Part of what madeThe Far Sidesuccessful was that it did more than just make readers laugh: at times, Gary Larson’s comic surprised readers, and even shocked them, playing on a variety of feelings over the years to get a reaction from people. According to Larson, this was whatThe Far Sidewas all about.
As the author explained inThe Complete Far Side, he always intended for his work to have an immediate reaction. While the most recognizable immediate reaction is laughter, Larson also cited what he calledthe “What the?” and “My God!” reflexes as targets forFar Sidepanelsto hit.
Just as the reaction to a truly funny joke is spontaneous,Gary Larson wanted fans’ responses to even his weirdest, or most controversialFar Sidecartoons, to be an immediate, bodily feeling.
12The Far Side Quickly Established How Dark Gary Larson Was Willing To Go
First Published: August 22, 2025
One of the first tenFar Sidecartoons, this panel has the distinction of being the first murder in the strip’s history,as a man’s pet parrot rats him out for killing his wife, right in front of the cops.The first year ofThe Far Sidewas all about setting precedents, and this panel established that Gary Larson was willing to go to downright grim places with his humor.
The important thing to note about a “My God!” response to aFar Sidecomic is that it can happen in conjunction with laughter, often in spite of one’s own good taste. In either case, whether a reader laughs at this dark scenario in spite of themselves, or is simply shocked and dismayed, it certainly garners Larson’s desired reaction.
11Gary Larson Experiments With Visceral Imagery In This Surrealist Far Side Panel
First Published: June 24, 2025
Sometimes,The Far Side’s"What the?" and “My God!” reactions can overlap. That is certainly the case with this cartoon, which features a trio of vagabond-coded men sitting by a dumpster;one is smoking a cigar, which he is humorously harangued for by a pair of guys who are literally melting, because they’re drinking some unspecified substance from scientific-looking beakers.
The punchline of thisFar Sidecomic relies on irony, but that is an intellectual response that will follow for readers, after the instant reaction to the panel’s imagery subsides. Readers will find themselves uneasy, or even repulsed at the drawing of the two men, meaning it was a solid creative choice by Gary Larson.
10The Far Side Flips The Script On A Classic Fairy Tale – Which Became A Gary Larson Go-To
First Published: August 08, 2025
This cartoon is an early example of Gary Larson’s knack for inverting, subverting, and generallywarping fairy tales and nursery rhymes inThe Far Side. This would go on to become a staple of the comic’s run, and this panel illustrates why, as a realtor shows perspective buyersthe witch from Hansel and Gretel’s house, explaining that “some young punks vandalized the place and cooked the owner.”
The Far Side’s “Chicken Of Depression” Comic (And How It Shows Off Gary Larson’s Technique Of Taking Things Too Literally On Purpose)
Despite the Far Side’s reputation for sowing confusion, Gary Larson’s humor was often overly literal, as his “Chicken of Depression” comic shows.
Here, the “My God!” reaction can be said to be an abbreviated form of “My God, when you put it like that!” as the recontextualizing of the classic story of survival as a shocking crime is certain to take many readers aback, for at least a moment.
9The Far Side Wasn’t Afraid To Depict Taboos In Order To Provoke A Response
First Published: June 06, 2025
The Far Sidecan be called “confrontational” in the sense that it confronted social norms, and used social taboos as fodder for comedy. This is a much more ubiquitous trait in modern humor, but at the start of the 1980s – especially in people’s local daily newspapers – jokes about murder, and even more jarringly, suicide, definitely led to as many “My God!” reactions as it did laughs, if not more.
Here,a woman is inconsolable after her houseplant takes its own life, as she sobs, “I was just talking to him yesterday.” WhetherGary Larson succeeds in making lightof one of life’s darkest topics is up to individual readers to decide, but what is undeniable is that the cartoon provokes a reaction, even if it is outrage.
8Something As Simple As A Nice Sunny Day Could Be A Dangerous Thing For The Far Side’s Characters
First Published: June 17, 2025
ThisFar Sidecartoon omits a caption, meaning some readers might not “get” the joke immediately, leading to a “What the?” reaction rather than the “My God!” response this punchline deserves. In the panel, a woman throws open the windows to her high rise apartment to get some fresh air –and knocks a window washer off his scaffolding, sending him plummeting to his death.
