Gary Larson The Far Side doesn’t have many recurring characters, but when they do appear, they are used in some of the best comics of the entire series. Perhaps the most iconic of Far SideThe repeat offender is ‘the woman in the horn-rimmed glasses’ – an unfortunate star of Larson’s comics who has had more bizarre things happen to her than any other figure in Far Side history.
The woman in horn-rimmed glasses started out just as Larson tended to draw a similar type of character, but because she was so recognizable, she quickly became a fan favorite, appearing on the covers of several Far Side collections. Fans eventually learned her namelike Larson’s strip featuring The Far SideThe cast introduced their “actor” as Arlene Carmichael, who apparently “played” the many different women with horn-rimmed glasses in Larson’s comics.
Here, then, are the 15 funniest comics starring Arlene Carmichael as she makes her way through the wild world of The Far Side. Don’t forget to vote in our end-of-article poll and have your say on which of the many appearances of the woman with horn-rimmed glasses are the best of the best.
15
Dog food again
A rare and optimistic comic from the opposite side
Some of Arlene Carmichael’s appearances are relatively thankless, as she plays the straight woman to funnier characters. In this case, Arlene serves a can of dog food to two beaming canines who are thrilled with their choice of meal. The joke relies on the idea that it is certainly dog ​​food all night, with the family pets still excited and surprised when Arlene opens the can. Larson’s dogs have never been his smartest characters, but here they star in one of his rare comic books where everything works out for the protagonists.
14
My sofa!
One of Larson’s Darker Far Side comics
Unfortunately, things cannot always work in the world of The Far Sideand here Arlene is the mother of ‘Leonard’, a Psychopath-worthy obsessive who can’t stand anyone sitting on his favorite couch (essentially a lethal version of Big Bang Theory(Sheldon Cooper.) The shadow in the lower left corner of the panel shows that the painting is about to become a bloody reality, although it is a mark of Larson’s comic genius that he makes Leonard’s presence so unobtrusive.
13
Sorry to bother you…
Sometimes Far Side needs nothing more than pure surrealism
Far Side loves to exchange human and animal behavior, and here the woman with horn-rimmed glasses calls her neighbor to ask him to come get her husband, as he is bothering her cat. The blasé way the characters deal with bizarre situations is one of the The Far Sidethe funniest conceptsalthough, considering everything Arlene has seen, it makes sense that it wouldn’t scare her too much.
12
Rebuild the fort later
Larson Echoes Classic Sitcoms With Her Childish Husbands
In the style of endless shows like THE Simpsons, Married and with childrenand King of QueensArlene plays the battered housewife dealing with a childish husband. However, in the world of The Far Sidethe dial always turns up to eleven, so Arlene’s partner isn’t just involved in selfish shenanigans — he’s literally hiding in a pillow fort.
11
Don’t sit there
Larson loves taking common sayings to the extreme
One of The Far SideHis favorite trick is to take an idiom or saying and push it to its most absurd limits. In any normal home, saying a chair is unsafe just means it has a wobbly leg. However, in the world of Far Sideit’s filled with thorns, bear traps, and a dangling snake. Larson’s attention to detail is demonstrated by the fact that the snake is not only supported by a rope, but by a wearing out rope that is ready to give.
Working almost exclusively on individual panels, The Far Side derives a lot of humor from moments that wouldn’t make sense if you had to portray what preceded. After all, how did Doreen not realize the numerous dangers of this chair before needing to be warned?
10
I’m not kidding about this
Far Side’s malevolent ducks are a brilliant choice
Larson loves bringing the bizarre to the inherently mundane, and some of his strangest jokes take place in offices or beautiful suburban homes. Here, JF Jones is revealed to be that classic joke – several animals dressed in a man’s suit. Hilariously, being exposed doesn’t change Jones’ attitude, as one of the ducks sternly warns Arlene’s character, Miss. Billings, to forget what you just saw. Once again, the joke depends on the unseen – what Mr. Jones looked and behaved like before Were the ducks exposed?
Larson uses ducks throughout The Far Sideoften giving them malevolent energy and using clichés associated with detective fiction. In another duck joke (above), Arlene is pushed down the stairs by two enterprising ducks, while in another, an innocent office worker is terrorized by the distant gaze of a hidden waterfowl.
