The Far Sidehas covered many different animals, habitats, cultures, and environments in the decades since Gary Larson first launched his iconic comic strip. Consequently, it only makes sense thatThe Far Sidehas numerous strips that show animals that belong to the polar region of the world.
From the blue whales of the arctic waters to the penguins and polar bears that animal enthusiasts all know and love, the animals of this terribly cold region of the world are given some much-needed attention inThe Far Side. While Larson often depicts the savanna and the suburbs, the arctic is a far cry away from those other habitats that have gotten a lot of attention in the widely acclaimed and beloved comic strip,The Far Side. As a result,these animal-loving comic strips set themselves apartfrom otherFar Sideworks.
10"You’re Not Bob!"
September 27th, 1983
A penguin goes up to a fellow penguin, thinking it is their acquaintance Bob. However, the penguin does not turn out to be Bob. He may look just like this elusive Bob, buthe definitely is not the penguin they thought he was.Everyone, at least one time in their lives, has mistaken someone for a person they thought they knew, but who then turns out to be a total stranger. Apparently, this happens to penguins, too.
Given how the penguins all look identical to each otherin thisFar Sidestrip, no one can blame the penguin for the mistake of thinking another one was their pal Bob. The mistaken penguin seems to be very passionate about this not-Bob penguin, who seems to be almost offended that this penguin is not their specific Bob.
9"Seems a Giant Tentacle…"
April 1st, 1991
A man gets a call from his neighbor, Mrs. Griffin, who said that a giant tentacle destroyed her door and stole her beloved shih tzu. One possible culprit - the Harrison neighbor’s giant squid - has the perfect alibi, since they were at the park. However, the man’s squid has no alibi, soit is left as the only suspect standing.As arctic dwellers of the deep sea, giant squids are not typically seen on land in the real world.
10 Surreal Far Side Comics That Will Scratch Your Itch for Weird Humor
The Far Side routinely earned its reputation for being weird; these selections from Gary Larson’s vast body of work are among his strangest jokes.
InThe Far Side, on the other hand, giant squids are at home on the surface, literally in the case of this strip, where the giant squid is a human’s pet. However, the idea of having squids as pets turns out to be a recipe for disaster, as one missing shih tzu and a broken-in door can attest.
8"I Do Only Dream in Black and White"
April 4th, 1988
Everyone knows that penguins are black and white, from kindergartners to those that are in their nineties. As it turns out,one penguin dreams in black and white, too.It is believed that dreaming in black and white can signal some hidden meaning for someone, like a need for clarity in a situation or feelings of loneliness and loss.
In the case of thepenguins in thisFar Sidestrip, they are dreaming in black and white because they are literally black and white all over. Dreams can mean all sorts of things, with the penguin finding great interest in the qualities of his dreams. The scene presented looks like a penguin party with all the guests mingling, with one of the penguins sharing some important information with their conversation partner that helps bring a little perspective about their dreams' color scheme.
7"Harpoon"
March 23rd, 1982
A whale has got a cool new piercing courtesy of the person it has swallowed, who hasshot a harpoon into the whale’s nose area. Perhaps Moby Dick has eaten the sailor Ishmael, who refuses to give up even after being gobbled up by his mammal nemesis. The whale does not look too happy to have a harpoon shot into his nose - but then again, who would be?
This darkly funny strip does not require any words to get the humor across.
Regardless, this darkly funny strip does not require any words to get the humor across. Since sperm whales tend to live in the icy waters of the arctic, the whale in this comic strip is an animal that gets its time in the sun, as cold as it may be,inThe Far Side.
6"Beaked in the Back"
August 26th, 1986
In a murder mystery straight from an Agatha Christie novel, a penguin has been beaked in the back and is now dead. With suspects all around sporting the same murder weapon - a beak -it is going to be one hard case for this penguin detective to crack.With so many penguins gathered near the victim, there is an endless line of possible suspects to go through.
