Evergreen comic stripThe Far Sidewasn’t afraid to poke fun at anything, including its own readers!Gary Larson’s beloved stripwas well-known for mocking plenty of subjects, from broad, complex issues such as morality or the idea of an afterlife to the annoyances of extremely specific behaviors of people.

The Far Sideloved pokingfun at its readers and, generally, humanity as a whole. Sometimes it was a sly knock at the reader, other times it was a scathing indictment of mankind’s worst habits and instincts. Read on to discover10 hilariousFar Sidestripsthat take a couple of digs at humanity itself.

The Far Side Cateen

Improper Advertising

Publication Date: July 5th, 1987

The Far Sidecan get morbid in an instantand this strip immediately paints a grim picture. A man is crawling through the desert, desperate for hydration, only to come across a billboard advertising canteens. Worse, the ad rubs in how convenient canteens are when one is ‘dying of thirst’.

It’s definitely funny, but it really says something about humanity when it comes to advertising. Businesses and people can get so concerned with selling products that they tend to overlook ways that they can actually improve the world. As humorous as this strip is, there’s definitely an air of accusation to this grim scenario.

Colorized version of The Far Side’s ‘Out of Order’ comic, as reprinted in The Complete Far Side

Out of Order

Publication Date: March 17th, 1988

The Far Sideloves messing with readers, always zigging when people are expecting a zag. Larson subverts people’s expectations expertly in this strip. He’s got all the ingredients for a Far Side strip, including all its wacky characters. But they’re all jumbled together with no particular scenario and a note informs the reader that the strip is out of order.

This is a fantastic and classic way forGary Larson to troll his readers. He could have just as easily made a strip with any one of these characters. But instead, he decided to mimic the frustrations people deal with when a vending machine is on the fritz. It’s a smart and comical way of messing with readers.

Far Side, October 15, 1983, a pilot holds his arms up like he is a plane, rather than flying the actual plane

Playing Pretend

Publication Date: October 15th, 1983

Some strips show just how littleThe Far Sideactually thinks about people, even when they’re in a professional setting. This strip shows a pilot on the job. But instead of taking his role seriously (as one would hope he’d be doing), he’s standing around and pretending to fly as the plane is in motion.

While not direct, this is a pretty funny way for Larson to say how people never really grow up. Even when people have careers, even ones where lives depend on them, there’s a part of humanity that is just assilly and careless as they were when they were kids.

the far side cartoon symbol

Trapped Characters

Publication Date: May 30th, 1991

As most fans can attest,The Far Sideis always at its best when it utilizes meta humor. Here, Larson showcases a couple of explorers who are making their way through a thicket, only to discover the cartoonist symbol for glass and realize they’ve become trapped in a comic strip.

While the characters in the strip are more upset at Larson, what does it say about the people reading the strip? Larson may be trapping these characters to populate his strip, butreaders are the ones who create a demand for itand force Larson to ‘contain’ these unfortunate explorers.

The Far Side, May 4, 1983, a man sprouts a tree from his head just before a date

Much Bigger Concerns

Publication Date: May 4th, 1983

If there was one thing Gary Larson was known for, it was using this strip to call out humanity’s biggest flaws. Here, a man has just sprouted a tree out of his head. What should be an alarming concern is more like an inconvenience to the man, who is miffed since he has a date.

The Far Sidedoesn’t think much of peopleand, here, it’s basically saying that humanity tends to ignore or downplay major problems. Sure, no one’s growing plant life out of their head, but who isn’t guilty of having a serious issue and avoiding it because they had something else going on in their life?

Cavemen attempt to roll down a hill on a large rock in Far Side Comics

Caveman Experiments

Publication Date: October 23rd, 1984

Cavemen were frequently used inThe Far Side, often to showcase how little humanity has actually evolved from its neanderthal roots. Here, early man has developed the wheel and they’re testing it out. But for whatever reason, one is testing it out by securing himself right onto the stone wheel.

Does it seem incredibly dumb? Absolutely. But how often do people do similar things that are clearly bad ideas, only to proceed with them? One can mock these cavemen for being dimwitted, but thousands of videos online show thathumanity is still as shortsighted when it comes to dangeras they were back in cavemen’s times.

Far Side, September 13, 1983, a man looks at a half-eaten apple under a powerful microscope

Electron Microscope

Publication Date: September 13th, 1983

The Far Side’slack of faith in people admittedly made for a lot of incredibly funny jokes. In this strip, a custodian is taking a break from cleaning a lab containing an electron microscope. The man, curious to see what the fancy equipment can do, uses it to gaze inside an apple he’s snacking on.

While one can’t fault the man for his scientific curiosity, it’s surprising to see someone use such a sensitive piece of equipment for such a banal reason. And yet, it’sthe kind of thingThe Far Sidewould expect of most peopleand, chances are, plenty of readers would do the same thing.

far side midvale pull push nerdy kid

Midvale School for the Gifted

Publication Date: November 24th, 1986

This classic strip is one of the best things Larson ever produced and works as a commentary on how people can fail at even the most basic things. Taking place at the Midvale School for the Gifted, a boy is trying to enter the school by pushing the door open, ignoring that the sign says ‘pull’.

ThisFar Sidestrip is iconic, but at its core, it says that no matter how clear the instructions, people are always going to mess up. Maybe it’s not always going to be misreading a sign, but this gag serves as a reminder thatno one, especially not the reader, is perfect.

far side god making earth

Humanity is Full of Jerks

Publication Date: July 22nd, 1994

The creator of Heaven and Earth was also a frequently used stock character inThe Far Sideand in this strip, Larson uses God to shed some light on one of humanity’s peculiarities. Presenting God as a chef, the almighty is cooking up the Earth when he decides to spice things up by peppering jerks into mankind.

While Larson doesn’t outright say that people are jerks as a whole, this Far Side strip does imply that mosthumanity does have its more abrasive personality types baked into it. While he doesn’t call out anyone specifically, it does make one reflect a bit on whether they were one of God’s special ingredients or not.

far side meta humor

Ruined Joke

Publication Date: July 3rd, 1990

Let’s face it, Larson just loved trolling the people who read his stuff. In this Far Side strip, he once again subverts the expectations of his readers and has a couple of unexpected characters interrupt what the strip proclaims to be the funniest comic ever made. Sadly, readers only ever get a small glimpse of the ‘intended’ joke.

Larson knows exactly how to play his readers. He knew that this kind of gag would be annoying and frustrating for those who wanted to know if there was an actual joke hidden away. But in the end, this strip works as a hilariousjoke played on the biggest fans ofThe Far Side.