According to Gary Larson, making readers ofThe Far Sideask “What-the?” could be as satisfying as making them laugh, as these cartoons from 1986 illustrate. Larson stated that his goal was toget a reaction out of the reader withThe Far Side,and he was willing to do so by just about any means necessary.
That said, just asThe Far Sidefeatured different strains ofLarson’s signature humor, it also achieved the end result of perplexing its readers in several distinct ways. SomeFar Sidepunchlines wereintentionally designed to be confusing, but there are also many cases in which the artist’s tendency toward obscurantism inadvertently led to a “What-the?“reaction.
In whatever way it got there,The Far Side’smost confusing comics are often among its most unforgettable, and as a result, can be considered some of its most successful entries.
12 Far Side Comics From 1985 That Make Readers Go “What The?”
As funny as The Far Side was, just as often it left readers wondering “What-the?” – according to Gary Larson, this was all part of getting a reaction.
12Gary Larson Trusted The Far Side’s Readers – Sometimes Too Much
First Published: July 08, 2025
ThisFar Sidepanel is a perfect example ofone particular subtype of “What-the?” cartoon: the obscure reference. Gary Larson’s humor is often described as idiosyncratic, but another word for it is “niche” – that is, some of his jokes required very specific knowledge to be considered funny. In this sense, Larson often put faith in his readers to “get” the joke, and this didn’t always work out. That is the case here, asa bird is depicted smashing into an invisible barrier in the sky, with the caption explaining: “when migration routes encounter the window of vulnerability.”
While most readers will likely recognize the phenomenon of birds flying into glass windows, for this joke to really land, one must be familiar with the term “window of vulnerability,” which has varied applications in several fields, from psychology to computer science. For readers unfamiliar with the term, the effect is a “What-the?” response, rather than laughter.
11On The Far Side, Even A Boy & His Dog Isn’t A Simple Matter
First Published: August 01, 2025
If there is a reference here for the reader to “get,” it isn’t one that jumps out as immediately obviously. Instead, this seems to be one of Gary Larson’s more willfully esotericFar Sidecomics.The panel depicts a nerdy boyclutching a specimen jaras his “invaluable lizard setter” sniffs out a tiny reptile for him to add to his collection.
This is an example of aFar Sidecartoon where the “What-the?” radiates outward in all directions from its very premise. Readers are likely to be stymied by trying to grasp the meaning of the joke, while at the same time, it almost begsthe question of “how did Larson come up with this?“Though the artist professed that this was his least favorite question to be faced with, so manyFar Sidepanels invite it by their very nature.
10Gary Larson’s Sense Of Humor Was Sometimes At Odds With The Far Side’s Jokes
First Published: July 19, 2025
This panel features severalstrips of tall grass, spread across winding hills at the edge of a forest, accompanied by the caption: “the secret python burial grounds.“Certainly, this is another example ofGary Larson’s humor perhaps being too subtle, but that makes it an ideal comic for illustrating a useful distinction between the “humor” ofThe Far Sidein general, and some of its punchlines in particular.
That is to say, the joke here is evident enough: dead snakes buried in this spot provide compost for bursts of wild growth. Yet many readers will be left on uneven ground when it comes to figuring out what makes this joke funny. In this way, someFar Sidepanels inadvertantly undercut themselves as comedy, though often in these cases a “What-the?” reaction proved to be a suitable alternative.
The Far Side Complete Collection
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.
9Gary Larson Loved To Slip Scientific Jargon Into The Far Side
First Published: June 27, 2025
Gary Larson’s penchant for referential humor manifested in many ways throughoutThe Far Side. This includedregular jokes about famous films, as well as references toreal historical events and epochs, but it also resulted in his frequent use of scientific terminology and jargon, which could have the effect of confusing non-scientist readers rather than making them chuckle.
Case in point, this panel, in which a female bug huffilylooks at a male bug’s underground crevice and huffs, “you call this a niche?“While the panel’s riff on the idea of a messy “bachelor pad” is clear enough, the use of the term “niche” – referring to the ecological niche in which specific insect species live – runs the risk of flummoxing readers who don’t recognize it.
8Reading The Far Side Was An Intellectually Stimulating Activity
First Published: July 09, 2025
Most readers will likely be familiar with the term “mental gymnastics,” but thisFar Sidecartoon offers a look at a less well-known alternative,“brain aerobics,” as a scientist leads his colleagues in an unusual form of mental exercise, inciting them to “keep those cerebellums up!”
