TheseFar Sidecartoons tread the line between outrageous and relatable, highlighting how this admixture of the real and the surreal played an essential role in the success of author/artist Gary Larson. As strange asThe Far Sidecould get, it usually at least tried to root its humor in things readers recognized.
The panels below are arranged in order of increasing relatability, but of course, readers should note that their mileage may vary when it comes to individualFar Sidecartoons.
That is, not everyFar Sidecomic can relate to every reader, but these stand out as particularly appealing to select demographics of Gary Larson’s wide audience.
10"The Grim Reaper As A Child": Far Side Creator Gary Larson Knew What It Was Like To Be A Loner
First Published: Jun 10, 2025
In thisFar Sidecartoon about Death incarnate, a young Grim Reaper plays alone in his room, perhaps because of his niche interest in toys…that is, the sandbox full of miniature gravestones, which he seems to prefer over the slingshot in his back pocket and the ball and bat lying on the floor nearby.
The humor here stems from Gary Larson’s attempt to humanize Death, as a character, and he achieves that by evoking the relatable feeling of being a lonely child, prone to playing indoors, living in one’s own interior world while neglecting the world outside. Many readers will recognize this sentiment, adding an unexpectedly resonant dimension to an otherwise sillyFar Sidegag.
9"Not Driving Him South This Winter": The Far Side Lampoons That Person You Know Who Asks For Too Much
First Published: June 06, 2025
Everyone has that family member, or friend, who is always asking for extremely inconvenient favors, something that thisFar Sidecomic hilariously embodies. Here, a duck casually strolls in the front door of a human couple’s house, while around the corner, the wife sternly advises her husband that they “are absolutely, positively, NOT driving him south this winter.”
It is an absurdcollision ofThe Far Side’sanimal and human characters, but like most of Gary Larson’s absurdist humor, it contained a kernel of recognizable, relatable observational humor about the human experience. “Be gentle, but firm,” the wife says here, in dialogue that reflects a scenario plenty of readers will have been on either side of.
First Published: August 04, 2025
Anyone who has flown on an airplane can relate to this over-the-topFar Sidepanel, in which an airline passenger turns to the man in the seat next to him and mutters “God help us all” when “Captain Ruru,” a literal cartoon dog, steps aboard and is revealed to be their pilot.
Anxious fliers will find any portent of doom they can latch onto from boarding the plane to taxiing down the runway after landing, and Gary Larson exploited these fears in a number ofhystericalFar Sidecartoons about planes and pilotsover the years, with this being just one particularly goofy (pun intended) example.
7"Dig Me Out, Billy": This Far Side Comic Highlights The Difficulties Of Parenting In The Darkest Way
First Published: Jul 20, 2025
In this dark earlyFar Sidecartoon, a noticeably nervous father, currently buried neck deep in the sand at the beach as the tide approaches, calls out to his son to dig him out, but “Billy” keeps ignoring his increasingly desperate commands, content to keep playing with his shovel and pail.
Presumably, the child is unaware of the imminent danger of the encroaching waves, though he does have a slightly devious smile on his face. In any case, any parent who has found themselves frustrated by a child that won’t listen will relate to this comic in spirit, though hopefully not in its specific details.
6"Curse This New York City Sewer System": An Outrageous Far Side That Everyone Can Still Relate To
First Published: June 24, 2025
“Curse this New York City sewer system,” a woman shouts, as she fends off an angry-looking alligator trying to bust down her apartment door, jamming a plunger between its jaws while trying to keep it out. Meanwhile, her husband remains seated in his recliner, side-eyeing the escalating situation over the top of his newspaper.
This is certainly anoutrageousFar Sideaction scene, one that hilariously utilizes the myth of alligators living under New York’s streets as fodder for its punchline, but at its core, it is one that every homeowner, or renter, who has had problems with a clogged toilet or a leaky faucet can relate to.
5The Far Side Highlights The Deflating Truth Of Struggling As An Artist Or Inventor
First Published: June 19, 2025
In thisclassicFar Sidecaveman cartoon, Gary Larson gives one of his many takes on the invention of the wheel, an essential step in the development of early civilization. However, at the same time, this cartoon also appeals to a modern, or perhaps even timeless, sense of creative frustration, one Larson was acutely familiar with himself.
In the panel, a prehistoric innovator tirelessly bangs at a rock with a primitive hammer and chisel, with the sequence of images depicting it patiently being sculpted into a perfect-looking wheel…only for it to promptly deflate. Anyone who has written a story, built a shelf, or done anything creative, really, will know the harsh reality thisFar Sidecomic represents.
4"You Have To Prime It": The Far Side’s Dogs Hilariously Re-Create Fun At A Common Human Interaction
First Published: May 24, 2025
Sure, most people probably haven’t pulled out their chainsaw and revved it up intending to cut down a tree to get to a sleeping cat, like theFar Sidecanines in this comic, but anyone who has had a friend, parent, or neighbor loom over their shoulder while they tried to work a power tool will know the pain of this panel.
“You have to prime it, you know,” one dog says to another, who is yanking at the starter chord on the chainsaw to no avail. In signatureFar Sidefashion, Gary Larson uses animal characters here, but he captures a very human moment, which is part of what makes the cartoon so appealing to readers.
3"Certainly No Longer The Toy Department": The Far Side Finds Humor In Childhood Trauma
First Published: July 09, 2025
“Eventually, Stevie looked up,” the caption of thisFar Sidecomic informs readers, alongside an illustration of a young boy carrying a toy truck through a dark, ominous forest. “His mother was nowhere in sight,” the caption goes on, “and this was certainly no longer the toy department.” Here,Gary Larson brilliantly lampoonsa classic mix-up: getting separated from one’s parents.
He does so by taking the scenario to the next level, having his young character leave the store entirely. It is every parent’s worst nightmare, and a familiar traumatic childhood experience for many kids, and that fundamental connection to real life is what makes thisFar Sidecomic so comedically effective.
First Published: August 15, 2025
In anotherprehistoricFar Sideclassic, a young caveboy hides behind a tree, not yet prepared to show his parents his report card, which is all “F” grades. Hilariously, despite the archaic setting of this cartoon, the subjects “Grog” has flunked include “Calculus,““Physics,““Biology,” “Chemistry” and “Civics,” despite the characters' clear lack of civilization.
It is a great use of absurd anachronism by Gary Larson, but again, the ridiculous humor of the comic is grounded in a highly recognizable scenario. Anyone who has dreaded showing their parents their report card will feel a pang of sympathy for “Grog,” while laughing at the way thisFar Sidepanel captures something so familiar.
1The Far Side Pokes Fun At The Despair Of Doing Push-Ups In This Classic Comic
First Published: August 12, 2025
In what is hands-down one ofThe Far Side’smost relatable cartoons, a man struggles, across a series of six sketches, to pull off a single pull-up. People who lack forearm strength, or otherwise, the will to work out, will immediately recognize the true-to-life humor of this punchline, rendered perfectly by Gary Larson.
The Far Sideis known for bringing a new level of weird to newspaper comic pages, but cartoons like this one show that Larson was just as capable of delivering “slice of life,” easy-to-digest jokes, when it suited him.The Far Sidealways aimed to maintain a point of connection with its audience, whatever strain of humor it delivered.
