The Far Sideoffers its own unique take on various aspects of life, with family being one of the most common and humorous topics covered. Riffing on the chaos and annoyances that can come with family life,The Far Sideamps everything up to eleven.
InThe Far Side,families come in all shapes and species. Some are insects, while others are humans with a curious obsession for hats made of produce, meat, and cheese. Just like these delightfully bizarre characters, we all know the chaos that comes with being part of a family. Still, most of us wouldn’t trade it for anything. These comic strips capture that messy magic perfectly. They are hilariously weird, oddly familiar, and deeply relatable to anyone who has ever been driven a little crazy by their family and loved them all the same.
10"Pablo Got An ‘F’ in Art!"
Originally Published: June 28, 2025
When a young boy comes home from school, his mother is furious that he received an"F"in art class, determined to go down to the school and talk to the art teacher face-to-face.The young boy in question happens to be the acclaimed artist Pablo Picasso.A pioneer of the Cubism art style and movement, Pablo Picasso would paint images that were two-dimensional and in flat planes, a departure from the conventional techniques of the era.
His parents' faces in the comic stripresemble the cubist figures he would go on to paint as an adult, withThe Far Sidesuggestingthat Picassohad a deep-seated reason for his art style. While families may not be able to relate to the cubist faces of the parents in the comic strip, they can attest to the feeling of rage that occurs when they feel that a family member has received unfair bad marks.
9"This Is Your Side of the Family"
Originally Published: July 23, 2025
Rattlesnakes rattle the end of their tails, which is a tell-tale sign of the snake species. Although things can sometimes get a little mixed up,asThe Far Sideillustrates. A child rattlesnake does rattle like their species name suggests; however, the rattle is not where it is supposed to be. Rattling their head instead of their tail,the rattlesnake child is believed to have inherited that unenviable trait from one side of their family, as one of their parents blames the other.
When a child does something that their parents do not like or consider wrong,there is a tendency to blame the other parent’s side of the family for the perceived bad, genetically inherited trait.Sometimes, parents can joke about the trait of being from the other side of the family, while at other times, it is painful jabs at one another and their families, bringing about all sorts of familial chaos.
8"Maybe the Tar Pits Weren’t the Best Choice"
Originally Published: July 10, 2025
A caveman shares his regretwith his wife over his choice of venue for their family reunion. And “regret” is an understatement, given thathe chose the tar pits as the setting for his family get-together, with his whole family sinking into the tar pits, clawing at the ground to stay above the surface. The family was expecting a fun day of catching up and playing volleyball, as seen by the net in the comic strip, but what they got was far different.
It’s a lot of pressure for whoever has to pick the venue for the family reunion, with this particular caveman fromThe Far Sideobviously choosing incorrectly.His family members no doubt endlessly complained for years to come after this disaster of a reunion… if they survived the tar pits, that is.
7"Morning in the Crypt"
Originally Published: July 25, 2025
A glimpse into a morningin a mummy householdis depicted inThe Far Side. The two mummy children bicker at breakfast, although their arguing is a little different from that of normal children. Instead, the two kids put curses on each other; they are mummies after all. Theirmum and dad yell at them to calm down, eat their breakfast, and stop putting curses on each other.
Any family with more than one child can relate to the morning chaos that ensues between siblingsat each other’s throats, and the completely exasperated parent. While normal squabbling siblings may not be putting curses on each other (hopefully), it is the go-to for mummies, apparently a habit that started in childhood. While mummies are well known for their tendency to put curses on people, this mummy father may need to be setting a better example for his two curse-loving kids.
6"Alien Family Dinners"
Originally Published: July 26, 2025
It’sa very XenomorphThanksgivingfor a nice alien family meal. The adults are seated together, enjoying their meal, while the kids' table nearby is filled with all sorts of hijinks. For example,one kiddie xenomorph replicates the iconic chest burster scene from the firstAlienfilm, except instead of bursting out of someone’s chest, the child alien named Bobbie Joe bursts out of the turkey.
