Summary
During its fifteen-year run in newspapers, as often asThe Far Sideelicited laughter from its readers, it also had the tendency to leave them asking “What-the?” This was by design, as writer and artistGary Larson sought to test his audiences' “reflexes”; that is,The Far Sidewas always intended to evoke an immediate reaction from the reader, even if that reaction wasn’t always a deep, hearty, “ha.”
Often, Larson’s work targeted what he called the “What-the?” and the “My God!” reflexes. In any case, his goal as a creator was to evoke – or to those who were at odds with his style of humor, provoke – an immediate response.
The initial shock, or confusion, or burst of laughter that results from aFar Sidecartoons remains the most potent thing about studying it, nearly three decadesafter Gary Larson retired. The comics collected on this list – fromThe Far Side’ssecond year in publication –offer a great cross-section of some of the strip’s most incredulous “What-the?” moments.
If there is one word that best encapsulates Gary Larson’sThe Far Side, it is “inscrutable.” That isn’t to say any given panel can’t be scrutinized – many, in fact, warrant deeper interpretation than their creator recommends – but rather that,according to Larson, it shouldn’t be. That is becauseThe Far Sidewas intended to be ephemera. Though its popularity quickly led to numerous collected editions, Larson’sFar Sidecomics were meant to be encountered “in the wild,” so to speak, to be found on the comic page of the daily newspaper, reacted to, and moved on from. Their enduring popularity, and often unforgettable nature, in spite of this intent, is a testament to how forward-thinking Larson truly was as a creator.
“Confusing, Obtuse, Esoteric, And Strange”: Gary Larson Felt the Same Way About Far Side Comics As His Readers
Gary Larson was often as perplexed by The Far Side’s humor as his audience was; at one point, he offered the perfect description of the comic strip.
First Published: August 18, 2025
The entry from January 1981 offers a fantastic example of Gary Larson’s artistic engagement with reactions other than laughter. It is not that thisFar Sidepanel can’t be deciphered; what is interesting about it is the way that it almost leads the reader to an obscure punchline and then leaves them hanging there.
The panel featuresa set of bear tracks leading up to a trap dug in the ground, and covered in foliage; the footprints leading away from the hole, meanwhile, are seemingly human.Again, while some coherent joke can certainky be extrapolated from the image following a degree of deeper analysis, the first impression this cartoon will have upon most readers is a distinct “What-the?” The footsteps receding into the jungle in this panel, in effect, perfectly encapsulate the feelingThe Far Sidefrequently left readers with, of stepping into wild uncertainty.
11A Rare Four-Panel Far Side That Begs The Question: “Why?”
First Published: August 19, 2025
Gary Larson’sThe Far Sidewas one of several syndicated newspaper comics that became notable for eschewing thefour-panel style pioneered by Charles Schulz’Peanuts. Every installment ofThe Far Sidewas, for the most part, comprised of a single panel, with the occasional exception being notable, as is the case here.
In this four-panel sequence,a person sitting on a bench feeds an increasingly large swarm of pigeons – until the flock of birds eventually overrun and consume the individual.Evocative of the Alfred Hitchcock filmThe Birds, there is nothing outright funny about the cartoon; instead, its humor derives from the fact that it will startle readers. Interestingly, though Gary Larson was adamant that his comics had no deeper meaning to them, it was satisfying to him if he could prompt readers to suspect there was.
10Many Classic Far Side Panels Left Readers Wondering: “What Happens Next?”
First Published: July 24, 2025
This panel is straightforward enough: it is a “predator becomes the prey” joke. The image featurestwo duck hunters cowering in the reeds by a pond, as the shadows of massive pterodactyls appear overhead. This aptly illustrates the idea that even when the punchline of aFar Sidecomic was evident, laughter wasn’t always the reaction Gary Larson was hoping to get.
Like many greatFar Sidecartoons, this one captures a single moment in time – the “why,” “how,” and “what” of the comic are unknowable to the reader, even though they are the natural questions immediately brought to the reader’s mind as they look at the comic. As often as the content ofThe Far Sideis described as “absurd,” this is perhaps the strip’s greatest absurdity: that it intentionally raised questions that lacked answers.
9Never Ask Gary Larson: “How Did You Come Up With That?”
First Published: August 02, 2025
The most truly bizarreFar Sidepanels, of course, elicit the most questions – and paradoxically, are the ones least likely to afford readers any answers. Throughout his career, Gary Larson was open about the fact that he didn’t know where his ideas came from, andhe didn’t like to be asked. Here, it is apparent Larson thought of something highly strange, and latched onto it as something that would weird out his readers as well.
