Even 45 years after it began publication, Gary Larson’s The Far Side is still beloved by fans the world over. One of the things that’s most remarkable about the comic’s 15-year run is how high the quality is throughout, with Larson hitting his stride almost immediately.
Here, then, are ten early Far Side comics that showed Gary Larson was destined for legendary status, even when he was just getting started. Capturing Larson’s penchant for dark humor, hilarious surrealism and recurring themes, these are the early strips that marked Far Side as something special.
10
Carnivorous Mailbox
Far Side’s January 17, 1980 Comic
In only the twelfth Far Side comic published, Larson showcases his darkly surreal sense of humor. The strip shows a woman approaching a mailbox, with beady eyes peering out of the mail slot. Showing what’s about to happen, bones are piled up underneath, hinting that either this mailbox is uniquely carnivorous, or else it’s been occupied by some kind of monstrous predator. Larson actually revisited this concept in a later strip (below), but for our money, the original is the best.
One of Larson’s greatest tricks as a humorist is showing the moment just before something extreme happens. While it’s funny to see someone sucked into a predatory mailbox, it’s way funnier to see someone who’s about to suffer the same fate, but is gleefully unaware of the fact. For the 15 years following this comic, Larson continued to exhibit his mastery of comic timing.
9
Jaws
Far Side’s January 25, 1980 Comic
It’s jaw-dropping that this much-loved Far Side comic was published in Larson’s first month, when he was still nailing down how he was going to draw the strip’s humans. The comic is a meta gag playing on the iconic score of the movie Jaws, implying that the people targeted by the film’s shark can hear John Williams’ music just as clearly as the audience. In among Larson’s very first visual and surreal gags, he was already experimenting with sophisticated humor that depends on readers catching the pop culture reference.
This is a habit that continued throughout The Far Side‘s run, with Larson penning dozens of comics that reference popular movies and TV – open the image gallery below to see some examples.
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8
“They’re Edible!”
Far Side’s February 8, 1980 Comic
One of the hallmarks of The Far Side is adopting the point of view of animals, turning their natural instincts into hilarious foibles and offering a transformative view of humankind. In this strip, two beavers happen across a lumberjack with a wooden leg, wrongly concluding that humans are “edible.”
It’s a discovery with some dark implications for what happens next, and showcases Larson’s habit of taking a normal animal behavior – beavers gnawing on wood – and finding the unusual situation that makes it as funny (and as inconvenient to humans) as possible.
7
Agent 6373
Far Side’s March 13, 1980 Comic
Larson’s cow comics have become a byword for The Far Side, with the animal becoming the official mascot of the series. However, in their very first appearance, Larson’s cows are actually a historical reference. It’s a popular story that the Great Chicago Fire (which took place in 1871) was started by ‘Mrs. O’Leary’s cow’ kicking over a lantern. In Larson’s world, this was no accident, but rather a dedicated operation by a group of anti-human cows.
It’s amazing that, still in his first year, Larson trusted readers to get this historical reference. Far Side is known for trusting its readers, often including historical and scientific references that not everyone will get. Larson’s love of the surreal helps cushion any jokes that don’t land – even if you don’t know about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, the idea of a cow secret agent burning down a city is still weirdly funny. Open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics starring Larson’s iconic cows.
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6
Diving Contest
Far Side’s March 17, 1980 Comic
Larson’s multi-panel gags got rarer as The Far Side went on, even though they never quite went away. This comic has two comedic premises – an expert diver apparently about to dive into a pail of water, and that pail being removed right as he reaches the point of no return. For a comic strip in its first year, a diving contest where the divers have to aim for a bucket would have been funny enough, but Larson couldn’t stop himself adding a second twist to the gag.
5
Eyeglass Testing Area
Far Side’s March 28, 1980 Comic
In this strip, a group of scientists test their newly invented eyeglasses by running full tilt into a brick wall. There are several comedic elements here, from the extreme way of testing something so simple to the brick wall being erected solely for this task, rather than the scientists just using a convenient building. Scientists engaging in extreme, even childish behavior became a staple of Far Side‘s humor, with this strip’s pile of broken glasses acting as a sign of things to come.
4
Window Washer
Far Side’s May 15, 1980 Comic
Still in his first year, Larson suddenly switches styles, presenting a gag with no caption to explain what’s happening. The comic shows an old woman throwing open her windows, apparently knocking a window washer off his platform and down into the street below. Like his trick of showing the moment before something extreme, this time Larson presents the moment after, trusting that his readers will use context clues to put together the chain of events.
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3
Big City
Far Side’s November 13, 1980 Comic
Taking figurative language literally is a repeating gag in The Far Side, as Larson plays on the idea of the ‘Big City’ being literally larger than the ‘Small Town’ these characters are from. It’s a weird piece of imagery that depends on the reader getting a piece of wordplay that could easily fly over their heads, again emphasizing how much faith Larson puts in his readers.
2
Frog/UFO
Far Side’s December 1, 1980 Comic
In this strip, a man is amazed that frogs simply freeze when dazzled by a bright light, even as his friend exhibits the same behavior when likewise confronted by a more advanced lifeform. The Far Side is famous for its single-panel gags, and it’s easy to overlook how much information Larson packs into his strips. This comic includes two different characters experiencing two different things, with one setting up the pattern and the other subverting it for humor – all packed into a single image and a caption. Open the image gallery below for more Far Side frog comics.
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1
Logrolling
Far Side’s December 23, 1980 Comic
In this strip, two ants stand on the side of a log as it’s rolled back and forth by the humans on top of it. The men pictured are engaging in logrolling – a sporting contest where the goal is to send your opponent tumbling into the water just by controlling the log. However, the ants know none of this, and seem to believe they’re the ones controlling the chaotic rolling, desperately trying to figure out how to save their skin.
This comic is so smart, it borders on a philosophical statement, as two bugs assume they’re in control of a situation that’s actually being influenced by forces way outside their perception. The gag showcases Larson’s habit of adopting the perspective of animals and his skill at packing a surprising amount of information into a single comic panel.
Those were 10 comics from The Far Side‘s first year that showcased how legendary Gary Larson’s work would become, exemplifying his intelligence, skill as a comic creator and faith in his readers.
- Writer
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Gary Larson
- Colorist
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Gary Larson
