Humans may not get the best reputation or the most flattering coverage inThe Far Side, with even cowboys getting a “makeunder” in Gary Larson’s beloved comic strip property. Cowboys may have a bold and brave appearance in the real world thanks to complimentary films, TV shows, and novels, butThe Far Sidelikes to imagine a different version of cowboys.
The Far Sideknew how to perfectly makeeven the highest-regarded historical figures or events silly, something that is just as true for the cowboy-turned-dork comic strips. From teenage cowboys worried sick about crashing their horse into a tree because they do not want to get into trouble with their parents, to cowboys tattling on each other, theseFar Sidecowboys go hand in hand with the work “dorky.”
January 17th, 1984
Going for a joyride on his dad’s horse,a boy named Chuck smashes his horse into a treewhile his friends look on with horrified looks on their faces. Seeing how much damage has been done to the horse, the other two boys question what Chuck is going to tell his dad about the horse crash.
The Far Sidetransforms the rite of passage into cowboys and horses rather than teens and cars.
Usually cowboys are brave and competent, something at odds with the dorky adolescent cowboysof thisFar Sidestrip. Playing on when a teenager damages a parent’s car,The Far Sidetransforms the rite of passage into cowboys and horses rather than teens and cars, making a silly comic that anyone will find funny. Chuck will surely be in big trouble - and the horse is not doing too great either based on the look of things.
9"A Little Hat"
January 29th, 1983
Three cowboys sit at the bar together, withone of them wearing a very tiny hat, especially compared to the cowboy’s big frame. One of the cowboys looks at the man with the small hat and exclaims about the size of his diminutive hat. The cowboy with the small hat has a fashion sense that leans towards the dorky side.
Why would he choose a hat so small? Or is he so large that a regular-sized hat just looks exceptionally tiny on his head? Readers may never know the answers to these incredibly important and philosophical questions. Regardless, thisFar Sidecowboy is nothing like the more dashing cowboys of classic Hollywood. He could be the toughest cowboy around, but thanks to his tiny hat, he just looks like the dorkiest cowboy in the West.
8"The Same Kind of Hat"
April 14th, 1983
Having someone wear the exact same thing as you is a fashion faux pas of epic proportions, especially when the item seems like one of a kind. Cowboys are not immune to letting sartorial disasters get them down, asThe Far Sidebeautifully illustrates. A cowboy explains to his buddy Burt thathe cannot go in the saloon because another cowboy is wearing the exact same flower crown and bird hat as him.
The fact that one cowboy is wearing the very ethereal-looking hat rather than the usual ten-gallon hat already adds a super silly element to the comic strip, but then adding another dorky cowboy who has the same exact hat on takes it to another level. Likewise, the way the cowboy gets bothered that someone is wearing the same thing as him is a big departure from the rough-hewn reputation of cowboys.
7"Red Dog Saloon"
November 19th, 1982
A typical movie gag is for someone, usually quite dorky, to knock over a line of expensive and prized motorcycles or bikes.The Far Sideuses thisbit of slapstick humor and sends it back in time to the Wild West. In the strip, a cowboy parks his horse at the Red Dog Saloon but at the same timeaccidentally knocks down three other parked horses behind him, toppling them on top of each other as two tough cowboys look on.
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The dorky cowboy tipped over the wrong horses, because their owners are looking out from inside the saloon, and they are not happy. A klutz who does not look where he is moving, this cowboy is definitely not one smooth cowboy like the movies show, but rather a clumsy, dorky cowboy instead.
6"Bart, You Fool!"
February 10th, 1986
With a man fallen on the floor, a cowboy named Bart is still left standing and asks a lot of questions about topics like the circumference of the Earth and who wroteThe Odyssey. The back-to-back questions prompt a bystander to remind Bart thathe can’t shoot first and ask questions later, in this case literally.
Using the old saying “shoot first and ask questions later,“The Far Sideimaginesa unique situation where the saying is used as a literal statement based on the actions of one goofy cowboy. Only a dork would shoot first and ask questions later, as this strip would suggest. Typically, to shoot first and ask questions later means to act hasty, which this dorky cowboy surely did, making thisFar Sideentry a clever use of double meaning.
5"Ride into the Sunset”
May 25th, 1992
It is a common theme of cowboy movies to see the hero ride into the sunset at the end, creating an awe-inspiring visual. However,the humans ofThe Far Sideare not always the brightest, cowboys included, with one cowboy specifically taking riding into the sunset to a whole new level. A cowboy drags a fellow cowboy, young Will Hawkins, into the saloon as he is in some pretty bad shape.
He looks like he has been burned up, with flames still around him and wearing tattered clothes. It turns out that the cowboy Will Hawkins tried toride into the sunset, and not in the figurative sense.Will Hawkins may not receive his own box-office hit Western movie based on his less-than-picturesque actions and hare-brained schemes, all thanks to his dorky and misguided belief that he should ride into the sun.
4"The Teapot Kid”
October 2nd, 1992
Usually, cowboys are considered very tough and burly, not being the kind to freely dance around, especially not to nursery rhymes. However,asThe Far Sideloves to do, things take a strange turn in this strip. A cowboy goes by the name of the Teapot Kid because he cannot help himself from doing the “I’m a Little Teapot Dance” in the bar.
The Teapot Kid has a fiercer reputation than one would assume.
The other cowboys may judge the Teacup Kid for his dancing, but none of them dare make their opinions known, as the Teapot Kid has a fiercer reputation than one would assume. Only someone as tough as can be could do the “I’m a Little Teapot Dance” and get away with it, unscathed by the other cowboys. As thisFar Sidestrip can attest, one is never too old for some nursery rhymes, even a cowboy.
3"We Don’t Allow Any Gunplay in This Town"
January 7th, 1993
Guns and cards would not seem like interchangeable items, butThe Far Sideproves it so. Two cowboys make a house of cards, except their version is made out of guns. But the sheriff puts an end to the fun,laying down the law of the land that gunplay is not allowed in their town.Deciding to spend their hours making towers out of dangerous weapons, these cowboys have a little too much time on their hands.
A shining example of how adept Larson is at wordplay, he makes gunplay have two meanings, one of them being unexpected, in this strip. One would not assume that gunplay would be used to reference playing with guns like someone would play with cards or blocks, but Larson does away with all assumptions inThe Far Side.
2"A Discouraging Word"
March 24th, 1987
Tattling on his fellow cowboy, Simmons,one cowboy squeals to the group that Simmons had just said a discouraging word. At first glance, this strip may just seem like a cowboy is tattling on his fellow cowboy for speaking negatively.
However, the joke is actually a funny play on the lyrics to the Western folk song “Home on the Range,” where it is sung that “where never is heard a discouraging word” - something Simmons violates in this strip. The tattletale cowboy does not make himself look like the coolest cowboy, looking instead like a bit of a dork. While they remain on the range, Simmons best not utter another discouraging word - unless he wants to get tattled on again.
1"Play It Out"
October 29th, 1991
Two cowboys are enmeshed in a tension-filled showdown, although it would not be the kind of showdown one would think when cowboys are mentioned. Locked into a ping pong match in front of the entire town, Stumpy must play the game to settle the duel,even if he had no clue how he got involved in this mess in the first place.
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In the Old West, ping pong was not the go-to way of handling conflict, butThe Far Sidelikes to imagineit was. Loving to add contemporary items to historical times,The Far Sidemakes a surreal comic strip thanks to the anachronism that also makes the point that these are likely not the toughest, coolest cowboys around. Much like a gun duel in front of the whole town, this ping-pong duel actually has some high stakes as well.
The Far Side
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.
