Related
Summary
The admiration ofThe Far Sidecame from Lord Gary Larson ’s ability to see what others could n’t – making dirt ball , from flies , to spiders , to ants , the thoroughgoing focal characters for some of his funniest cartoons . so as to reach a full understanding ofThe Far Side , it is therefore essential to become acquainted with his comics starring emmet .
Over the years , Larson used lilliputian emmet to get some big laughs out of his audience , asthe absurdist linear perspective on the human experience that he tame throughoutThe Far Sidefound a specially potent expression in his word picture of antsand ant pitcher’s mound .
For Gary Larson , something about the nature of ant colonies shine human fellowship in an especially enchanting way ; though he used all manner of other species of animal and insects to satirise human life at the single layer , ants offered a unique way of approaching human culture in the blanket sense .

As The Far Side progressed , artist Gary Larson spring up more comfortable divert from his familiar one - venire style , leading to some outrageous result .
10On The Far Side, Life Was All About Staying On The Right Side Of The Log
First Published: December 13, 1980
Gary Larson was a naturalist , and while he never seek to be didactical with his art , manyFar Sidejokes did receive their humor in a guileful review article of humanity ’s unintended negative effect on nature . That is illustrated here , in a panel which sport two lumber jacket having fun log rolling – at the expense of a pair of ants , who desperately endeavor to keep up with them , with the caption reading , " Quick ! Back the other way ! Back the other agency ! "
In this lawsuit , the joke belies the fact that human ' activity – as much pleasure as it might work them – is peril the lifelike ecosystem in more ways than one . While Larson expresses this through humor , mostFar Sidereaders will recognize it is a form of defensive bodily fluid ; the writer is unquestionably on nature ’s side , rather than civilization ’s .
9This Far Side Beckons Readers To Enjoy Life, Because Tragedy Is Always Lurking
First Published: April 24, 1981
In thisFar Sidecartoon , an emmet enjoy a here and now of peace , lounging on a leafage beetle a pond , think " ahhh …. sprightliness ! " – unaware that a frog has emerge from beneath the surface of the water and cast a hungry glancein the tiny insect ’s direction .
In this agency , Gary Larson offer an amusive , and also poignant , representative of the depressed fact that even in life ’s peak idyllic moment , the inevitable goal always has at least one eye on everyone . Here , the emmet ’s moment of leisureseemingly precipitates his doomsday , allowing Larson to craft aFar Sidepunchline that should make readers feel at least a twinge of heighten appreciation for life , as much as it is probable to also arouse a chuckle .
8Another Far Side Comic About Humanity’s Destructive Effect On Nature
First Published: October 30, 1981
In a strange , characteristically Larsonian direction , this jury is perhapsTheFar Side’sdepiction of pismire at their most ant - like – even though they do n’t actually appear in the illustration . Rather , this cartooncharts the effortless disintegration of an ant hill by a human fair sex , who mystify a hose into the hill and outpouring it , with the punchline coming in the form of ant - sized furniture being wash out of an next entranceto the colony .
The off - venire ant here are ant - like in the sense that they are completely at the mercy of humanity – and the human character here does n’t think twice about wiping out an entire smart set of ants , with Gary Larson effectively using the ant furniture to underline the parallel between an ant dependency and human social club .
7The Far Side’s Ants Strike Back By Coming For Humanity’s Young
First Published: February 15, 1982
By faroneThe Far Side’smost extortionate comics , this control panel depictsa personal credit line of ants sway a human child toward their ant hill – only to have their triumphant return to the colony mitigated by another ant , who sticks their head out of the mound and proclaims , " you idiots! … We’ll never get that thing down the cakehole ! "
The achiever of thisFar Sidecomic relies onevoking an contiguous " What - the ? " reactionfrom the reader ; rather than contain the natural scientist subtext of some of Gary Larson ’s other ant panels , this one is all about the electrical shock - and - veneration of its punchline . In this case , the image and the caption in effect work together to leave the reader express mirth incredulously , though perhaps in spite of themselves .
Fans of the far side ca n’t go up this master collection of Gary Larson ’s finest work . Originally published in hardcover in 2003 , this paperback stage set arrive consummate with a new designed slipcase that will look slap-up on any ledge . The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever write , 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 .

