As strange as The Far Side could be, the essential formula for Gary Larson’s comics was simple: his drawings included a drawing, plus words. Except, sometimes Larson lets her illustrations speak for themselves, avoiding the caption entirely. All over The Far Side history, the captionless comics proved to be some of the strip’s most baffling – but also some of the funniest.
Whenever Larson chose to forego a caption when crafting a Far Side cartoon, he was, in fact, losing 50% of a panel’s ability to explain itself to the reader. Sometimes he did this because the image was evident; in other cases, he wanted readers to be confused and have to study the comics more closely.
In other words, some of Larson’s untitled texts Far Side the comics could have used words to help convey their humor, some managed to laugh just on the strength of the visuals.
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With the Other Side, Gary Larson Intentionally Confused Beauty and Ugliness
First published: December 19, 1994
The humor of this panel depends on an accident of perspective, but it speaks to the way Gary Larson deliberately avoided the subjectivity of beauty regularly with The Far Side. The cartoon depicts a woman sitting in front of a painting – except the seemingly oblivious painter doesn’t notice that a fly is sitting on his glasses, which leads him to warp the two together in your portrait.
Larson may have been able to develop the premise of this joke with a caption, but it wasn’t necessary to explain the joke and, evidently, The Far Side The artist decided that the panel’s best chance of getting a reaction would be to immediately draw readers’ attention to the woman-fly hybrid on the canvas and then let them discover the fly in the painter’s glasses.
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For Gary Larson, drawing the other side was work and play (on horseback)
First published: January 7, 1987
The cartoon was Gary Larson’s career. The success of The Far Side brought him financial stability, but it also increased the pressure to produce funny cartoons on time, forever – to the point of leading to what many would call a premature end to The Far Side. In other words, when Larson sat at his desk every night, it was work for him. However, it was also a joke, and this playful quality is clear in many of his cartoons.
Take for example this wordless panel, which features horses driving cars on the highway – with one car having a trailer attached, with a human butt appearing from the back. It’s a simple and fun role reversal that will be immediately recognized by most readers and that’s what makes it memorable for readers.
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Froggy’s been courting the wrong jet in this highly entertaining comic
First published: August 14, 1984
Frogs have gotten into all sorts of hilarious situations in the amphibians’ many environments. Far Side appearances, but this one is considered the funniest. This is due to its simplicity; Not only is the action of the cartoon immediately clear to readers, but also the consequences, such as the unfortunate frog in this comic sticks to the underside of a plane with his tongue as the plane takes off and its landing gear begins to fold inward.
Even though this may not seem obvious to readers right away, just a few moments of analysis of this comic will make the frog’s tragic fate inevitable. What is unmistakable from the jump, however, is the visual comedy of the image, which borders on the slapstick side of The Far Side humor style.
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The other side raises a terrible question: If the pilot is playing airplanes, who is flying the real airplane?
First published: October 15, 1983
In another of The Far Side funniest airplane cartoons, the nose of a jumbo jet takes up the entire frame, giving readers a clear view through the front windshield into the cockpit – where the pilot has his arms outstretched like wings, a delightfully goofy smile on his face, as he plays make-believe airplanedespite being in control of the real thing.
This is a great example of Gary Larson’s ability to tackle a terrifying “What if?” question – that is, what if a plane pilot is incompetent or doesn’t take his job seriously – and turns it into one of his most innocuous jokes. Visually, this Far Side The panel is especially memorable for the contrast between the solidity of the plane against the diminutive figure of the pilot.
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This From the Other Side Cartoon Makes the Most of a Niche Musical Joke
First published: January 24, 1983
In this Far Side panel, one of Larson’s many tortured artists tries to figure out how to tune his ukelele by working through successive incorrect iterations of the “my dog ​​has fleas” mnemonic device on a chalkboard as he becomes increasingly frustrated.
It is true that the words in the box function as a pseudo-caption for this cartoon – but it requires the reader to have knowledge of the mnemonic and its specific application to the ukulele, to understand the joke. An actual caption could have contextualized this, but Gary Larson chose to leave the image alone, because even for readers unfamiliar with the ukulele, the jumble of words scratched across the board and the expression of exasperation on the man’s face should be enough to provoke a laugh.
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The Far Side’s goofy version of Tarzan is on the horn
First published: January 7, 1983
In this wordless but hilarious Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson’s recurring Tarzan character rides an elephant in front of a stampede – honking to warn anyone who might be in the way, as if he were in trafficand as if anyone would hear this over the noise of a whole herd of elephants coming towards them.
This is speechless Far Side subtitles are missing because the joke and premise here are the same; The cartoon’s humor comes from the savage expression on Tarzan’s face and the sheer absurdity of his behavior. All of this simply appears in the image, especially in the contrast between the faces of the elephants and those of the jungle man.
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This opposite side comic depicts a darkly hilarious quid pro quo between chickens and farmers
First published: January 2, 1982
In a classic Far Side graphic novel that is sure to leave readers asking “What?“since it will make them burst out laughing, a woman walks home from the chicken coop with a basket of fresh eggs – while one of her hens walks in the opposite direction, carrying a human baby towards the coop.
Speculating too much about the chicken’s intentions is where it gets funny Far Side the comics start to get disturbing, but the moment Gary Larson captures here is unabashedly hilarious and absurd to the point of outrageous. Furthermore, it tells readers exactly what they need to know without actually using any words – as the distorted symmetry of the two characters going in different directions will easily hit home with readers.
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The Far Side highlights a symbiotic relationship in the old sailor’s house
First published: August 28, 1981
Without a doubt, this is one of Gary Larson’s most entertaining first episodes. Far Side cartoons published without subtitles. Once again, the simplicity of the comic is its greatest asset. The cartoon shows an old sailor sitting on the deck of a house, smoking his pipe – much like a cat uses its wooden leg as a scratching post.
Again, it is worth questioning whether Larson could have elevated this Far Side panel building on this funny premise with yet another joke in a caption. However, it is undoubtedly not necessary, as the idea here is quite funny and well executed, so it is one of the The Far Side more direct comics, even without words.
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Blink and you might miss the joke in this Far Side Knight cartoon
First published: March 14, 1981​​​​​​​
Here, Gary Larson portrays two chivalrous knights in the greatest moment of anticipation of a joust, just before their spears connect – However, the knight approaching the reader from the back left of the frame has apparently lost his nerve, as he covers his eyes with his hand at the worst possible moment.
The joke here is clear, but also subtle. A reader who is just skimming the page, who just glances at this cartoon, may not even register why it is funny. Still, upon closer analysis, the joke jumps out at the reader as an example of a particularly funny situation. Far Side knight comics, of which there are surprisingly more than dedicated fans of Larson’s work might imagine throughout The Far Side history.
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A classic nature comic from the opposite side “Turning the Tables”
First published: April 8, 1980​​​​​​​
A clamp The Far Side it involved jokes centering on animals, insects, and even flowers receiving punishment from humans for their behavior toward the natural world. This is a powerful early example, one that needs no caption to make it clear that Gary Larson is on the side of the butterflies in this case.
In the cartoon, a man walks through tall grass with a net, looking for insect specimens to capture, as a gang of butterflies sneak up behind him, ready to cast an even larger net over him and carry him to who knows where. The joke here is clear, and the lack of subtitles allows it Far Side image to grab the reader’s attention – which it deserves, because it’s such a straightforward yet incredibly funny visual.