It also does not help that all the penguins look the same, but that is just another layer to this murder mystery. Many think of penguins as kind, gentle creatures. However, inThe Far Side, penguins tend to err on the more homicidal side. As cold as it gets in the arctic, the penguins are not in the best of moods at all times, with one unlucky penguin getting an extreme hit ofbad luck inThe Far Side.
5"Eye"
October 14th, 1983
The eye from a stuffed, mounted moose’s head had popped out and fallen onto the head of the woman sitting below it, bouncing into her soup. The woman does not look too great after her moose eye injury, as she seems to be passed out cold. Unfortunately, if she does not wake up soon, her soup is going to get cold, too.
8 Classic Far Side Comics That Were Made For Conspiracy Theorists
These Far Side comics will make readers question everything, proving artist Gary Larson wasn’t a stranger to conspiratorial thinking.
Many do not like the sight of animals being mounted on walls or used as rugs on the ground. As a result, some might point to the lady in this comic strip and thinksome karma has come her way, courtesy of the moose itself. Regardless,the wholeFar Sidestripserves as a PSA on the need to avoid eating beneath mounted taxidermy, especially when they have potentially-loose eyes.
4"I Lift, You Grab"
November 15th, 1991
Two polar bears come up with the ingenious plan of one of them lifting an igloo while the other polar bear grabs the human for their dinner. However, this very complicated plan turned out to be too complex for good old Carl, asthe human prey runs away before the bears could ever lay a paw on them. Carl may not be the brightest polar bear out there, but his failure to grasp the plan is the escaped man’s fortune.
Had it not been for Carl’s less-than-stellar intelligence, the man would have been polar bear meat. Next time, Carl might just finally gasp the concept… but probably not. Using a bit of dark humor in conjunction with the polar bears' anthropomorphic qualities,a uniquelyFar Sidecomic stripis born.
3"But What Do We Get?"
July 22nd, 1981
A creature rampaging through the city is a scary sight, but this is no Godzilla; it is insteada gigantic penguin stomping its way through the city and terrorizing its citizens.Seeing the cold-loving animal wreaking havoc on the town in the comic strip, one man laments how other cities get more typically terrorizing creatures like huge gorillas or dinosaurs, but what they get is a skyscraper-sized penguin.
One would think that a giant penguin would be the cutest thing in the world, but it is instead a horror to all…
One would think that a giant penguin would be the cutest thing in the world, but it is instead a horror to all who have to deal with it and pretty damaging to the city as a whole as well. An origin story is very much needed forthisFar Sidecharacter, who is literally larger than life. How did they get to be this giant, scary penguin? Only Larson knows.
2"A Louie, Louie"
May 7th, 1984
There have been numerous whale song recordings that people sometimes listen to as a form of relaxation or meditation, and they’re even used in white noise machines.The Far Sidecapturesanother kind of whale song.A blue whale sings the song “Louie, Louie,“which was popularized by the band The Kingsmen in the early 1960s.
One might not expect a whale to be singing music from the early ’60s, but it would not beThe Far Sideif expectations were not subverted in some sort of way. Perhaps this whale is a big fan of the comedy movieAnimal House,where this song was featured prominently. While this whale may have their natural habitat in arctic waters, that does not mean that they do not want to sing their hearts out to some 20th century pop rock songs.
1"Something’s Going on Around Here”
March 12th, 1984
As penguins look around for their friend Edgar on a piece of ice, they start to get suspicious that something - perhaps something sinister - is definitely up and the reason behind their comrade’s disappearance. Unrelated to Edgar’s disappearance isthe huge polar bear disguised as a penguin, who has some very guilty eyes.Maybe it is paranoia, but one can’t help having a sneaking suspicion that the polar bear may have eaten poor Edgar.
As a result, the rest of the penguins are in some serious danger. If they want to live, they had better jump off that little iceberg and swim as far away as possible from their penguin-disguised polar bear friend, who does not seem to have the best intentions for the penguins - besides them being his lunch. Penguins and polar bears sharing the arctic together can lead to some hilarious predator-prey interactions inThe Far Side.
The Far Side
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