Perfectly capturingthe chaos that can run wild at the kids' tablesduring family holiday meals,The Far Sideadds a sci-fi horror twist, thanks to the kinds of characters that populate this comic strip, which would likely appeal to Ridley Scott and James Cameron. Normal holiday family meals may not involve bloodthirsty aliens. Still, inThe Far Side,even xenomorphs place importance on celebrating the holidays together, even if the kids are obnoxious at their own little table.
5"Sibling’s Shadow"
Originally Published: June 02, 2025
The Far Sidesteers the spotlight away from very famous historical figures like Mother Theresa and the Wright Brothers in favor of their lesser-known siblings.Lawrence Finn, for example, is a far cry from his mischievous brother, Huckleberry, as Lawrence is a guidance counselor who earned straight A’s throughout his own school years.
Gary Larson uses what we know about thesepeople from history, both real and fictional, and assigns them family members that could not be more different from them. For instance, a relative of the hunchback of Notre Dame is in charge of ringing the dismissal bell for Midvale Community College, contrasting with his brother’s ringing of the world-famous Notre Dame Catherdral bell.Siblings are frequently be compared to each other for better or for worse, making thisFar Sidecomic strip very relatable.
4"I Hate Green Blood"
Originally Published: June 23, 2025
Kids can be picky, having a small and select number of foods they like.It can be to the immense annoyance and frustration of parents who have to feed these picky kids when they resist what is prepared for their meal.The Far Sidepresents a single gothic comic strip that thoroughly understands the family situation, but in the surreal and absurdistFar Sideway.
A vampire mother gives her child some blood to drink, drawing complaints from the young vampire, who bemoans that he absolutely hates green blood. Everyone’s a critic,even kid vampires. Much like how kids hate green vegetables, thisFar Sidevampire child has a major issue with the green blood he is being served. Considering that blood is not typically green, maybe the picky vampire kid is on to something with his refusal to drink it.
3"Carmen Miranda’s Family Reunion"
Originally Published: July 08, 2025
Carmen Miranda was a renowned Hollywood star from Brazil, with her fame at its peak in the 1940s. What was most recognizable about Carmen Miranda was her trademark fruit hat, which she wore in several of her films made in the United States.The Far Sidepays tributeto Carmen Miranda… in its own weird way, of course.Families share many commonalities, including their hat choices, as illustrated in the comic strip.
A family reunion of Carmen Miranda reveals that hats made of food items are more than just a fashion preference of the star;they are also a genetically inherited predisposition shared by her entire extended family. Every one of the family members at the reunion is sporting hats made out of food items, which makes their fruit hats seem normal. For instance, one person’s hat is made out of different meats, while another family member’s cap is essentially a charcuterie board with lobster added.
2"Our 1.5 Children"
Originally Published: July 02, 2025
Hosting for the evening, two parents welcome their guests into their home andintroduce their childrento them. While this may sound like a very normal exchange,things take a turn for the surreal when they have 1.5 children, with one normal child and one that is only half of a child.
Poking fun at how the national averages for children in householdsusually have a .5 somewhere in the number,The Far Sideshows what a household with literally 1.5 kids would look like; and it’s kind of unnerving. When keeping track of the number of children in the family, the .5s have always struck people as unusual, since there cannot be half of a child. However,The Far Sidemakes the unusual a reality, filling the world with half-kids, as this kin-centered comic strip shows.
1"Saturday Mornings"
Originally Published: July 24, 2025
Saturday mornings can be hectic, with kids out of school, excitedly running around the house, thanks to the freedom they have from school for the weekend. Unsurprisingly, this can get on the last nerves for some parents. InThe Far Side,a light is shed on those parents who have an issue with kids running wild on the weekend, except with a different spin, as is expected from the surreal comic strip property.
A cockroach motherhas had it with her kids' behavior this weekend. Between running around on the floor, counters, behind the fridge, and under the stove, the cockroach mom cannot handle it anymore,being a hair away from smashing her kids herself.Using the behavior of cockroaches, such as crawling under the stove, and making it the behavior of rambunctious, kid-sized cockroaches (which sounds like a nightmare), a domestic scene is set that many families can relate to, even if the family depicted in thisFar Sidecomic strip is made up of insects.
