The Far Sidebecame legendary for its out-of-this-world perspective on the foibles of human existence, withGary Larson’s comics often carrying the underlying message that life on Earth was a big cosmic joke.Time and again, Larson’s punchlines reminded readers that the universe was laughing at them, not with them.
The humor ofThe Far Sideoften involved a degree of alienation – an effect Larson achieved repeatedly throughout the years by usingactual aliens inFar Sidepanels, as well as monsters, anthropomorphized animals, andother recurring character types and elementsthat upended readers' conception of things.
At times, this included taking an extraterrestrial view of Earth itself, or otherwise, crafting panels that prompted readers to ruminate on the truly startling scope and grandeur of existence in comparison to themselves.
10From The Start Of The Far Side, Gary Larson Was Interested In Asking The Big Questions
First Published: August 12, 2025
Before Gary Larson ventured into outer space itself withThe Far Side, he had already established that the comic’s cosmology was one in which the beings of Earth playe just a small – some would say insignificant – role in the grand scheme of things. Here, two ants sit on a mushroom,staring up at the stars, as one notes that the vastness of space leads them to “feel sort of small and insignificant.”
Humans and ants are never more comparable than when discussing space and its infinite reaches, andthisFar Sidepanelastutely encapsulates that, emphasizing that on the scale of the entire universe, there is actually no discernible different between the smallest insect life and the most prosperous humans.
First Published: August 22, 2025
In this classic earlyFar Sideastronaut panel,two space explorers get into orbit only to make a disconcerting discovery – the planet Earth is actually a balloon, attached to a string, leading to who knows where. Hilariously, one turns to the other and says, “Listen. I think we better keep this quiet.”
One of the fundamental precepts ofThe Far Side’shumor was the idea of discovering that the world was not as readers expected it; this cartoon helped set the precedent for Gary Larson’s style, by executing that idea in a wholly literal way. As time went on, Larson crafted more esoteric iterations of this premise, but because this joke is hard to miss, this remains one of the most unforgettableFar Sidecomics.
8Humanity Was Little More Than A Light Snack In Far Side’s Cosmic Buffet
First Published: June 14, 2025
The Far Side’saliens didn’t have a monolithic opinion of the Earth; some considered it a nice place to visit, while others held a disdainful opinion of humanity. That said, the closest to a universal position on the planet as Gary Larson’s extraterrestrials could be said to have is that it was a backwater, a relatively unimportant stop on a tour of the Milky Way galaxy.
These 3 Far Side Comics Combine to Explain Why Ducks Are Illegal in Gary Larson’s Surreal (But Hilarious) World
Published 12 years apart, these Far Side comics set up the idea that ducks are illegal in Gary Larson’s surreal world, then actually explained why!
In more than one case, Larson depicted Earth as the equivalent of a fast food joint – with the implication inthisFar Sidecartoonbeing thatthe bite to eat these aliens are about to grab will be an Earthling or two.In other words, rather than a new species to make first contact with, humankind are little more than a snack.
First Published: July 11, 2025
Gary Larson frequently depicted the end of the world, and some of his best “Armageddon” cartoons took an outside perspective on humanity’s self-destruction. This is the premiere example of that, as thisFar Sidecartoonfeatures a group of aliens watching in awe as the Earth erupts in a spectacular explosion, mushroom clouds from nuclear bombs blossoming across the globe.
Larson’s Cold War anxietiesare subtly evident here, as the explosions seem to correspond to North America and what was, at the time, the Soviet Union. More than just a product of fear, however, thisFar Sidepanel in particular comes across as a subtle expression of anger at the very idea that humanity could endanger itself on a civilization scale with atomic weapons.
6The Far Side Reveals The “Half-Baked” Nature Of Life On Earth
First Published: June 28, 2025
Some ofGary Larson’s most controversial comicswere theFar Sidepanels depicting God, which some readers complained were sacriligious. However, rather than lampooning religion, Larson instead used the popular conception of the Christian Almighty to put a familiar face on his cosmic humor. Rather than poking fun at believers, in other words, the author teased the abstract idea of a creator diety itself.
