As charming and hilarious as The Far Side is, sometimes it manages to trick people into laughing at something incredibly messed up. Gary Larson was a master of absurdist humor and, often, he’d use bizarre imagery or situations to get the audience to see the funny side of some truly dark things.
The Far Side jokes were always in good fun. But it didn’t shy away from cracking jokes about some really unfunny things. Animal abuse, suicide, and impending doom were all subject matter that, one way or another, Larson was able to make humorous. Read on to discover 10 Far Side strips that make readers laugh and contemplate dark subject matter.
10
Calling for Fifi
Publication Date: December 12th, 1984
Animals are frequently used in The Far Side, especially dogs. But humankind is no friend to canines in this strip, which sees a woman calling her dog Fifi in from outside. Unfortunately for Fifi, the owner has nailed the doggy door shut, setting the poor pup up for a nasty accident.
Of course, readers are going to laugh at the dramatic irony, knowing full well what awaits Fifi. But it’s a bit disturbing seeing the owner call to her faithful dog, as if gleefully anticipating the dog’s injury. The Far Side can be twisted with its humor, but that’s just shockingly cruel.
9
One Big Mosquito
Publication Date: May 18th, 1981
There really is no such thing as normal in The Far Side, even when dealing with common problems like mosquitoes. Here, a couple are relaxing on the beach when a woman notes that she’s just spotted a huge mosquito, completely unaware that her partner has been drained to a husk.
Is it funny seeing someone completely drained of their blood? With the results seen here, the answer is yes. But exsanguination aside, it’s actually a horrifying prospect. Just imagine how big the mosquito spotted by the woman actually is if it just feasted on a human. Worse, imagine the possibility of other mosquitoes who are just as hungry.
8
Stuffed Himself
Publication Date: December 18th, 1987
Even a subject like suicide was not off the table when it came to Larson’s strips. In this Far Side strip, a couple of bears are walking into a house when they notice that their ursine friend Leonard has managed to taxidermize himself. He even left a note pinned to his chest saying goodbye.
Everything about this situation is absurd, which is what makes it so funny. But seriously, did Leonard actually stuff himself (after all, anything’s possible in The Far Side). Or is this actually a gruesome murder? The comedy brought on by the situation really disguises the horrifying implications of how Leonard wound up stuffed and mounted.
7
A Bad Sign
Publication Date: April 16th, 1987
The Far Side wasn’t afraid to get grim and put its featured players in a no-win scenario. In this strip, a couple has somehow managed to wind up on a deserted island. That’d be bad enough, but there’s a skeleton on the island with them and, to make matters worse, the sign reveals the corpse is actually Amelia Earhart’s remains.
That kind of twist is pretty funny, if not a bit macabre. But as funny as it is, the strip makes it blatantly clear that not only is that couple doomed, they’re almost certain to never be seen again. When The Far Side went dark, it wasn’t afraid to get pitch black.
6
Fifi’s Fate
Publication Date: May 30th, 1990
Poor Fifi just can’t get a break. But this strip goes far beyond a mere injury for the beleaguered dog. Here, a family is sitting down to dinner when the canine reveals itself to be a chicken they were planning to eat. Fifi, sadly, took the place of the chicken, much to the family’s horror.
The Far Side often portrayed farm animals as criminal masterminds. But this is beyond the pale. Misdirection is a cornerstone of comedy, but one can only imagine the horror once the realization hit them. It’s rare to see a strip venture into such dark territory, but one has to give Larson points for such a wild swing.
5
Bomb Squad
Publication Date: March 27th, 1991
The Far Side knew how to combine two awful things to create an even worse and more absurd situation. In this strip, people have gathered around the bomb squad as the lead technician tries to disarm it. Unfortunately, he’s not on top of his game due to his wife leaving him the night before.
Admittedly, it is funny seeing one of the squad members just throw in how the technician’s personal issues are going to affect his performance. But that just raises the question of why they’d do that knowing what could happen. One can only wonder if the characters featured in this strip actually make it out alive.
4
Fat and Happy as Ever
Publication Date: Unknown
One of the funniest things Larson ever did with his strip was having his characters be some of the most ignorant people ever created. In this Far Side strip, a couple of sailors have found a boat with a dog on it, thinking it a miracle he survived the elements, completely ignoring the evidence of the people the dog consumed.
But as funny as the ignorance of the sailors is, it’s also a bit disturbing to think about what happened just before the dog was found. The best case scenario is that it was forced to eat a dead body. But an even worse thing to think about is that the dog ate the other survivors before they ate him.
3
Emergency Cord Emergency
Publication Date: September 25th, 1984
Bad luck is just a fact of life when living in The Far Side. Here, a skydiver is having the worst possible experience one could have in this situation. The parachute he relied on was somehow replaced with a piano and the backup, strangely enough, was an anchor, sealing his fate.
To be fair, the schadenfreude here is amazing. This poor skydiver’s bad luck is so extreme it circles right around back to being funny. But at the same time, it’s disturbing to think about how he’s about to meet his maker and be completely crushed by the piano and the anchor.
2
Unusual Sight
Publication Date: February 2nd, 1983
Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s normal and what isn’t in The Far Side. But in this case, it’s blatantly clear. A couple of pilots are navigating through some thick clouds when they notice that a mountain goat, ignorantly believing the goat is up in the air and not that the plane is about to crash into a mountain.
In a lesser strip, a goat would probably have been up in the air to subvert audience expectations. But The Far Side prefers the bleaker approach. And sure, it’s funny to see a pilot make such an outrageous mistake. But knowing what’s coming next is way more horrifying than funny.
1
Head Story
Publication Date: January 10th, 1987
Gary Larson had a knack for raising a lot of questions despite most Far Side strips only ever being one panel. Here, children have gathered around a man named Henry, who’s just a head, to hear him tell a story. But Henry’s wife is imploring her husband to tell the kids a more pleasant story.
But seriously, what is the story behind Henry’s decapitation? Why is he just a head? Who wouldn’t want to know the answer behind that mystery? As far as The Far Side scenarios go, this is one of the most ludicrous, but there are also a lot of disturbing things about it that will have readers racking their brains.
- Writer
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Gary Larson
- Colorist
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Gary Larson
