One of the joys ofThe Far Sideis creator Gary Larson’s dexterity when it comes to twisting familiar sayings to give them a totally unexpected new meaning.Larson’s ability to find humor in popular phrases and iconic idioms was arguably unparalleled at his peak, and produced some of his most memorable punchlines.
The comic medium allowed Larson to literalize figurative sayings, a tactic he employed to great success many times throughoutThe Far Side’srun, resulting in some of his greatest work.
These panels were successful, in large part, because they embodied the absurdist side of Larson’s humor, while still giving the reader something recognizable to grab hold of. In other words, these cartoons represent some ofThe Far Side’smost balanced, effective humor, making them sure toget a reaction from the reader, one way or another.
10If Anybody Knew “Out Of Left Field,” It Was Far Side Creator Gary Larson
First Published: August 20, 2025
“And then WHAM,” a bystander explains to a police officer,as she stands on a city street corner next to the body of a man crushed by a giant baseball, “this thing just comes right out of left field.“Most readers will likely recognize this idiom, which uses the geography of a baseball field to describe something totally unexpected happening. More than that, fans ofThe Far Sideespecially will know that it is an apt bit of terminology to use when discussingGary Larson’s sense of humor.
Here, Gary Larson uses the phrase in the context of the shocking death of the victim, who has been crushed by a giant falling object – except by making the object an actual giant baseball, Larson skillfully doubles the meaning of the woman’s words.
9The Far Side Was Not A Place For Cinematic Endings
First Published: June 29, 2025
Gary Larson loved Wild West motifs and cowboy tropes, which allowed him the perfect outlet for the subversion of familiar iconography and idioms. This is because, for Larson – and so many Americans of his era – the popular conception of Old West was lodged in his mind by the decades-long ascendency of cowboy movies in Hollywood. Perhaps the most famous phrase these films gave rise to was the concept of “riding into the sunset” equating with an upbeat ending for a hero.
In thisFar Sidecomic, Larson hilariously flips that by havingone cowboy drag another, who is burnt to a crisp and still in flames, into a saloon, shouting that “dang fool tried to ride into the sunset!“It is a pitch-perfect inversion, one that reminds readers thatThe Far Sidewas rarely a place where anyone peacefully settled down and retired.
8These Far Side Pet Birds Are Lucky Their Cages Are Holding Them Back
First Published: August 05, 2025
To “rattle someone’s cage,” metaphorically speaking, is to bother or upset them. ThisFar Sidecartoon uses two of the strip’s many pet birds to make this literal, astwo birds in their respective enclosures are depicted in the middle of a confrontation, with one declaring to the other, “Oh yeah? Well maybe I’ll just come over there and rattle your cage!”
Far Side Creator Gary Larson Brilliantly Described the Difference Between Cartoonists and Comedians
According to Far Side creator Gary Larson, despite similar end goals, there is a significant distinction between cartoonists & stand-up comics.
The term comes, of course, from the idea of shaking a captive animal’s cage to intentionally disturb it, and so in a sense, what Gary Larson does here is actually not a subversion of the phrase’s purpose, but a return to its original meaning. This is a particularly fascinating application ofGary Larson’s skills with wordplay, because it showcases a deep familiarity with the etymology of common phrases such as this one.
7The Far Side’s Most Exclusive Club – Apples Not Welcome
First Published: August 17, 2025
In this panel, Gary Larson takes the idea of “forbidden fruit” – something one wants, but cannot have – and delightfully literalizes it, but then goes a step further and twists the meaning of the saying as well.The Far Side’sversion of forbidden fruit isan apple being refused entry into the “Club Citrus,” as a banana bouncer bellows at him that “we don’t allow your kind in here.”
In other words, the apple is forbidden from entering; it is a silly subversion of the phrase, but that is the beauty of it. Here, Larson shows his skill at finding the unexpected in the familiar, which was in many waysthe essence ofThe Far Side, and which was at the heart of the strip’s most obscure punchlines, as well as its most uproarious.
6Gary Larson “Meant Business” When It Came To Playing With Common Phrases
First Published: August 10, 2025
This is another example of a comic in which Gary Larson circles back to the origin of a familiar phrase, ashe depicts a horde of Vikings marching on a castle, all of them carrying briefcases, as the defenders atop the walls shout in terror that “they mean business!”
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.
