking for something they missed.
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Readers will be rapt in this “classic” far from snake strip will
First published: May 3, 1990
The front side “what-the?“Comics are often more memorable than even the funniest of Gary Larson’s jokes. This is because rather than providing immediate gratification, in the form of a laugh, the comics offered a different form of stimulation – that is, riddles, prompting them to Take a closer look.
This is the case with this panel, capital”Scenes from classic nature films,” in which a female snake seductively reminds a snake private investigator how to kill a pig, as she slithers her way out the door to his officeLeaving him behind, he writes in a puff of smoke. It’s a strange moment to capture, and their pay-off isn’t immediately apparent, meaning there’s a good chance readers will be left thinking about this panel more than they might expect.
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The subtle details of the front side can sometimes cause elephantine-sized confusion
First published: June 19, 1990
This is another For side Panel that rewards readers for doing a double-take. In fact, this is a great example of a Gary Larson joke in which the “what-the?” Answer is likely to come first, but spending an extra few moments dwelling on the panel will reveal its true humor.
captain”Alphonse Gach,“It may seem at first glance that this point is the whole point of the cartoon, that is, until a closer look makes it clear that this For side Elephant Missing one of his giant ears, just as the historian Van Gogh revealed part of his ear – Although not, as the story has gone down through popular culture in the century since, the whole thing. Still, if the reader misses this detail, or is unfamiliar with Van Gogh’s biography, this For side Comic may strike them as more crude than it actually is.
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According to the front side, the medieval “shirts and skins” was no joke
First published: July 25, 1990
More than one For side Comic found his humor in scenarios that leave readers not only asking “what-the?“but”Why would they do that??” in this panel, captioned “Medieval pick-up battles” A lone member of a group of knights shedding their armor to go into battle as the “Skins“The team agrees his concern, stating,”This is dumb! Really dumb!“
This is another example of a joke in which Gary Larson openly acknowledges the absurdity of his premise. The idea of the “Shirts vs. skins“The convention of buying basketball transposed to medieval warfare is amusing, but the incredulity of the one”Skins“Knight is what readers will immediately connect with. Although some”what-the?“Comics arrived at the reader reaction inadvertently, this comes as one of the more deliberate variety.
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The expectant mother from the far side did not expect novelty T-shirts
First published: August 10, 1990
In this distorted For side Taking on pregnancy, a woman takes an ultrasound and Gets her first look at her twins in utero – and is surprised to find they’re already wearing novelty T-shirts Read »stupid” and “I’m stupid“, respectively. Many readers will certainly find this funny – but many more will find it jarring, and while it may not rise to the level of evoking a “My God!“answer, a”what-the?“Is a completely reasonable reaction to the panel.
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Gary Larson’s humor often relied on remixing and reimagining bits of pop culture. In this case, he takes the “I’m stupid” t-shirt trend, which became popular in the 1970s, and has it pop up in the most unexpected place possible. Add to this the visible dismay in the eyes of the expectant mother, and the result is a ridiculous but memorable FAR side Panel.
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Parking on the far side was highly specialized
First published: October 3, 1990
This is another example of a For side Comic that could very well provoke incredulity from the reader – just by the fact of how dark Gary Larson’s punchline is here. captain”Centipede parking lots“, the illustration depicts just that, With three centipedes blank in spots between white lines, with one blank space reserved for a centipede that may be missing some of its many legs.
Here, the caption and the illustration do not quite match, and the reader must be perceptive to “get” the full extent of the joke. Even if they do, it’s still in between The front side More dirty jokes; Probably, it was more of the accidental”what-the?“Variety of Larson’s jokes, because it can not achieve a laugh, but not to capture the attention of the reader, which ultimately was Gary Larson’s first and foremost goal.
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Why can’t the neighbors move to the far side of the street?
First published: November 16, 1990
the “what-the?“The quality of this For side Cartoon is a result of its sheer ridiculousness, rather than a matter of confusion. The panel features a beleaguered human couple, lying awake in bed, followed by the “Family of howler monkeys“Lives who are depicted standing by their windows with wide-open screaming mailers.
The unusual interplay between humans and animals was one of the defining features of The front sideAnd this cartoon is an example of Gary Larson continuing to experiment with this formula even at the peak of his confidence as a humorist. rather than starting with a “what-the?” Reaction, the comic will strike the reader as immediately funny, but the more they soak in the details of the caption and illustration, they will find themselves shaking their heads in delighted disbelief.
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The most unforgettable far side comics are off the deep end
First published: December 10, 1990
This For side Panel features one of Gary Larson’s most over-the-top premises, and its execution will strike fans of his work as equally hilarious and ridiculous. Surprising the experiences of well-known homeowners of a flooded basement, Larson depicts two fish dipping below the water’s surface to discover “The whole basement looks dry.”
How much like The front side Associated with absurdist humor, it tends to be much more grounded in details and facts than most people realize. That’s absolutely not the case here, as the joke—from its foundation, through its punchline—relies on a complete break from reality. This makes it a shining example of a “what-the?” cartoon, but also makes it one of the most over-the-top funny For side Comics from 1990.