The Far Sidehas shown all sorts of animals and different ways of human life including subcultures, of which geeks have been included. Much like the rest of human protagonists, the geeks ofThe Far Sideare not always shown in the best light. However, there are several comic strips that put the geeks on display and prove that they are cool. Giving the geeks the props that they have long been deserving,The Far Sidemakes sure to give their cool geeks some awesome punchlines to go with it.
While Gary Larson tended to poke fun of everyone, he had a special place in his heart for geeks who he managed to show coming out on top, being cool. Whether it be nerdy scientists succeeding in creating some of the most important theories of science or geeky accountants being proud of who they are and flaunting it for all to see,these Far Side comic strips prove it is cool to be geeky.
10"The First Rubber Band Is Tested"
1983
One of manyFar Sidecomic stripsthat has a unique take on history, this comic looks at the invention of the rubber band. Only three days later, the rubber band is tested in a way that everyone has done before, obnoxious as it may be: slinging a rubber band at someone. While definitely not the intended purpose of the ingenious invention, it is still a way to use a rubber band, nevertheless.The geeks of the comic strip may be annoying to each other, with their rubber band slinging, but they came up with a brilliant invention that still gets used a lot today, and for that, they will always be cool.Typically in media, geeks are shown being picked on. Interestingly enough, in this case, one geek is picking on another, but all in good fun with his fellow inventor.
9"Jimmy Meets Mr. Ed"
June 14, 2025
Showing a young geek boy work on his model airplane, he uses glue that has a very special source that just so happens to be the titular horse of the TV showMr. Ed.This geek is able to meet the iconic horse Mr. Ed… as glue but still the point still stands, which is pretty cool.The comic strip riffs on the fact that glue used to be made out of horses in the past. It’s actually a pretty dark comic strip, especially so for animal lovers. Likewise, people who loves horses who would likely hate this comic. Regardless,The Far Sidewas always incredibly adept atinfusing pop culture referenceswith dark or surreal humor, which are both present in this equestrian-geek hybrid comic. Larson has showed horses in The Far Side before, but usually in their usual form and not as an adhesive.
8"Laboratory Peer Pressure"
August 14, 2025
Everyone has gone through peer pressure at some point in their lives, even adulthood. Apparently, peer pressure even affects scientists, well,at least inThe Far Side. A group of scientists, who err on the geeky side in the strip, pressure their peer into taking ther concoction they have created that has altered their faces. Peer pressure to smoke is bad enough but this is a whole other level completely.While the actions of the geeky protagonist are not great, it is cool that the strip scientists can create such kooky innovations that make the face look like a cubist or Dali painting.These scientists will make a fortune when Halloween comes around or when they want to sell their formula to some very dedicated Picasso or Dali fans. Not everyone can say they have made an invention that completely chnages the configuration of the human face, but these geeky characters can.
7"Kangaroo Nerds"
July 21, 2025
Kangaroos are incredible animals. They have hind legs that are spring loaded, giving them their trademark ability of being able to hop around and to kick any predators or threats with such immense force.The Far Sidemakes kangaroosare the more special with making them geeks.On top of being the largest marsupials on Earth, the kangaroos of the comic strips get pocket protectors for their pouches as well, making them come out on top against any predator that tries to attack their pouches.Pocket protectors are used to protect shirts from staining or tearing from writing materials they would usually keep in their pockets. These geeky kangaroos can use their pocket protectors for so many uses, like making sure their pens don’t stain their pouches as well as keeping them safe from any pouch targeting threats.
6"Nerd… Dang"
Anyone expect for those who have a really intenseinterest in extraterrestrials, would be determined to avoid alien abduction. Luckily for a specific subset of people, aliens are not interested in them at all, so they nearly escape abduction. InThe Far Sidecomic strip, a group of aliens are going fishing for humans and when they spot that they have caught a nerd, they prepare to send it back, not interested in the geek.Coming out on top, geeks avoid alien abduction where others would not in this sillyWar of the World-esque comic strip.Gary Larson puts his own spin on the human occurrence of going fishing and sending back undesired fish into the water. Why geeks would be undesired even by far out aliens is anyone’s guess because geeks are great, a fact even Gary Larson recognizes.
5"His Little Big Bang Theory"
The Big Bang Theory, besides being a very successful sitcom, is one of the foremost theories about how the Earth and the universe as a whole were made. The theory is widely accepted by many today but that was not always the case, something Gary Larson acknowledges in his ownFar Sideway, of course. Using two snobby scientists to belittle one of their fellow scientist’s Big Bang theory, the strip shows that the two gossiping scientists are actually the ones who are the lesser of the field.The main scientist, who came up with the theory, comes out on top, coming up with one of the most well known theories of the creation of the universe.One can only imagine how much the two scientists felt like they had egg on their face when they were proven wrong and that so called little theory became gigantic.
4"Big Bob"
July 17, 2025
Kids regarded as geeks can sometimes have trouble finding friends, resulting in the creation of imaginary friends. However, inThe Far Side, imaginary friends are not always, well, imaginary after all. When a little geeky fellow’s father does not believe that his son’s imaginary friend is real, the not so imaginary friends takes things into his own hands and gets a tad aggressive, lifting up the father by force from his tie.Making matters worsefor the father is that Big Bob is actually really big, able to inflict some damage if he really wants.As a result, the little geek and his invisible friend end up coming out as cool as they have some brute power on their side.If the boy of the comic strip was ever picked on before, he won’t be after Big Bob comes to his rescue.
3"Hopeful Parents"
A lot of parents can get annoyed with their kids for getting involved in hobbies that they do not think are super productive, like video games.Parents can dream though, with theseFar Sideparents fantasizing that their video game obsessed son will be able to get a high paying job with great benefits as a Nintendo expert as an adult in the future.Funnily enough, those who have a lot of experience with Nintendo products are more likely to get jobs with the mega company in a number of their different positions. As a result, the geeky kid of this strip is getting to have all the fun of being a kid while having the opportunity to work in the video game as an adult. Living out dreams is always a cool thing, which thisFar Sidearticle aims for in a rare show of optimistic humor rather than the frequently yet beloved cynical humor.
Gary Larson retiredThe Far Sideout of a fear of the comic strips lessening in quality and experiencing burnout.
2"Who’s The Brains Of This Outfit?"
June 27, 2025
There have been countless movies about making money through intricate and thought out crimes.The Far Sideshows its versionof money through ill gotten gains, showing the criminals getting caught.Using some hilarious word play, Gary Larson makes the brains of the criminal operation the literal brains, as in the mastermind has a gigantic cranium to contain his huge brain.Given the looks of the other criminal syndicate members, they do not seem too bright, making the puppet master of the group all the more clear if it wasn’t already incredibly obvious. While crime is not cool, the big brained geek of this comic is in complete command of the situation with stacks of cash in front of him as evidence. However, he does end up getting caught anyways, so maybe he is not as smart as he appears.
1"Punk Accountants"
August 08, 2025
Punk is an incredibly interesting and cool subculture that had its apex in the 70s and 80s but has had multiple resurgences since. Most would not assume that accountants, who are usually thought of as being straight laced and a bit square, would be into punk.In contrast,The Far Sideshows us some very cool, punk loving and abiding geeks.Rather than typical earrings in their piercings, however, they have some unique accountant related garb like calculators hanging from their earlobes, as well as pencils and pens in their noses. Punk will forever be cool so these punk accountants can’t go wrong, even if they are decked out in materials used for crunching numbers. Then again, nothing is cooler than someone being true to themselves whichthese two individuals ofThe Far Sidedefinitely are.
