Far Side favorites
Published by marco on
There was recently a “favorite Far Side” topic in the comics sub-reddit. I’ve lost the link and don’t feel like searching for it. I downloaded all of the ones that I liked, so consider this article a distillation of—and vast improvement over—that post,
The Far Side was pretty formative for me. Most of these are subversion of expectations, but many have multiple layers, which makes you feel clever for figuring it out. I had a lot of the books and collections and read through them again and again. This comic strippanel stems from a time when irony and a macabre sense of humor were not only appreciated, but feted. There was far less vetting, amelioration, and homogenization of content.
Let’s start off with a macabre one that would probably not run anymore because the puritan 1980s have given way to the even-more-prudish and self-righteous 2020s.
Hey Bob, think there are any bears in this old cave?
Jokes like the one below only work because of Larson’s impeccable style. Your eye is drawn to the sign because the salesman is looking at it. Despite the simple drawing, he’s also obvious hesitating because he’s wondering whether it’s a typo. The eye roves elsewhere to find the answer.
There are levels here. If you think it’s funny because “food” is misspelled, enjoy. It you think it’s funny because the dog is trying to trap the cat, OK. If you laughed because it’s ludicrous to think that it matters that cat food is misspelled because cats can’t read, then you’re getting there.
I love how the cat in this next one is plastered to the window. The desperation is palpable.
Flightless birds and assorted rodents
Another macabre one. The adorable goat is gazing calmly at the incoming plane.
Let’s do the other plane one. Again, you have to work at it, at least a little bit.
He knows it’s wrong. He’s going to do it anyway. Because it’s funny. You can’t not.
You can read so much into this, but it’s funny even if you don’t.
Isn't anyone here a real sheep?
This is one that I remember and find reason to cite occasionally.
He’s so excited about his big day.
I'm going to the vet's to get tutored
I can’t really explain why I love this one. Maybe because it’s cows.
The one below is the only one that I know didn’t run in the regular papers because it was deemed too risqué. You can’t have snakes eating babies. That’s not the joke, though. The joke is what comes after. It’s a little story.