6The Far Side’s “Man Vs. Nature” Jokes Were A War Of Attrition
First Published: December 7, 1982
In what is without a doubt a day that will hold up in infamy for these ants – should any of them survive – a human base comes down hard on the back of a line of ants making their way across the trading floor of a house , leading the ones in front to unknowingly admonish them to " knock off that scraunch noise . "
Once more , Gary Larson mine humor from the gulf of disparity between how casually human beings will ill-use on an pismire , and what a life - or - death disaster that is from the other animal ’s position . Though the joke is sure comical , reader are just as likely to find themselves prompted to reflect on their own kinship to nature upon taking acloser facial expression at thisFar Sidecomic .
5The Far Side’s “Nature Vs. Nature” Jokes Were Classics Too
First Published: May 28, 1984
The Trojan Horse appeared in several memorableFar Sidepanels , though this one stands out for transpose the narrative from the antiquity of human story onto the divide between different mintage of pismire , with the put-on accruing absurdity in the summons of translation . " I do n’t screw about this , " a skeptical inglorious ant says , peer at the wooden knight from the spout of its hill , before tot " the crimson ants never gave us anything before . "
Those familiar with the Trojan Horse story will sleep with that the similar skepticism of several Trojans was overruled , resulting in the ultimate downfall of the city . Whether these black ant will go on to share standardized portion is left deliberately unknown , and that tension plays a important office in how effectively this punchline lands .
4One Of The Far Side’s Finest “They’re Just Like Us” Cartoons
First Published: March 27, 1987
In this control board , Gary Larson depicts another Graeco-Roman human activity – observe other humans – from the perspective of emmet , as a brace survey the bustling dependency around them , with one point out to the other , " You ever do this? …. Just sit in a stead like this and antwatch ? "
The humour here is accentuated by the means that the majority of the ants in the colony are depicted carrying on with routine , ant - like behavior – while the two focal characters go bad from this by embodying human characteristics , and reiterating a intimate human refrain about how rewarding it can be to pretend as a form of benignant voyeur , stepping back and keep others going about their conventional , everyday activity . ConsideringThe Far Side’sstrong strain of expositional humour , it is clean that Gary Larson himself fuck peoplewatching , just as much as he loved antwatching .
The Far Side universe is full of animal , usually shown collide with humans . These ten moments prove Gary Larson will always side with the fauna .

3Gary Larson Flips The Script In This Absurd Far Side Ant Panel
First Published: March 21, 1988
Without a doubt , this is one of the funniestFar Sideant sketch – depictinga tiny ant striding through the room access of its family ’s apartment wearing human - sized shoes , and squelch several of its relatives in the procedure , all while an forestage - cloak , matronly ant war cry out : " Ernie , depend what you ’re doing ! Take those shoes off this instant ! "
Mixing absurdness and tragedy in the way he only could , Gary Larson volunteer a twist on the idea of human beings as a threat to ant ; in this causa , the pismire have capture their hands on unsafe human engineering – hilariously , this is skid – and used it recklessly , with " Ernie " becoming the terror in his own right hand . According to Gary Larson , he in reality wrotestories that fail along with manyFar Sidecomics , and this panel is almost sure to leave readers inquire about the backstory of this ant class , as well as the wake of this incident with the place .
2These Far Side Ants Call Them Like They See Them
First Published: June 4, 1988
ThisFar Sidecartoon contains another parallel of latitude between emmet and humans , perhaps one of the silliest Gary Larson had to declare oneself . In the comedian , a dyad of ants stand atop a magniloquent steel of pasturage , look at their blood brother below;one remarks to the other , " man , from up here , we really face like ants . "
Certainly , this isn’tone ofThe Far Side’seasier - to - miss punchlines ; the joke is obvious , and that is its strength . Larson effectively replicate his speech communication here , to expectant comedic effect . Of course , the ants are burlesque what humans say when standing on a magniloquent structure and look at other humans below , but the emphasis on " really " in the subtitle drives home that these ants are at least glimpsing a human position from their advantage point .
1Another Iconic “Ants, They’re Just Like Us” Far Side Joke
First Published: September 27, 1988
Anyone who has incline into an friend , only to have the someone ’s name dodge them , will have to smile remorsefully at Gary Larson ’s line drawing of the ant - pitcher’s mound translation of this social phenomenon . In thisFar Sidecartoon , two pismire meet at the top of a bustling hill;one of the ants immediately greets the other , saying , " Hey Doug ! adept to see you again ! " while the other stall , thinking , " Uh oh , what ’s this bozo ’s name ? "
As with allthe bestFar Sidecomicsfeaturing ants , this one recontextualizes a familiar social experience most readers will be intimate with through the lens of the most societal insects . This highlights the timelessly efficient timbre of Gary Larson ’s humour , which has ledThe Far Sideto experience a renewed rush in popularity decades after it end publication , as young generations and previous readers alike gravitate toward Larson ’s unique outlook on life .
The Far Side is a humorous comic serial publication developed by Gary Larson . The serial publication has been in production since 1979 and feature a wide array of comic collections , calendars , art , and other multifaceted items .






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.







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.