9
A dream come true
Dog vs cat is a long-standing old theme
Larson loved to play on the enmity between dogs and cats, and here Arlene is the straight woman again as she turns on the dog after her cat is arrested for unknown crimes. Although the woman in the horn-rimmed glasses is probably right, some the blame falls on the cat, who apparently did something so heinous that the cops thought they would need a shotgun for the arrest.
8
Howler Monkeys
Larson loved the ‘Weird Neighbors’ joke
This time without her glasses (she is in bed after all) Arlene stars one of Larson’s favorite formats – an American family dealing with bizarre neighbors. The woman in the horn-rimmed glasses appears in many of these comics, but we chose the howler monkey gag to represent them because of the incredible visuals of the monkeys screaming for all they’re worth as they look right at the poor couple just trying to sleep.
7
Does anyone have a hammer?
One of Far Side’s most surreal visuals
In one of Larson’s most surreal comics (and another who likes to play with the idea of ​​how we got to this point), a woman finds herself trapped inside her own wine glass. Fortunately, one of your colleagues has been in this situation before. This is one of Far Sideis the biggest laugh comedian, but doesn’t appear at the top of this list, as the woman in horn-rimmed glasses is just a spectator of the joke.
6
Not even drawn yet
Far Side breaks the fourth wall with this meta gag
The Far Side wasn’t averse to fourth-wall-breaking meta-humor jokes, and here Arlene plays the nagging wife of a husband Larson hasn’t finished drawing yet. Part of the genius of The Far SideHumor is how the caption often explains an image that makes absolutely no sense on its own, and that’s definitely the case here.
5
I didn’t wash my hands
Larson skips the caption for this brilliant comic
Sometimes, The Far Side nails a joke so solidly that no subtitles are necessary – in this case, a restaurant that has installed a huge alarm to shame any customer who doesn’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom. This is one of Far SideThe funniest and most loved comics in but then again, Arelene is just an extra here, keeping her at the top of our list.
4
A vacuum
Is it the best word game this Far Side?
In maybe The Far Sidethe best word game jokeLarson plays on a sentiment often attributed to Aristotle. Originally intended as an observation about the natural world, Larson takes it as literally as possible, suggesting that flora and fauna could attack at any moment, enraged by Arlene’s cleaning device. We’d love to have this top the list, but since ‘Alice’ doesn’t wear horn-rimmed glasses, it seems unfair to include it in the top three.
3
“Daisy!”
The woman in horn-rimmed glasses becomes the bad guy
Arlene returns to the joke in this strip, in which she shoots her hunter husband, revealing that she is having an affair with his prey… a bear. The expression on the bear’s face is hilarious, as the animal appears completely baffled by what is happening, while the image of a suburban housewife shooting her husband while wearing a bear costume could only come from the mind of Gary Larson.
2
Could you go to your window?
Woman in horn-rimmed glasses shows her practical perspective
Part of the fun of The Far Side is watching your characters face truly surreal situations. Here, Arlene has an admirably matter-of-fact reaction to seeing a giant, Godzilla-style eyeball in the window, even though it might actually be more advisable to run out of the house screaming. Among Larson’s many cinematic references, Godzilla and King Kong are frequent visitors to the world of The Far Sideperhaps explaining why it takes Arlene so long to panic.
1
DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS
This first comic is from the first year of Far Side
In this 1980 comic strip, the woman in horn-rimmed glasses appears before Gary Larson has even settled down The Far Sideart style. Once again, the joke is that she reacts to an extreme situation discreetly, as her husband being consumed by a crocodile is only a source of embarrassment because he is technically breaking the rule against feeding the animals. The simplicity of this gag makes it our number 1as well as the way it perfectly captures how Larson loves to combine the surreal, the morbid, and the painfully mundane.
These are the 15 funniest Far Side comics starring Arlene Carmichael’s wife in horn-rimmed glasses. Don’t forget to vote in our end-of-article poll and indicate your favorite Far Side comic strip starring Larson’s wife with horn-rimmed glasses.