10 Far Side Comics That Are Absolute Masterpieces

These perfect Far Side cartoons deserve to be recognized for what they are: comedic masterpieces. Gary Larson was an undisputed GOAT-level humorist, who helped change the landscape of American humor during the 1980s and 1990s. He produced thousands of comics, and hundreds that can be considered perfect.

This list looks at some of the best of the best. But it’s not a “best of.” Instead, it’s a testament to the highest level The Far Side could achieve on any given day. The cartoons with which Gary Larson not only proved he was playing in a higher league of comedy than his peers, but went a step further and outdid even himself.

These Far Side cartoons will have you laughing out loud, rolling your eyes, and asking “What the?” One thing you’ll never be is bored, not even for a moment.

“Fluffy’s Masterpiece” Is One Of The Far Side’s Greatest Comics

First Published: August 18, 1993

With this Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson perfected a joke he’d been working on for years. That is, the “Deathbot” bit. A giant killer robot with tank treads and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, made in the image of its creator. Except the hilarious upgrade this time is that the madman behind the machine is no man at all. It’s a dog: Fluffy.

No detail is out of place in this Far Side cartoon. Fluffy’s Deathbot grabs readers’ attention right away, then Larson doubles down with a laugh-out-loud caption, as Fluffy’s owner admits: “We’re afraid he may have gone mad.” The comedic coup de grâce, finally, is the hilariously unhinged look in Fluffy’s eyes as the poodle completes its masterpiece.

In “Ernie’s Folly,” The Far Side Gets Away With A Hilarious Smash Cut

First Published: July 24, 1992​​​​​​​

Dreaming of a beach vacation? So were many Far Side characters, until they got to the shore and invariably discovered it’s not all its cracked up to be. That recurring bit reached its pinnacle with this cartoon, in which Gary Larson delivered an A+ “before/after” joke.

Here, a man named Ernie bellows goodbye to the “human cesspool” out his window. Ernie’s quitting the city and setting off to live island life. He’s “going to sit on a beach, sip coconut milk, and watch the sun go down.” It’s implied he considers this a solitary endeavor, a retreat from the hell that is other people. Unfortunately for Ernie, he could not be more sorely mistaken.

Or more sore, if the sunburnt figure in the bottom frame is Ernie. It’s hard to tell, because the beach is so crowded. And if that’s him, it’s an added stroke of comedic genius that he’s not even paying attention to the sunset. He’s shutting out the world entirely by reading a book.

In “The Other Side,” The Far Side Speaks Volumes With Only A Few Words

First Published: June 12, 1991

“Why do you need a reason?” That’s the question asked by a billboard advertising “The Other Side” in this Far Side classic. It sounds ominous, but really, it’s an inversion of the most famous joke of all time: “why did the chicken cross the road?”

Here, the billboard speaks directly to the chicken. Specifically, one chicken, on the opposite side of the road. It’s a perfect Far Side visual joke, and a 10/10 pop culture reference. It’s also got a satirical sting to it. The thin pretense of a “reason” to buy something is part of what keeps advertisers in business. Gary Larson brilliantly presents a “mask off” advertisement while parodying a recognizable punchline.

The Far Side’s “Friendly Nightshade” Comic Tells A Whole Story In A Single Frame

First Published: November 22, 1990

This is an unusually verbose Far Side comic, even by the standards of Gary Larson’s later career, when he got increasingly adventurous with his jokes. What makes this an all-time great Far Side panel is how effectively Larson tells an entire story in just one image and two sentences.

Larson doesn’t give readers the whole story, but just enough of it. Clearly, “Eddie” is lost in the woods. In a clearing, he finds a plant, which the caption explains is “deadly nightshade.” Except, “luckily” for the lost kid, this “rare variety” of nightshade is actually super friendly. When Eddie reaches to eat the plant’s fruit, “atropa belladonna congenialocus” warns him off.

It also tells Eddie to “put [his] sweater on” out in the chilly forest. A weird fictional plant that talks would have been enough to make this a memorable Far Side joke, but then Gary Larson goes a step farther, noting that Eddie was less lucky later in his travels when he encountered “some poison oak, a flat out intolerant species.”

