Here are the darkest Far Side cartoons from 1981, the second year of Gary Larson’s infamous newspaper comic. In ‘81, The Far Side was still expanding its reach, and developing its reputation for shockingly dark humor. These comics helped in both regards; for every person put off by Larson’s work, two more became fans.
The Far Side’s dark humor was a delicate balancing act, but this was especially true early on. Once The Far Side was an established hit, its creator could “get away with” more.
In the comic’s first few years, though, it was important to tip-toe up to the line of good taste without going all the way over. This was something Larson quickly proved he excelled at.
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“‘Tide’s Coming In Now”: The Far Side Goes Borderline Patricidal On This Dark Day At The Beach
First Published: March 27, 1981
This classic Far Side cartoon features a father who has had it up to here with his son…and by “it,” we mean sand, as in he’s buried up to his neck at the beach, getting increasingly nervous because the “tide’s coming in now,” and his son is seemingly in no hurry to dig him out.
Instead, the son plays with his pail and shovel, a big smile on his face, all while ignoring his father’s pleas. This raises the hilariously dark question of whether the kid is oblivious, or evil…and leaves it unclear if the dad will get dug out in time before the waves reach him.
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“This Is A Test”: Gary Larson’s Fears Of Atomic Annihilation Actually Made The Far Side More Relatable
First Published: April 21, 1981
Nuclear armageddon wasn’t off limits for The Far Side’s bold sense of humor; actually, joking about the potential of the world was borderline thereputic for Gary Larson. This is a darkly ironic example, as it features mushroom clouds lingering over wreckage caused by recently dropped atomic bombs…which, unfortunately, came at the same time as “a test of the emergency broadcast system.”
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It is a bleak, but shrewdly perceptive joke, one that anyone who grew up experiencing air raid drills will find targets a particular anxiety, converting it into grim comedy in The Far Side’s patented style. While it might have bothered some readers at the time, many more found it to be a necessary relief from their Cold War fears.
8
The Far Side Puts You In The Uncomfortable Position Of Having A Harmless Bear In Your Sights
First Published: May 5, 1981
This stands out as a quintessential captionless Far Side comic. It gives the reader everything they need to interpret the panel, and then how they react to it is up to the individual. No extra context is needed for the image of a bear politely smiling and waving, as seen through the scope of a hunter’s rifle.
In fact, that lack of supporting context actually prompts readers to dwell on the meaning of the comic more deeply. It is certainly dark humor, but for many, Gary Larson’s intention here goes beyond that, treading into social commentary about the morality of hunting, something that was seemingly often on The Far Side creator’s mind.
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“The First Drop Of Rain”: The Far Side Puts You On The Verge Of A Darkly Ironic Disaster
First Published: July 21, 1981
This Far Side comic is fondly remembered by fans of Gary Larson’s work; once again, it demonstrates the author’s mastery of comedic irony. The reader knows something horrible is about to happen, but the escaped prisoners tunneling out of the jailhouse and under a body of water don’t, though they’re on the verge of finding out.
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This is what makes it laugh-out-loud funny, and at the same time, totally macabre. The tragicomic irony of the joke’s set up leaves the reader in a state of suspended anticipation; everyone knows what is going to happen next, but The Far Side doesn’t depict the consequences, leaving readers to dwell in the bleak comedy of the moment.
6
“Something He Found On The Beach”: The Far Side Traumatizes School Kids For The Sake Of The Bit
First Published: August 19, 1981
In this legendary Far Side game of “Show and Tell,” a boy brings a human head in a jar to class, resulting, readers can assume, in a traumatized classroom full of children, and a teacher potentially in danger of losing her job for not vetting what students brought more strenuously.
This is exactly the kind of intrusion of dark, almost David Lynch-esque horror ideas on to otherwise Norman Rockwell-like imagery. While Gary Larson’s dark humor wasn’t necessarily as radical as it might seem in retrospect, its deliriously weird blurring of elements was what made it stand out, and eventually, become a nationwide sensation.
5
“Now Say Calm”: Famous Last Words From A Far Side Frontiersman
First Published: August 29, 1981
“Now, stay calm,” one frontiersman says to another in this Far Side Wild West cartoon, cautioning that they “hear what they said to Bill,” before freaking out about the indigenous warriors on the hill in the horizon. Of course, it’s far from a reassuring suggestion, considering Bill is being sent back from his powwow with the tribe riddled with arrows.
Here, Gary Larson absurdly spoofs Western tropes that were deeply embedded in popular culture at the time. This made the premise of the joke, and its ridiculous punchline, easily accessible for readers, which was essential to establishing The Far Side’s reputation for humor that read perilously on the border between smart and dumb.
4
“Goodbye World”: Without Question, One Of The Far Side’s Darkest Jokes
First Published: October 23, 1981
This represents one of Gary Larson’s most taboo topics; overall, The Far Side’s humor is far less abrasive than its reputation might make people think, but these are the cartoons that cemented that reputation. In this panel, a spider takes its own life, weaving “goodbye world” into its web before hanging itself.
It was an uncomfortable joke in 1981, and it is one contemporary readers will be even more sensitive to. It is the kind of joke that Larson, and newspaper editors across America, would have known not everyone would appreciate, but which wouldn’t go entirely without an audience, and would help The Far Side stake its claim to “edgy” comedy.
3
“The Rabbit Goes Through The Hole”: The Worst Time And Place For To Learn How To Tie A Proper Knot
First Published: November 5, 1981
This Far Side comic features another hanging, this time an execution, another dark subject Gary Larson wasn’t afraid to make light of. Here, a condemned man gets a short-term stay of execution thanks to a faulty knot, with the senior executioner prolonging the inevitable by giving his subordinate a refresher on tying proper knots right then and there.
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Once more, this is the kind of Far Side cartoon Larson and his editors knew would provoke some outrage, along with its share of laughter. It is a dark gag, one in which the ill-fated prisoner’s terror is almost palpable, making it another Larsonian punchline that challenges readers’ expectations as much as playing into them.
2
The Far Side Has No Words For The Grim Practice Of Taking Hunting Trophies
First Published: November 26, 1981
This four-panel Far Side cartoon tells a sad story, one which evokes the darkness of certain human traditions. Namely, trophy hunting. If it wasn’t clear from the earlier entry on this list featuring one of The Far Side’s bears in a sniper’s scope, Gary Larson did not think highly of shooting animals for any reason, let alone to stuff them.
Here, he offers one of his most overt critiques of the practice. The sequence depicts a bear peacefully approaching a pond for a drink, only for a hunter to pop up in the second frame and shoot it. In panel three, the bear curls up and dies peacefully. But in the fourth, it is propped up in an aggressive pose in the hunter’s den.
1
“No More Mr. Nice Guy” The More People Got Mad At Far Side’s Torture Jokes, The More Gary Larson Doubled Down
First Published: December 19, 1981
“Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy,” a torturer says in this Far Side dungeon cartoon, when his victim still won’t spill the information he’s after. The humor, of course, stems from the idea that, by his standards, the torturer is being “nice,” while stretching his subject out on the rack.
It is a joke that takes the serious nature of its action into full-blown silly territory, and while some readers found this distasteful, plenty of them got the joke, which is why despite receiving regular complaints, newspapers continued to publish The Far Side, and it steadily gained fans until it became a pop culture institution.
- Writer
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Gary Larson
- Colorist
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Gary Larson