The Far Side became a pop culture institution in its own right thanks, in large part, to its own hilarious takes on familiar iconography and ideas. Artist/author Gary Larson consistently showcased his broad range of cultural awareness, and throughout his career this was a major driving factor in his creative output.
From a love of pranks, to an affinity for movies, from riffs on nursery rhymes to homages to other classic comics, The Far Side was full of references, shoutouts, and callbacks.
Anything and everything could be source material to Gary Larson, and the cartoons collected here highlight the broad range of humor that resulted from that.
The Far Side Knew How To Surprise Readers By Flipping The Script
First Published: December 5, 1980
The Far Side at its simplest, which translates to The Far Side at its finest. In this wordless panel, Gary Larson hilariously inverts an all-time-classic prank: the snake in a can. Except here, it is a “man in a can,” and the character being startled when it bursts forth is the serpent instead.
It is a prototypical Far Side comic because of the way Larson takes something recognizable and puts a twist on it. The visual joke doesn’t need any added context; the shout-out to an iconic comedic prop is easy to grasp, and it is also the kind of joke just about anyone can enjoy.
The Far Side’s Riffs On Classic Songs And Courtroom Dramas Collided In This Early Comic
First Published: April 21, 1982
In this Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson makes a reference to the classic folk song “I’ve Been Working On The Rail Road,” while also subtly poking fun at his own past as a banjo player. Larson slyly turns the ambiguity of the song’s lyrics into a mystery, which is then revealed during a dramatic courtroom moment.
In addition to being a cultural reference in its own right, the court setting allowed Larson to literally put pop culture “on trial,” exposing the unintentional humor in everything from music, to movies and TV, to literature. Popeye, the Headless Horseman, and more all had their day in court thanks to The Far Side, usually to laugh-out-loud results.
Alfred Hitchcock Was An Underrated Influence On The Humor Of The Far Side
First Published: February 25, 1984
This Far Side film reference captures an idyllic moment in a public park right before it is seemingly about to take a dark turn, typical of Gary Larson’s humor. “I’ve got an idea,” a bird says to its flock as they gather at the feet of a woman feeding them from a park bench.
“How many here have ever seen Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds?” it asks, as several of those gathered raise their wings. In other words, it is suggesting they attack the old woman. It is a grim punchline, but it was jokes like this that distinguished The Far Side from pretty much everything else in newspaper comics at the time.
God Dominates A Game Show Trivia Contest In This Heavenly Far Side Cartoon
First Published: September 10, 1984
In this delightfully sacrilegious Far Side panel, God Himself competes on a trivia game show, totally upstaging the “current champion,” a guy named “Norman,” who is being shut-out by the Creator, and is visibly unhappy about it. To be fair, God arguably should have been disqualified for being “All-Knowing,” which, of course, is the crux of the joke.
God popped up frequently in The Far Side, and usually, these jokes were more about making fun of humanity than roasting the deity. There is an element of that here, as the real butt of the joke is “Norman,” who is presented as a sore loser, with not even a hint of awe at being in the presence of the Almighty.
Gary Larson Perfected One Of His Earliest Punchlines With This Panel
First Published: October 3, 1985
“Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” It is a phrase anyone who has been in a car should recognize, one that Gary Larson puts to brilliant use in this Far Side cartoon. In the panel, a woman sitting in the passenger seat of a car glances over at the side mirror and finds it filled by a monstrous bloodshot eye with a green iris and black pupil.
In other words, the eye must be absolutely massive. This comic is a callback to an earlier Far Side cartoon, which was, in turn, an updated version of one of Larson’s pre-Far Side cartoons, making this one of his oldest jokes. It is also the best version, given how it uses the familiar concept of a car mirror to comedically convey the monster’s size.
Gary Larson’s Unabashed Love Of Practical Jokes Was On Full Display With This Far Side Panel
First Published: March 18, 1986
In this Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson’s inner prankster is revealed once more, as he digs into the bag of classic comedy props once more, this time riffing on the “fake arrow through the head.” In his version, it becomes “the old-fashioned ‘fake harpoon’ gag,” worn by a grinning whale to try to get a laugh out of its friends, who seem entirely unamused.
Just like before, the joke relies on taking a familiar object and putting it in an unfamiliar context. The “fake arrow” has become a trope in popular culture, and that is what Larson is playing on here. It is as if he’s saying it’s such an old, tired joke that it is even considered hacky by other species, under the ocean.
The Far Side Pokes Fun At Faith Healers In This Memorable Panel
First Published: July 30, 1986
Captioned “appliance healers,” this Far Side cartoon features a man working miracles, fixing broken household items just by laying hands on them. In this way, Gary Larson spoofs the outrageous nature of faith healing, by showing how absurd it would be if applied in an altered context with much lower stakes.
As the 1980s progressed, the increasing reach of radio and television brought along with it a new wave of preachers and faith healers. It was in the zeitgeist at the time Gary Larson produced this cartoon, making this an example of the way The Far Side reacted to the pop culture of its time.
Gary Larson’s Fascination With Humpty Dumpty Culminated In This Classic Cartoon
First Published: July 31, 1986
Gary Larson often drew on nursery rhymes as source material for Far Side jokes, and “Humpty Dumpty” was clearly one of his favorite stories. Or, at least, it offered the most comedic fodder. For example, in this cartoon, the King’s men hopelessly try to patch Humpty up using watermelon rinds to patch him up, while the King’s horses patiently wait their turn.
“The horses want another shot at it,” a supervisor says, as the wide-eyed soldiers keep trying frantically to fix the broken egg. It is a great Far Side joke because it takes an absurd premise and fully realizes it in order to deliver a joke that is as funny visually as it is conceptually.
Gary Larson’s Love of “Peanuts” Was On Full Display In This Panel
First Published: December 11, 1987
The Far Side took a number of lighthearted jabs at its contemporaries over the years, including several classic jokes aimed at Peanuts, whose creator Charles Schulz was obviously an influence on Larson, even though their products were wildly different. In this unforgettable panel, “a second ‘Lucy’ is discovered in southern Uganda,” changing the history of cartoons as people know it.
The joke shows off Gary Larson’s interest in archeology, while also paying tongue-in-cheek tribute to the longrunning Peanuts strip, which was ongoing for thirty-seven years by the time this Far Side panel was published, and would actually outlast The Far Side by five years, running until Charles Schulz’ death in 2000.
The Far Side Gets In On The Joke With A Classic Early 1990s Reference
First Published: June 21, 1993
This might be a deep-cut Far Side reference now, but in 1993, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” was a ubiquitous phrase, born of a commercial for LifeCall, the precursor to LifeAlert, a medical alarm used to call 911 at the press of a button. The phrase became an unexpected cultural touchstone in 1989-1990.
By the time Gary Larson published this panel, it would’ve still been fresh in people’s minds. Captioned “at the ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up building,” this Far Side panel depicts a high-rise building with a monument to the commercial’s star, an elderly woman, on its roof, hilariously taking the pop culture fascination with the phrase to a hyperbolic level.
- Writer
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Gary Larson
- Colorist
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Gary Larson
