12 Far Side Comics From 1987 That Make Readers Go "What-the?"

According to creator Gary Larson, his primary goal with The Far Side was always to get a reaction out of its readers – though not necessarily always laughter. To Larson, making a reader exclaim “What-the?” after reading one of his comics was as much a success as eliciting a chuckle, something that goes a long way toward explaining the quixotic nature of the artist’s humor.

A closer look at The Far Side reveals that Gary Larson achieved a “What-the?” from his audience in myriad different ways; for example, sometimes it was the product of an overly subtle joke, while in other instances, it actually came from the humor being too obvious.

As readers become more familiar with The Far Side, and Larson’s comedic style, they will find themselves picking up on the author’s more perplexing punchlines with increasing ease – yet in most cases, the distinctly “What-the?” quality of these panels remains.

12 A Horse Is A Horse – Of Course, On The Far Side, That Wasn’t Always The Case

First Published: January 7, 1987

This Far Side panel from early 1987 is likely to evoke a “What-the?” from readers because of its deceptive simplicity. The cartoon depicts horses driving cars on the highway – not unusual for The Far Side – with one of them carting an attached horse carrier behind it. Of course, rather than housing one of their own, the carrier is instead occupied by a human, whose rear-end is visible sticking out the back.

This is an example of Gary Larson’s trademark technique of comedic inversion; by simply flipping the roles of horse and human, he disorients the reader, leading at best to a surprise laugh, before their brain can make sense of the comics, or at worst, a puzzled “Huh?”

11 Gary Larson’s “Toe Party” Comic Is The Far Side At Its Most Outrageous

First Published: February 5, 1987

While the punchline of this Far Side comic is simple enough, it is the visceral reaction to the cartoon’s absurdity that many readers are bound to feel which makes this a solid “What-the?” entry. Here, a house party where the guests are all toes react with dismay when one of them opens the door to find “a wretched, mean-looking in-grown.”

Gary Larson anthropomorphized many things during The Far Side’s tenure, from animals to objects, but there is something particularly jarring about disembodied, life-sized toes that works to make this panel so memorably outrageous. It is also a notable example of a Far Side cartoon in which the imagery actually overtakes the punchline, which in its own right is fairly amusing.

10 Some Far Side Punchlines Had Readers Not Just Asking “What-the?” But “Why?”

First Published: March 10, 1987

Another classic type of “What-the?” reaction to The Far Side involves a feeling of legitimate mystification at how Gary Larson could have arrived at a particular joke. The more readers learn about Larson’s creative process, the more context they will have for his humor’s surreal quality – but some cartoons simply beg the question of where the idea came from, whether the artist could provide a suitable answer himself or not.

That is to say, there are some Far Side comics where the “What-the?” response is not just its end result, but baked into its very premise – making it likely that Gary Larson had the same reaction as he crafted the comic as readers subsequently did when they engaged with it.

9 A Classic Far Side Remix Substitutes Cows For Killer Sharks

First Published: April 13, 1987

Once again, the humor of this Far Side panel rests on a remix of familiar elements that results in something totally absurd. In this case, a herd of cows is depictedwith a man in a cage dangling overhead, waiting to be lowered into their midst, with the caption declaring that this is “how cow documentaries are made.”

Naturally, most readers will recognize that Gary Larson has transposed the behavior of shark researchers onto cow aficionados. This humor technique was vital to The Far Side, because it gave rise to a level of dissonance in Larson’s jokes that had the effect of grabbing readers’ attention. This was Larson’s goal, and while their ultimate response was out of his hands, getting that response justified his creative choices.

8 Exploring The Depths Of Gary Larson’s Warped Anthropological Humor

First Published: May 1, 1987

In this strange Far Side panel, Gary Larson takes a wild swing, precisely the kind that makes his work so enduring to this day. Larson was fascinated by the field of anthropology, and many of his jokes used this as their foundation – despite the fact that this often left less anthropologically-aware audience members scratching their heads.

Here, the “toaster divers of Pago Pago” snorkel to the bottom of the ocean and collect the household appliances, which they carry back to their waiting boat on the surface. Larson’s joke relies on its readers to have some conception of “pearl diving,” and then to recognize why it is funny to swap out toasters for precious stones. If any link in that chain of comedic reasoning fails, however, the reader is certain to be left wondering “What-the?”

7 A Far Side Bat Is Startled Awake By A Revelation

First Published: June 23, 1987

Rather than anthropology, this Far Side panel requires at least a minimal scientific understanding of bats in order to elicit a laugh. For most readers, though, this is firmly a “What-the?” cartoon. Featuring a gaggle of bats slumbering upside down in their cave, one’s eyes burst open, and it cries out “AAAAAA….I CAN SEE!”

