According to creator Gary Larson, his primary goal withThe Far Sidewas always toget a reaction out of its readers– though not necessarily always laughter. To Larson, making a reader exclaim “What-the?” after reading one of his comics was as much a success as eliciting a chuckle, something that goes a long way toward explaining the quixotic nature of the artist’s humor.
A closer look atThe Far Sidereveals that Gary Larson achieved a “What-the?” from his audience in myriad different ways; for example,sometimes it was the product of an overly subtle joke, while in other instances, it actually came from the humor being too obvious.
As readers become more familiar withThe Far Side, and Larson’s comedic style, they will find themselves picking up on the author’s more perplexing punchlines with increasing ease – yet in most cases, the distinctly “What-the?” quality of these panels remains.
12A Horse Is A Horse – Of Course, On The Far Side, That Wasn’t Always The Case
First Published: July 08, 2025
ThisFar Sidepanelfrom early 1987 is likely to evoke a “What-the?” from readers because of its deceptive simplicity. The cartoon depicts horses driving cars on the highway – not unusual forThe Far Side– with one of them carting an attached horse carrier behind it. Of course, rather than housing one of their own,the carrier is instead occupied by a human, whose rear-end is visible sticking out the back.
This is an example of Gary Larson’s trademark technique of comedic inversion; by simply flipping the roles of horse and human, he disorients the reader, leading at best to a surprise laugh, before their brain can make sense of the comics, or at worst, a puzzled “Huh?”
11Gary Larson’s “Toe Party” Comic Is The Far Side At Its Most Outrageous
First Published: August 23, 2025
While the punchline of thisFar Sidecomic is simple enough, it is the visceral reaction to the cartoon’s absurdity that many readers are bound to feel which makes this a solid “What-the?” entry. Here, a house partywhere the guests are all toes react with dismay when one of them opens the door to find “a wretched, mean-looking in-grown.”
Gary Larson anthropomorphized many thingsduringThe Far Side’stenure, from animals to objects, but there is something particularly jarring about disembodied, life-sized toes that works to make this panel so memorably outrageous. It is also a notable example of aFar Sidecartoon in which the imagery actually overtakes the punchline, which in its own right is fairly amusing.
First Published: August 12, 2025
Another classic type of “What-the?” reaction toThe Far Sideinvolves a feeling of legitimate mystification at how Gary Larson could have arrived at a particular joke. The more readers learnabout Larson’s creative process, the more context they will have for his humor’s surreal quality – but some cartoons simplybeg the question of where the idea came from, whether the artist could provide a suitable answer himself or not.
Gary Larson’s Breakdown of 1 Far Side Joke Explains So Much About His Sense of Humor
Known for leaving readers confused, Far Side creator Gary Larson explained a typical “obscure” punchline, revealing the inner workings of his humor.
That is to say, there are someFar Sidecomics where the “What-the?” response is not just its end result, but baked into its very premise – making it likely that Gary Larson had the same reaction as he crafted the comic as readers subsequently did when they engaged with it.
9A Classic Far Side Remix Substitutes Cows For Killer Sharks
First Published: July 30, 2025
Once again, the humor of thisFar Sidepanel rests on a remix of familiar elements that results in something totally absurd. In this case,a herd of cows is depictedwith a man in a cage dangling overhead, waiting to be lowered into their midst, with the caption declaring that this is “how cow documentaries are made.”
Naturally, most readers will recognize that Gary Larson has transposed the behavior of shark researchers onto cow aficionados. This humor technique was vital toThe Far Side, because it gave rise to a level of dissonance in Larson’s jokes that had the effect of grabbing readers' attention. This was Larson’s goal, and while their ultimate response was out of his hands, getting that response justified his creative choices.
8Exploring The Depths Of Gary Larson’s Warped Anthropological Humor
First Published: August 10, 2025
In this strangeFar Sidepanel,Gary Larson takes a wild swing, precisely the kind that makes his work so enduring to this day. Larson was fascinated by the field of anthropology, and many of his jokes used this as their foundation – despite the fact that this often left less anthropologically-aware audience members scratching their heads.
Here,the “toaster divers of Pago Pago” snorkel to the bottom of the ocean and collect the household appliances, which they carry back to their waiting boaton the surface. Larson’s joke relies on its readers to have some conception of “pearl diving,” and then to recognize why it is funny to swap out toasters for precious stones. If any link in that chain of comedic reasoning fails, however, the reader is certain to be left wondering “What-the?”