This is perhaps the most potent example of that, asGod takes a steaming Earth out of the oven, while thinking to himself, “something tells me this thing’s only half-baked.“Few otherFar Sidecartoons so effectively convey the idea that there is something off, imperfect, or otherwise rushed about the very nature of existence itself, whether it was created or evolved naturally.
5These Far Side Aliens Plowed Through Earth’s Front Yard As An Afterthought
First Published: June 24, 2025
Returning to the idea of Earth as a detour,thisFar Sideextraterrestrial comic is captioned, “alien student drivers,” and features a flying sauer that has made a perilous pass by Earth. This panel makes fun of a familiar human situation – teenagers learning to drive, and the terror that ensues – but by using aliens to achieve that end result, the byproduct is that Gary Larson offers another reminder that humanity is part of the punchline to the rest of the universe.
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.
Larson’s sense of humorresultred in different layers that many his jokes operated on, and the different elements that he used were calibrated to evoke different responses from his readers. As is the case here, when aliens appeared inThe Far Side, the idea was to capture a sense of wonder, as well as elicting laughter.
4Gary Larson Contrasts The Wonder Of Space & The Space Between Humans' Ears
First Published: July 21, 2025
ThisFar Sidepanel contrasts the wonder of the universe with the vapid nature of the human experience – in what is possibly one ofGary Larson’s most blunt declarations of his feelings about humanity. Captioned, “a full moon and an empty head” the panel depicts exactly that:a vibrant full moon in the top right corner of the frame, while in the bottom left, a man stares out of an apartment window with a goofy, absent-minded look on his face.
Interestingly, there seems to be an “ignorance is bliss” subtext to this joke; the man with the “empty head” is smiling, taking in the sight of the moon – but the trade-off for this serenity is that he is not taking this lunar view as a pretext to think too deeply about his role in the cosmos.
3The Biblical Origin Of Humanity, Far Side Style
First Published: June 28, 2025
In thisFar Sidecartoon, Gary Larson reinterprets the Bibilical origin of humanity, in his own signature style. Captioned “mankind arrives on Earth,“Adam and Eve are depicted tumbling to the planet’s surface after being spit out by God, as a voice from the clouds says, “I’m sorry sir, I don’t know how they got in your soup!”
The humor of this panel comes from subverting the Adam/Eve story in a way that makes the first humans a nuisance, inadvertantly discarded on Earth, rather than having been carefully and lovingly crafted by the divine. Here, humanity is firmly the crux of the punchline, which has ontological implications for how Larson viewed humanity’s role in creation. That is to say, Larson seemed to consider humans irritants, rather than inheritors of the Earth.
2One Giant Leap For Mankind, One More Minor Nuisance For This Alien Janitor
First Published: August 12, 2025
Here, Gary Larsondepicts a giant purple custodian cleaning up the moon – which includes spearing the U.S.’s left behind lunar landing modulelike any piece of space trash.Without need for a caption, thisFar Sidepanelperfectly expresses Larson’s perspective on how humanity fits into the cosmic pecking order.
Gary Larson Called This Far Side Comic “Almost Universally Misunderstood,” But Why Is It So Confusing?
Many Far Side cartoons get more attention for being confusing, but Gary Larson called one surprising 1987 panel “almost universally misunderstood.”
Akin to the earlier “Ants Stargazing” cartoon, thisFar Sidecartoon plays with perspective in order to achieve great comedic effect. More than just perspective in the image though, here Larson throws a wrench into readers' perspective of humanity’s relative prominence. Not only are the remnants of the greatest technological achievement in world history nothing more than trash to this alien, they are tiny, and easily disposed of.
1"A Sprinkling Of Jerks”: The Far Side Confirms The Joke Is On Us
First Published: June 27, 2025
Here, Gary Larson revisits the premise of God as a cook,this time adding spice to the Earth, thinking “..and just to make it interesting…” as he sprinkles a healthy dosage of jerks on the planet.Again,thisFar Sidecartoonuses the image of God as a manifestation of the cosmic unknown; that is, the joke seemingly stems from Larson questioning the inequities and conflicts of human life, and then imagining a force, deity or otherwise, doing that for its own amusement.
In this sense, this is the ultimate “the universe is laughing at humanity, not with humanity"Far Sidepanel – as why God would want to make the Earth “interesting” rather than “perfect” is, like the classic question of good and evil, beyond human comprehension.
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.