Death was a constant presence inThe Far Side, and this cartoon is a reminder of how quickly it could come for any character. This is also representative of Gary Larson’s “aftermath” technique – that is, setting a joke in the moments after something shocking or out of the ordinary has happened.
7The Far Side Reminds Readers To Always Check Where They Stick Their Toes – Even Their Own Shoes
First Published: July 25, 2025
One ofThe Far Side’sgreatest tricks was presenting a recognizable scenario from an unfamiliar, or alien perspective. Sometimes,Gary Larson used actual aliensto accomplish this. Just as often, he used animals, insects, and even objects as POV characters, to emphasize just how strange humans and their world around them are.
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.
Here, a scorpion is freaking out,because the shoe it was sleeping in was abruptly invaded by “this hideous thing with five heads” – that is, the foot the shoe belongs to. Darkly, the bare-footed is shown lying prone in the background, suggesting that the scorpion’s sting was fatal, or at least severe enough to render the human unconscious.
6One Of The Far Side’s Rare Humans Who Appreciated Nature – And Paid For It
First Published: June 18, 2025
In thisdark wordlessFar Sidecomic, a mountain climber arrives at a precipice and, overwhelmed by the scope of nature,feels compelled to call out “helloooooooo” – only to be promptly knocked off the cliff by a rock slide, caused by his hollering.
As mentioned, death often came out of nowhere for unfortunateFar Sidecharacters, but in this case, that is not exactly true, as Gary Larson sketches the rocks that will take out the mountaineer in thetop-right of the comic’s split-panel. In any case, the abruptness of the character’s demise will lead to its share of “My God!” reactions, especially with his “helloooo” cascading into a series of “ows” the bottom-left of the panel.
First Published: June 01, 2025
In this panel, a human woman covered in severe-looking welts and a porcupine break up over drinks, with one of them – presumably the woman, though it remains open to interpretation –saying they “don’t feel the relationship is working out,” with the obvious reasons why left politely unstated.
Once again,Gary Larson tackles a taboo with thisFar Sidecartoon, which will garner “My God!” reactions from its very premise, and then even more with the illustration of the woman covered in porcupine stings. As far asThe Far Sidewas “edgy,” this cartoon helped shape that reputation, and it remains one that is highly likely to prompt a strong response from readers.
4The Far Side’s Bears Ate Well Over The Years
First Published: July 31, 2025
Not only werebears a commonFar Sidesight, but humans being eaten by bears was seemingly a favorite recurring joke for Gary Larson. In fact, bears might have the highest body count inFar Sidehistory, aside from nature itself, and random cruel twists of fate, which routinely befell Larson’s characters.
Why The Far Side’s “Dog With Gun” Comic (And Its “Sequel”) Illustrate Gary Larson’s Favorite “Animals Turning the Tables On Humans” Trope Better Than Any Other
“Dog With Gun” is one of the most recognizable Far Side cartoons, and in a way, it represents the pinnacle of a classic Gary Larson recurring joke.
Here,a man cowers in a tree as a mother bear shakes him out like a piece of fruit, as her cubs jump for joy, while she asks “who wants dark meat and who wants white?” The panel’s humor and its “My God!” reaction stem from the same place, in this case, as both derive from the looks of delight on the bears' faces, in contrast to their human prey’s terror.
3Executions Were A Casual Affair On The Far Side
First Published: July 19, 2025
The Far Sidefrequently depictedthe moment after a character’s shocking death – but it also regularly found comedy in the moments just before. In this case, the shock is literal, as a man prepares for execution by electric chair, though both the horror and the humor of the cartoon derive from the same source. That is, the anticipation for it to happen, which is delayed, as the prison officials flip the switch a few times, to no avail.
“The contact points must be dirty,” one of them says, unbothered by the delay, all while the condemned man sweats, his life extended for a few extra moments of existential dread, the sight of which will make many sympathetic readers say “My God!”