The imagery of the panel – a group of scientists standing awkwardly in front of a white board with a half-scribbled formula, all of them standing rigidly still, as they work out their brain muscles in attempt to loosen up their thought processes – stands a strong chance of getting a laugh from readers. That said, conceptually, thisFar Sidepanel is in full-on “What-the?” territory, given that most readers will get an intellectual work-out just from meditating on how Gary Larson could have arrived at this joke.
7Sometimes It Was Hard To Know What Gary Larson Was Driving At
First Published: June 19, 2025
For Gary Larson, it was the small details that could make or break aFar Sidecomic – which is why some of his more perplexing creative decisions continue to gnaw at readers to this day. Again, there seems to be a disconnect between the “humor” and the “joke” of this cartoon. The premise of a role reversal between humans and cows comes across clearly, butthe cow shouting “yakity yak yak yak” at a pasture full of people from the back seat of a passing carfeels like a reference that flies over most readers' heads.
Alternatively, it may come across as a placeholder, perhaps the result of Gary Larson being unable to find asatisfying line for the bovine to bellow– leading this cow comic to lapse into inscrutable strangeness, rather than delivering a laugh-out-loud punchline.
12 Far Side Comics From 1982 That Make Readers Go “What The?”
According to Gary Larson, his notorious comic The Far Side was often designed to leave readers scratching their heads, wondering “What-the?”
6Some Far Side Cartoons Were Intentionally Designed To Bug Readers
First Published: June 25, 2025
ThisFar Sidepanel,featuring a philosophical aside between two insects mingling at a party, is almost certainly one of the kind that Gary Larson knew was going to leave readers scratching their heads and going, “Huh? What-the?“The Far Sidewas often philosophical, and here Larson ruminates on the scope of existence through the perspective of Earth’s smallest – but by far most populus – creatures, its insects.
What stands out about this panel is the way Larson overloads the reader with detail, only for it all to add up to a joke that is so obvious that it is almost stunning.As often asThe Far Sideswerved its readers, sometimes it could end up exactly where one might expect, and somehow, that could have the effect of being even weirder than an outright absurd punchline.
First Published: August 13, 2025
In thisFar Sidepanel,a couple returns home from an evening out to find their house totally trashed – and quickly surmise that the culprit is their parakeet, who has “been loose this whole evening.“It’s a simple joke, but it is likely to get an outsized reaction from readers, whether that is a solid laugh, or a solid “What-the?”
Gary Larson’s humor wasn’t always subtle; in fact, sometimes it could be downright obvious. That said, Larson’s close attention to detail often meant that the tiniest aspect of a panel could be what provoked a reaction from his reader. In a way, thisFar Sidepanel, with its huge mess wrought by a little bird, is like a visual representation of that.
4Readers Won’t Just Ask “What-the?” At This Far Side Comic, They’ll Scream It
First Published: August 05, 2025
More than just a stand-out “What-the?” cartoon, this ranks up there withThe Far Side’smost nightmarish panels. Captioned “skin orchard,” it depicts exactly that –rumpled, human-shaped skins hanging loosely from otherwise normal-looking apple trees.Upon encountering this illustration, readers are much less likely to howl with laughter than they are to howl “Why, Gary Larson, why?”
The Far Side’shumor was infamously macabreat times, but its imagery rarely tread into full-on disturbing territory, which this panel comes close to. While it is certainly capable of generating unsettled laughter in the reader, the most understandable response to Larson’s “skin orchard” punchline will be for audience members to shudder at the very idea that anyone could come up with such a thing.
12 Far Side Comics From 1981 That Make Readers Go “What The?”
The Far Side could be hilarious , but as often as it was intended to make readers laugh, it was designed to leave them scratching their heads.
3The Far Side’s Penchant For Puns Left Many Readers Shaking Their Heads
First Published: June 17, 2025
Gary Larson unabashedly loved puns, and he was exceptionally good at not only coming up with them, but illustrating them in an unforgettable way. Nevertheless, pun-basedFar Sidecartoons are a great example of how readers could supply the “What-the?” side of the equation as much as Larson himself.
Here, one cowboy asks another"ain’t you a stranger in this part?” as they are nestled in the part of a man’s hair.For readers who are leery of puns, this is an eye-rollingFar Side, while even people who appreciate wordplay of this kind are likely to be left asking “What-the?” at how outright inane this joke is. That said, for a certain subset of readers, that is precisely what makes it hilarious.