Eyes were essential to The Far Side; according to Gary Larson’s long-time editor, characters’ eyes were often where the “true” joke of a panel was located. The startled eyes of the screaming bat certainly add something to this panel, but what holds it back from being laugh-out-loud funny is the way the joke here almost seems to be located somewhere off the page, outside the cave.

6 Reflecting On Gary Larson’s Strange Sense Of Humor

First Published: July 4, 1987

Gary Larson’s sense of humor is divisive, in the sense that even if someone “gets” his jokes, they might not necessarily share his comedic sensibilities. On the contrast, for those readers who “click” with Larson’s work, even the simplest panel can be elevated in its hilarity. In this Far Side cartoon, two chickens are depicted sitting casually in recliners, as the door to their bathroom nearly bursts off its hinges, with one of them remarking “Oh my God! Murray’s attacking the bathroom mirror!“

A punchline about a chicken attacking its own reflection is amusing enough, but Larson’s notable creative choice here is the perspective. By giving just a hint of the chaos happening behind that door, readers are left to fill in the true extent of Murray’s freak-out in their minds.

5 Gary Larson Goes Out On A Limb Again With This Far Side Panel

First Published: August 13, 1987

For the second time in 1987, Gary Larson produced a somewhat disturbing panel involving disembodied appendages – in this case, fingers, which a pair of parakeets use as furniture. This Far Side panel is a bizarre extrapolation of parakeets’ tendency to land on their owners’ fingers; from that, Larson takes the idea that were they to be homeowners, that is what they would be most comfortable with.

As with many “What-the?” Far Side cartoons, the joke here is clear enough – but that isn’t going to stop many readers from responding with confusion and even dismay. It is safe to say that this comic represents the far-out limits of Gary Larson’s ability to produce strange, evocative imagery.

4 Things Are Never This Straightforward On The Far Side

First Published: September 2, 1987

This panel proceeds from the straightforward premise: the idea that many men are so hapless in the kitchen that they can’t even properly pour themselves a bowl of cereal. Gary Larson embellishes this concept by following it through to its logical extreme, as two hapless fellas stand at the kitchen counter, supplies gathered before them, as one reads from “The Cold Cereal Cookbook.”

Amusingly, they have already messed up the first step of the process. Certainly, this panel straddles the line between laugh-out-loud funny and “What-the?” more than some others might, but what pushes it over the edge into the latter territory is the sheer inanity of the joke; while it might be obvious, it is so ridiculous that it will flummox some readers anyway.

3 What Organization Passes For On The Far Side

First Published: October 12, 1987

In this Far Side cartoon, a homeowner has evidently been dealing with some confusion in his household, prompting him to look for a simple, efficient remedy, and in the process giving rise to a patented bit of Gary Larson absurdity. Here, a man has painted the name of various objects on the object itself as a reminder – including, but not limited to his pet cat, dog, house, and his own clothing.

This can be described as an “over-board” Far Side panel; that is to say, the absurdity of the premise derives from the fact that this individual has gone with such an over-the-top solution to a seemingly straightforward problem. The imagery here is certainly funny, but that absurd premise is what truly leaps off the page, and is most likely to result in a resounding “What-the?”

2 This Far Side Panel Proves Leverage Is Essential When Dealing With Sharks

First Published: November 17, 1987

Sharks starred in some outright hilarious Far Side panels over the years, and while many fans of Gary Larson’s work will find this one funny, it will have many more readers furrowing their brows and looking for something they might be missing. This was another common source of “What-the?” responses to Far Side comics – readers often felt as though some key ingredient in the punchline had gone over their heads.

Sometimes that was the case, certainly, but not always. Sometimes, a joke was complete, but so strange that readers didn’t “get” all of it. Case in point, this comic, where a shark sits in a boat, negotiating with a shipwreck survivor clutching an oar like a weapon, as more fins circle the boat in anticipation. “I’ll go back and tell my people you’re staying in the boat,” the shark says, before adding “they’re not going to like it.”

1 In Space, No One Can Hear You Make A Mess

First Published: December 7, 1987

The Far Side’s wordless panels routinely had a higher chance of resulting in a “What-the?” reaction, due to Gary Larson forfeiting the opportunity to provide further context for the comic’s joke. A panel didn’t always need this added context, but for readers naturally inclined toward a more skeptical, “What-the ?” reaction to The Far Side, these can be the most inscrutable installments, even when the punchline is obvious.

Here, a chimp in a space capsule smushes bananas against its space helmet; many readers will likely have to do a double-take at the panel in order to understand it, and even then, the humor of the comic may not appeal to everyone. Instead, it is likely to be yet another Far Side panel that leaves them scratching their heads, curious what Gary Larson was thinking here, if nothing else.