11 Far Side Comics From 1990 That Make Readers Go "What-the?"

“What-the?” is among the most common reactions readers have to The Far Side, whether they’re new to exploring the absurdist cartoon, or they’re deeply familiar with Gary Larson’s idiosyncratic sense of humor. Part of learning how to navigate the topsy-turvy world of Larson’s comic includes accepting that some of his jokes are going to confuse, rather than amuse.

In 1990, Gary Larson returned from a year-long hiatus, and began what would ultimately be the final stretch of Far Side cartoons, as he subsequently retired from cartooning at the end of 1994.

While it may come down to a matter of degrees, it can be argued that upon his comeback, Larson’s already-absurd and quizzical comedic style grew even more out there; corollary to that, however, was that during this period, the artist produced many of his most outrageously unforgettable Far Side panels.

11 Imagine Gary Larson Relaxing On A Beach & This Is What He’s Thinking About

First Published: January 8, 1990

One of the first Far Side panels Gary Larson produced upon returning from his 1989 hiatus, many fans of his work would also point to this cartoon as one of the weirdest, hands down, ever created in the annals of the artist’s work. Here, a woman sits on a beach, watching as fractal branches emerge from the ocean, each with an occupied fishbowl on the end of it.

Captioned “encroachment of the fish developers,” readers can almost picture the genesis of this joke: Larson on vacation, thinking about how the coastline is being increasingly populated by condos, and then imagining the goldfish equivalent. This was how Far Side jokes formed, starting with Gary Larson’s idle observations of the world around him, but even he was often perplexed by the bizarre end results of his reflections.

10 Sometimes The Most Obvious Far Side Jokes Were The Strangest

First Published: February 14, 1990

Readers familiar with Gary Larson’s work know that every Far Side comic succeeds or fails to get a reaction as a result of the interplay between its illustration and its caption. A great caption can elevate a funny drawing to full-on hilarity, and vice versa. Alternatively, a strong interplay between can take an amusing premise for a joke and turn it into a total “What-the?” moment.

That is the case here, as this Valentine’s Day comic features a gaggle of chickens trying to apply lipstick – and failing, because, “it’s like they say…we just don’t have lips.” Gary Larson’s precise use of language stands out here; the chicken’s attribution of the fact that chickens lack lips to a nebulous “they” is particularly peculiar, while the final line punctuates the comics’ absurdity with a striking dash of obviousness.

9 On The Far Side, “All Purpose” Really Means ALL Purpose

First Published: March 8, 1990

In this multi-panel Far Side strip, Gary Larson delivers a twisted take on an infomercial, depicting the various uses for “STOPPIT: An all-purpose product” – including fixing a leaky faucet, hailing a taxi, putting out a cigarette, making a baby stop crying, and halting a charging elephant.

Certainly, this cartoon stands a high chance of evoking a chuckle from readers, but there is an undeniable “What-the?” quality running through each panel in the sequence, starting with a reasonable household usage and then escalating absurdly. While a “What-the?” response to The Far Side is most commonly associated with confusion, it was actually much more commonly a product of incredulity. In particular, the image of the smiling parents spraying “STOPPIT” on their baby will have many readers shaking their heads.

8 An Unusual Moment Of Quiet Reflection On The Far Side (Why Does It Feel So Weird?)

First Published: April 13, 1990

For those acclimated to The Far Side’s constant use of talking animals, there is nothing particularly strange about this comic, which features an adult bird and its baby sitting on the rear-end of a rhinoceros, with the parent musing, “someday, this will all be yours.”

Except this lack of overt weirdness is precisely what will prompt readers to wonder, “What-the?” The punchline is fairly straightforward, as rather than a home and property, or family heirlooms and business assets to pass between generations, these birds merely have the butt of one of The Far Side’s many rhinos to land on. Yet this simplicity is its own kind of curveball, as Far Side readers will likely find themselves scrutinizing this panel, looking for something they missed.

7 Readers Will Get Wrapped Up In This “Classic” Far Side Snake Strip Will

First Published: May 3, 1990

The Far Side’s “What-the?” comics are often more memorable than even the funniest of Gary Larson’s jokes. That is because rather than providing immediate satisfaction, in the form of a laugh, these comics offered a different form of stimulation – that is, puzzlement, prompting them to take a closer look.

That is the case with this panel, captioned “scenes from classic nature films,” in which a female snake seductively reminds a snake private investigator how to kill a pig, as she slithers her way out the door to his office, leaving him behind his desk in a puff of smoke. It is a strange moment to capture, and they pay-off is not immediately evident, meaning there’s a good chance readers will be left thinking about this panel longer than they might expect.

