There are few comics in the history of the medium that are as iconic or hilarious as The Far Sideas creator of The Far SideGary Larson uses comics to put an absurd lens on the entire world. In fact, The Far Side leaves even the mundane in hysterics, with no limit to what Larson will mock in his strange and unique way.
Truly, The Far Side finds a way to make trees funny, not to mention cowboys, aliens, and even babies. So it should come as no surprise that the series makes trains hilarious. Unlike other popular comics, The Far Side There is no main character. Instead, it's just a series of absurd jokes that feature random drawings used to drive the jokes home. And in this case, The Far Side uses trains to do just that.
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Even trains have their own form of 'turbulence' on the other side
A train is moving along the railroad tracks when it rounds a curve and encounters several bumps in the tracks. The driver alerts the passengers, warning them that things are about to get a little rowdy and that they should sit down and put down their drinks. The engineer is referring to the bumps on the railroad tracks, but instead of saying that, he says they are about to experience “trackulence.”
Obviously, “trackulence” isn't a thing in real life, and this train would immediately derail the second it hit those big bumps in the tracks. But that's what makes this joke so funny, because it's a clear joke about how planes experience turbulence when flying in an area with high winds or bad weather. “Trackulence” is the train version of a plane experiencing turbulence, something that could really only happen in The Far Side.
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The other side redefines the meaning of a “runaway train”
A woman puts away her purchases, giving readers a complete look at just about everything she bought in the store. However, your purchases are not the main focus, but rather the message that is printed on your shopping bags and also on your milk carton. Each one is a missing poster, alerting shoppers to the fact that several trains have disappeared in the same way as the old “missing children” posters. The implication here is that these convoys have run away from home and authorities need the public's help in locating them.
While it would make sense if these fugitives were actually children, it's completely absurd in this case. Far Side comic. First of all, convoys can't run away from home, and if any convoy was missing, that would mean it was stolen, and the authorities probably wouldn't spread it all over the shopping and milk cartons. Secondly, the term “runaway train” has a very different meaning in real life, as it refers to a train that has run out of control on the tracks and poses the danger of derailment. And that's exactly what makes this Far Side comic so hilarious.
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The Far Side takes a famous song very literally
A man named Webster, who works for a railroad company, is being criticized by his boss as it appears there is a problem with the amount of hours Webster has been working. Webster's boss says his timesheet recorded Webster coming to work late and even leaving early. This seems to be a consistent problem given the seriousness of the boss's tone. However, the real problem is not Webster's lack of working hours, but rather the fact that Webster does not seem to understand this particular industry. As your boss points out: “Working for the railroad, Webster, means working all the day live“.
Of course, Webster's boss is directly quoting the famous folk song “I've Been Working on the Railroad,” which in itself is downright hilarious. But what's even funnier is that the song seems to be more than just a popular song in The Far Side, but a code that everyone who works on the railroad must live by. You don't simply arrive late and leave early after committing to the railway, as it is written that you must work “all day live“.
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The other side proves that there is nothing fun about “working on the railroad all day”
While the previous Far Side The comic seemed to establish that “I've Been Working on the Railroad” is a song that all railroad workers not only like, but literally live by which, it seems like not everyone in this comic got the memo. In fact, only one railroad worker appears to be enjoying himself, singing the aforementioned song at the top of his lungs while hammering the spikes into the tracks. Meanwhile, all of his coworkers not only don't sing along with him, but they also get irritated by his singing. However, the one who sings is blissfully unaware of his co-workers' annoyance.
It's very clear visually that whoever is singing is new to the job, while the others are veteran railroad workers. The other men are big and burly, as if they have been pounding spikes into the tracks since they were old enough to lift a hammer. The one who sings, however, is thin and doesn't even seem to sweat much. However, if Webster's boss is also this guy's boss, he will go far in this industry.
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Even toy trains have freight hoppers on the other side
A man is standing over his toy train, yelling at a small human who was apparently trying to get a free ride around the model track. This man does not tolerate this as he tells this little man to get lost and never come back. And just so readers can be sure that this is a toy train and not a full-sized train with a giant human standing on it, the side of the train clearly says “Ace toys“. So there is only one explanation as to what Gary Larson is actually telling readers in this Far Side comic: even toy trains have freight hoppers in the Far Side.
'Freight Hopper' was the name given to those who illegally rode a freight train to travel across the country. This practice would have been very popular during the Great Depression, when many individuals were unemployed and did not have money to pay for travel accommodation. This is why “freight carriers” are strongly associated with the stereotypical appearance of a “tramp”, just like the little man in this film. Far Side comic.
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The Far Side gives the “little engine that could” a dark alternate ending
A woman is gagged and tied to the train tracks, left to die on the way down the tracks, ensuring that any train traveling those tracks will not see her before running over her. Whoever did this to this woman clearly wanted her dead, as there is no way a train could stop in time to avoid running her over after going over that hill. However, surprisingly, the woman herself is not the main focus of the comic, but rather the train itself. In fact, this isn't a normal train, it's the little engine that could.
In The little engine that coulda small sentient train builds up the strength and mental courage to pass over a particularly steep hill, saying to itself: “I think I can. I think I can.“until he finally accomplishes what he set out to do. It's an inspiring story meant to teach children the value of never giving up. However, in The Far Side“I think I can. I think I can.” is no longer awe-inspiring, but downright terrifying. No sooner has the little engine that could run up the hill than this woman dies, offering a dark alternative ending to the children's story.
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The little engine that couldn't continue on the other side
It's as if this Far Side comic is a direct sequel to the one that came before, as it once again presents The Little Engine That Could, albeit in a very different light. Instead of giving everything it had to climb that hill and inspire readers everywhere, this version of The Little Engine That Could seemingly 'couldn't' anymore. Homeless, sitting on the sidewalk, begging for change, this little engine that could holds a sign that says “I thought I could. I thought I could.”, which is yet another dark ending to the inspiring story.
This comic can also be read as a result of what happened in the previous Far Side comic. Perhaps the Little Machine That Could had managed to cross the hill like in the original children's book, only to kill the woman tied to the tracks on the other side. Traumatized and guilt-ridden, The Little Engine That Could falls into a deep depression from which there is no escape, resulting in this heartbreaking ending to his story.
While this may not have been how it all went down, the fact that it's even a possibility proves how hilarious The Far Side it is – even when it comes to making comics about trains.