The panel depictsa bird about to land in the water-filled mouth of an amphibian-looking monster, which has contorted itself into the shape of a bird bath.Once more, the image begs questions like “how did anyone come with this?” and “why is this funny?,” though the only one that really matters is, “how did you react?”
8"Why Is This Happening To Me?" Was A Common Query For Far Side Characters
First Published: June 18, 2025
The Far Side’shumor was, of course, frequently ridiculous, with panels often just as likely to be products of inane flights of fancy as they were to embody ideas best suited for a B-movie horror flick. The latter is exemplified by this panel,which depicts a mail carrier being devoured by a mail box.
In this case, the “What-the?” of the cartoon is embedded in the illustration itself. Once again, this entry represents Gary Larson experimenting with multi-panel storytelling; in the fourth panel, the mail carrier has a look of pure confusion and dismay, one that might reflect the average reader’s reaction toThe Far Side’smore quixotic installments.
7"What’s Going On Here?" Often Summed Up The Far Side’s Most Inexplicable Scenes
First Published: July 13, 2025
In this panel,a cleaning person at the Primate Research Lab sets her broom aside and jumps in the air, reaching for a banana tied to a string, hanging from the ceiling. The humor here is evident enough; it comes from the idea that the line between human and primate is thinner than we would like to believe.
That said, the panel is far from the most hilariousFar Sideinstallment, making it likely that Gary Larson had a different reaction in mind when he crafted this comic. While Larson readily admitted that not all of his jokes were always successful, readers who become closely familiar with his work will find themselves able to discern the distinction between aFar Sidepunchline that falls flat, and a scene that dares the reader to ask “what is going on here?”
Far Side’s Most Confusing Comic Has an Incredibly Simple Explanation
In The Prehistory of the Far Side, creator Gary Larson explained the mistake that led to the one and only meaningless Far Side caption.
6It’s Better Not To Ask: “What’s He’s Really Doing Down There?”
First Published: June 29, 2025
In some cases, it can be said that the humor ofThe Far Side, and the reader’s reaction to a panel, exist in parallel. This panel –in which a woman threatens to flood a tunnel that her husband has dug if he doesn’t crawl out of it and come meet their dinner guests– elucidates this idea. The panel might strike one reader as a satirical take on husband-and-wife behavior, while another might find it to be a deeply sad depiction of a man hiding from his life above ground.
Both of these readings can result in laughing at the comic; in a way, humor is the mechanism through whichThe Far Sideachieves a reaction, even if the result is that the audience is repulsed by the content of the strip, rather than finding it funny.
5These Bears Might Even Be Asking Themselves: “What Are We Looking For?”
First Published: July 28, 2025
Throughout the years, some of thefunniestFar Sidecartoons featured bears; this instance evokes the reader to say “What-the?“at the sight of the animals standing on their hind legs, rifling through the wallet of a hiker they have just killed, because itimplies there is more to the storythan the surface-level “nature vs. man” humor.
Gary Larson’s humor frequently played in this realm of uncertainty; it is a common occurrence when first encountering aFar Sidepanel to feel as though one has missed something. Just as often as this is the case – as the sly details of Larson’s drawings can, at times, elude the reader’s initial attention – the strip, by design, operated with some key compentent left unstated, for the reader to puzzle over but never fully identify.
4This Far Side Contains The Philosophical Musing: “Do All Trees Go To Heaven?”
First Published: June 23, 2025
In one of the funniest “What-the?"-inducingFar Sidepanels from 1981,two angels descend from the sky, as the spirit of a freshly cut-down tree begins to rise toward heaven, all while the lumberjack who chopped it looks up in surprise.
Gary Larson never shied away from depicting the afterlife, from hiswickedly amusing depictions of hellto the number ofcartoons he drew starring God, but this one stands-out. For readers who insist on searching for deeper, more esoteric meaning contained withinThe Far Side– against the suggestion of its creator – this is one of the most potent strips for studying, as it evokes the mysteries of the metaphysical in a truly remarkable way.
3Far Side Readers Shouldn’t Lose Their Heads Asking: “What Does This Mean?”
First Published: August 01, 2025
In this panel, a headless individual looks through a box of disembodied heads at a “Lost & Found” booth. Unlike some of the other entries on this list, this one has a strong punchline,as the woman working the booth grows impatient, telling the person: “C’mon, c’mon! Either it’s here, or it ain’t!”
What evokes a more “What-the?” response – whether in addition to, or in place of laughter – is, understandably, the box of heads, and the larger context it connotes. In the world ofThe Far Side, at least as far as this strip is concerned, the loss of a head is as casual as the loss of a wristwatch; while it will strike some readers as funny, others might be dismayed by the joke at the conceptual level, but few, if any, would call this cartoon “boring” or “forgettable.”