The Far Side’s “Moral Math” Cartoon Turns A Traditional Lesson Upside Down

First Published: September 30, 1987

Another recurring gag Gary Larson loved: two scientists in lab coats at a chalkboard making a groundbreaking discovery. The Far Side’s “formulaic” jokes can blur together, but there are several that deserve to be singled out as masterpieces. Including this one, in which a startling truth is mathematically uncovered: a certain number of wrongs does add up to a right.

Once the equation is written out, it’s so simple. “Four wrongs squared, minus two wrongs to the fourth power, divided by this formula, do make a right.” It’s a classic Far Side joke. Take a familiar phrase and put a twist on it. In this case, a childhood morality lesson is supplanted by an advanced calculus of right and wrong.

The Far Side’s “Eel Bathtime” Comic Asks More Questions Than It Answers

First Published: May 29, 1986

This cartoon is simply captioned “places never to set your electric eel.” The humor is really in the image, and the patent absurdity of the scenario as a whole. Because the “place” in question is positioned precariously on the edge of the bathtub as the eel’s oblivious owner enjoys a soak.

It’s the kind of Far Side comic designed to leave readers begging for answers to unanswerable questions. Why does this man have an eel for a pet in the first place? Why would he feel the need to bring it into the bathroom? Doesn’t he know he’s courting death by balancing the eel’s bowl on the bathtub? If this Far Side cartoon mystifies readers, it has done its job.

First Published: November 4, 1985​​​​​​​

The caption here is The Far Side at its simplest and purest. It provides a single note of exposition: “At the Comedians’ Cemetery.” This allows the image to take readers on a ride, in a particularly busy Far Side panel that has jokes happening in the foreground, middle, and background of the frame.

The cartoon offers multiple stabs at the same punchline: stand-ups still telling jokes even while lying in their graves. “Take my life…please,” one says. “What are these worms doing in my suit?” another asks, then adds, “Just kidding. But seriously, folks…” Meanwhile, in the foreground, a classic prank, pulled off even in death: a mourning woman gets too close to the flower on a grave and it squirts her in the eyes with water.

“Red Handkerchief” Is A Perfectly Composed Far Side Panel

First Published: May 11, 1985

This Far Side comic is brilliant for its “subtle-not-subtle” joke. Boiled down to its premise, it’s about a man about to inadvertently get himself gored by a bull. ​​​​​​​What makes it iconic is the composition of the comic, and how it is designed so the joke hits the reader in a specific way.

There’s no caption to this Far Side; instead there’s an excessively large speech bubble, which takes up nearly half the panel. For most readers, this is where their eyes will gravitate first. And so they will start by reading the first few lines of the man’s rambling monologue. When he gets to the “red handkerchief,” readers should clock the joke. They will notice, at this point, that the man is wrapped in bandages, with his arm in a sling.

They’ll also notice the bull in a trench coat “blending in” at the bar next to the guy. From that point on, this Far Side panel’s humor comes from knowing before the guy does that his woes are far from over.

“Animal Self-Help” Is An Expertly Layered Far Side Joke

First Published: August 7, 1984

This is another Far Side cartoon that stuffs multiple variations on the same punchline into one panel. And once again, take note of how Gary Larson skillfully layers the multiple takes on the bit so that they hit successively. Here, readers’ eyes are drawn to each example of “animal self-help” literature and the Far Side animals checking it out.

Like the critter reading “Dare to be Nocturnal” in the foreground; the anteater with its nose in “Do It by Instinct”; the gazelle studying “How To Avoid Natural Selection”; and don’t forget the bear in back, looking at “Hibernate the Easy Way.” And then there are several books still on the shelves with visible titles: “Predator-Prey Relationships” and “Become One of the Herd!“

First Published:​​​​​​​ October 28, 1982

One more for the road. Nearly 45 years after it was published, “Cow Tools” still has a hard time beating the “most confusing Far Side cartoon” allegations. Yet it’s simpler than it looks: cows aren’t as intellectually evolved as humans, so their tools wouldn’t be as sophisticated either.

Yet what makes this one of Gary Larson’s true masterpieces is its ability to get readers to overthink it. It’s so obvious that people can’t fathom it. Because its obviousness is also deeply weird. That’s The Far Side in a nutshell, which is why “Cow Tools” is the single cartoon that encapsulates Larson’s singular comedic style the most.

We know you have strong opinions, Far Side fans. Tell us what other Far Side masterpieces we have to cover next.

Writer

Gary Larson

Colorist

Gary Larson