7A Far Side Bat Is Startled Awake By A Revelation
First Published: June 07, 2025
Rather than anthropology, thisFar Sidepanel requires at least a minimal scientific understanding of bats in order to elicit a laugh. For most readers, though, this is firmly a “What-the?” cartoon. Featuring a gaggle of bats slumbering upside down in their cave,one’s eyes burst open, and it cries out “AAAAAA….I CAN SEE!”
The Far Side Complete Collection
Fans of the far side can’t pass up this master collection of Gary Larson’s finest work. Originally published in hardcover in 2003, this paperback set comes complete with a newly designed slipcase that will look great on any shelf. The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever published, which amounts to over 4,000, plus more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book and even some made after Larson retired.
Eyes were essential toThe Far Side; according to Gary Larson’s long-time editor, characters' eyes were often where the “true” joke of a panel was located. The startled eyes of the screaming bat certainly add something to this panel, but what holds it back from being laugh-out-loud funny is the way the joke here almost seems to be located somewhere off the page, outside the cave.
6Reflecting On Gary Larson’s Strange Sense Of Humor
First Published: August 13, 2025
Gary Larson’s sense of humoris divisive, in the sense that even if someone “gets” his jokes, they might not necessarily share his comedic sensibilities. On the contrast, for those readers who “click” with Larson’s work, even the simplest panel can be elevated in its hilarity. In thisFar Sidecartoon, two chickens are depictedsitting casually in recliners, as the door to their bathroom nearly bursts off its hinges, with one of them remarking “Oh my God! Murray’s attacking the bathroom mirror!”
A punchline about a chicken attacking its own reflection is amusing enough, but Larson’s notable creative choice here is the perspective. By giving just a hint of the chaos happening behind that door, readers are left to fill in the true extent of Murray’s freak-out in their minds.
5Gary Larson Goes Out On A Limb Again With This Far Side Panel
First Published: July 11, 2025
For the second time in 1987, Gary Larson produceda somewhat disturbing panel involving disembodied appendages – in this case, fingers, which a pair of parakeets use as furniture. ThisFar Sidepanel is a bizarre extrapolation of parakeets’ tendency to land on their owners' fingers; from that, Larson takes the idea that were they to be homeowners, that is what they would be most comfortable with.
As with many “What-the?“Far Sidecartoons, the joke here is clear enough – but that isn’t going to stop many readers from responding with confusion and even dismay. It is safe to say that this comic represents the far-out limits of Gary Larson’s ability to produce strange, evocative imagery.
4Things Are Never This Straightforward On The Far Side
First Published: August 11, 2025
This panel proceeds from the straightforward premise: the idea that many men are so hapless in the kitchen that they can’t even properly pour themselves a bowl of cereal. Gary Larson embellishes this concept by following it through to its logical extreme,as two hapless fellas stand at the kitchen counter, supplies gathered before them, as one reads from “The Cold Cereal Cookbook.”
“Compared To the Next Cartoon, It’s Very Normal”: Far Side’s Longtime Editor On What Made Gary Larson’s Creative Process So Unique
In his introduction to “The Complete Far Side,” Gary Larson’s longtime editor revealed what he admired most about the artist’s singular creativity.
Amusingly, they have already messed up the first step of the process. Certainly,this panel straddles the line between laugh-out-loud funny and “What-the?“more than some others might, but what pushes it over the edge into the latter territory is the sheer inanity of the joke; while it might be obvious, it is so ridiculous that it will flummox some readers anyway.
3What Organization Passes For On The Far Side
First Published: July 22, 2025
In thisFar Sidecartoon, a homeowner has evidently been dealing with some confusion in his household, prompting him to look for a simple, efficient remedy, and in the process giving rise to a patented bit of Gary Larson absurdity. Here, a man haspainted the name of various objects on the object itself as a reminder – including, but not limited to his pet cat, dog, house, and his own clothing.
This can be described as an “over-board"Far Sidepanel; that is to say, the absurdity of the premise derives from the fact that this individual has gone with such an over-the-top solution to a seemingly straightforward problem. The imagery here is certainly funny, but that absurd premise is what truly leaps off the page, and is most likely to result in a resounding “What-the?”