6 The Far Side’s Subtle Details Could Sometimes Cause Elephantine-Sized Confusion

First Published: June 19, 1990

This is another Far Side panel that rewards readers for doing a double-take. In fact, this is a great example of a Gary Larson joke in which the “What-the?” response is likely to come first, but spending an extra few moments dwelling on the panel will reveal its true humor.

Captioned “Elephan Gogh,” it might seem upon immediate viewing that this pun is the whole point of the cartoon; that is, until a closer look makes it clear that this Far Side elephantis missing one of its giant ears, just as the historical Van Gogh infamously lopped off part of his own ear – though not, as the story has come down through popular culture in the century since, the whole thing. Still, if the reader misses this detail, or is unfamiliar with Van Gogh’s biography, this Far Side comic might strike them as more obtuse than it actually is.

5 According To The Far Side, Medieval “Shirts And Skins” Was No Joke

First Published: July 25, 1990

More than one Far Side comic found its humor in scenarios that left readers not only asking “What-the?” but “Why would they do that?” In this panel, captioned “medieval pick-up battles,” a lone member of a group of knights shedding their armor to go into battle as the “skins” team voices his concern, stating, “This is dumb! Really dumb!“

This is another example of a joke in which Gary Larson openly acknowledges the absurdity of his premise. The idea of the “shirts vs. skins” convention from pick-up basketball being transposed on to medieval warfare is amusing, but the incredulity of the single “skins” knight is what readers will immediately connect with. Although some “What-the?” comics arrived at this reader reaction inadvertantly, this one comes across as one of the more deliberate variety.

4 This Far Side Expectant Mother Wasn’t Expecting Novelty T-Shirts

First Published: August 10, 1990

In this warped Far Side take on pregnancy, a woman receives an ultrasound and gets her first look at her twins in utero – and is surprised to find them already wearing novelty t-shirts reading “Stupid” and “I’m With Stupid,” respectively. Many readers will certainly find this funny – but many more will find it jarring, and while it might not rise to the level of evoking a “My god!” response, a “What-the?” is a totally reasonable reaction to the panel.

Gary Larson’s humor often relied on remixing and reimagining bits of pop culture. In this case, he takes the “I’m With Stupid” t-shirt trend, which became popular in the 1970s, and has it pop up in the most unexpected possible place. Add to that the evident dismay in the eyes of the expectant mother, and the result is a ridiculous but memorable F ar Side panel.

3 Parking On The Far Side Was Highly Specialized

First Published: October 3, 1990

This is another example of a Far Side comic that may very well evoke incredulity from the reader – just by the mere fact of how obscure Gary Larson’s punchline is here. Captioned “centipede parking lots,” the illustration depicts exactly that, with three centipedes idling in spots between white lines, with one empty spot reserved for a centipede that might be missing some of its many legs.

Gary Larson took another extended break in September 1990; reprints of
The Far Side
appeared in syndication, until he resumed creating new installments in October.

Here, the caption and the illustration don’t quite cohere, and the reader must be perceptive in order to “get” the full extent of the joke. Even if they do, it is still among The Far Side’s more obtuse jokes; likely, this was more of the accidental “What-the?” variety of Larson’s jokes, as it might fail to achieve a laugh, but not to grab the reader’s attention, which was ultimately Gary Larson’s first and foremost goal.

2 Why Couldn’t These Neighbors Have Moved In On The Far Side Of The Street?

First Published: November 16, 1990

The “What-the?” quality of this Far Side cartoon is a result of its sheer ridiculousness, rather than being a matter of confusion. The panel features a beleaguered human couple, lying awake in bed, kept up by the “family of howler monkeys” living next door, who are depicted standing at their window with wide-open screaming mouths.

The unusual interplay between humans and animals was one of the defining features of The Far Side, and this cartoon is an example of Gary Larson continuing to experiment with that formula even at the peak of his confidence as a humorist. Rather than starting with a “What-the?” reaction, this comic will strike readers as immediately funny, but the more they soak in the details of the caption and illustration, they will find themselves shaking their head in delighted disbelief.

1 The Most Unforgettable Far Side Comics Went Off The Deep End

First Published: December 10, 1990

This Far Side panel features one of Gary Larson’s most over-the-top premises, and its execution will strike fans of his work as equally hilarious and ridiculous. Inverting the familiar homeowners’ experience of a flooding basement, Larson depicts two fish dipping below the water’s surface to discover “the entire basement looks dry.”

As much as The Far Side is associated with absurdist humor, it tended to be far more grounded in details and facts than most people realize. That is absolutely not the case here, as the joke – from its foundation, through its punchline – relies on a total break from reality. This makes it a shining example of a “What-the?” cartoon, but also makes it one of the most over-the-top funny Far Side comics from 1990.