This idiom takes “business” and makes it synonymous with any serious activity – in this case, comedically extrapolated to an extreme in patentedFar Sidefashion, meaning the sacking of a city. ExceptLarson’s Vikings, just some of the many who appeared throughoutThe Far Side, actually really do have business on their minds, as their spears and swords have been replaced with briefcases. Once more, by representing the phrase literally, Gary Larson exposes its inherent silliness, to great comedic effect.
5Knocking On Death’s Door Is One Thing – But After Dinner?
First Published: June 10, 2025
In one ofGary Larson’s best Grim Reaper jokes,a traveling salesman “knocks on death’s door” – literally, interrupting “the Deaths” just as they settle in for the evening.Larson’s jokes about mortality were often tongue-in-cheek like this, containing nods to the different ways in which people talk about death and dying.
“Knocking on death’s door” is generally used to describe someone who is ailing, who seems to be on the precipice of the end of their life. This can be envisioned as a knock that is welcomed, as death ushers the deceased through the door to whatever comes next; the crux of the joke here is the way Larson specifically targets that imagery, instead flipping it so that his knocker is actually a nuisance, inconveniencing these Reapers in their off hours.
4What Else Would These Far Side Great Whites Be Dressed For?
First Published: July 04, 2025
The Far Sideis known for frequently being obscure, but there were times when Gary Larson’s punchlines were deliberately on the nose – and asthisFar Sideshark panelshows, those could be the strip’s most unambiguously funny installments. This straightforward joke featurestwo great whites dressed up in their finest, ready to go out on a fancy date, with one remarking to the other, “well, if you’re almost ready, I’m dressed to kill.”
Here, Larson emphasizes the hyperbole of the “dressed to kill” idiom, expressing just how strange it actually is that the height of fashion sensibility is equated with violence. He does this by putting the words in the mouths of nature’s perfect predators, sharks, in one ofThe Far Side’smost surprisingly thought-provoking cartoons.
3Gary Larson Answers One Of Life’s Most Inscrutable Questions
First Published: June 27, 2025
“If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there, does it make a sound?” is one of philosophy’s most enduring thought experiments, having stimulated the minds of countless people over the past several centuries. While its roots are uncertain, over time this unanswerable question has become ubiquitous – giving Gary Larson the perfect opportunity toprovide his own answer in thisFar Sidepanel.
Not only does Larson’s fallen tree make a sound, it actually won’t shut up, first bemoaning its fate, but then getting sidetracked into a digression, saying “this reminds me of a story…“before its word balloon runs out of space. This is as simple as it is effective; because everyone knows that the question lacks an answer by design, offering one is an almost-instant shortcut to a laugh.
2Sometimes On The Far Side, Hell Was A Lack Of Options
First Published: August 24, 2025
WithThe Far Side,Gary Larson set many cartoons in hell, mining the depths of the underworld to achieve peak hilarity. Here, Larson literalizes the phrase “damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” bydepicting an unfortunate soul, pitchfork prodded into his back, forced to make this unenviable choice, as an impatient devil mutters, “c’mon, c’mon – it’s either one or the other.”
This Far Side Comic Was “Hell” for Gary Larson to Draw, But Now He Knows What He Got Wrong
This Far Side comic may still make readers laugh, but it took hours to get right, with Gary Larson remembering it as “my long day in hell.”
The humor in this cartoon rests on the fully literal interpretation of the phrase, which is accentuated by the details of the panel, particularly the posture of the protagonist, as juxtaposed with the look of frustration on the devil’s face. Given that the phrase represents a choice between two equally undesirable outcomes, few artists have ever represented this more completely than Gary Larson does here.
1All Work And No Play Makes For Dull Rodents – But A Genius Far Side Cartoon
First Published: June 05, 2025
Without question, this is one ofThe Far Side’sfunniest takes one a familiar phrase. It features a trio of mice, one laboring over a complex equation at a white board,while the others read weighty tomes such as “Is the Universe Shrinking?” and “Social Anarchy in Rodents,” – as a fourth mouse enters the room and admonishes them: “Aw c’mon you guys – the cat’s away and everyone’s so dead serious.”
Elaborating on the phrase “while the cat is away, the mice will play,” this panel featuresGary Larson’s iconic anthropomorphic animals, as well asThe Far Sidecreator’s passion for science, all in service of a delightful twist on a classic saying, which both takes the idiom literally and flips it on its head. In other words, this is one of Gary Larson’s most perfectly executed punchlines, and one ofThe Far Side’smost effective cartoons.
The Far Side
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
