The Far Sidehas covered all creatures both known and, as some of Gary Larson’s best cryptid comics show, unproven. A cryptid is defined as a creature whose existence is not proven, only speculated. As a result, cryptids include creatures like Bigfoot, yetis, the Loch Ness Monster, aliens, mermaids, and dragons, just to name only a select few.
The Far Sidewas not immune to showing off mythological creatures, something that is clear in the strip’s cryptid-themed comics. Moreover, what makes these cryptid strips even more hilarious is thatthe monsters are often transported into modern settings or presented in a modern contextthat readers would understand better.
8"The Bigfoot Mystery"
April 22nd, 1980
Two cryptid hunters happen to come across a most elusive sight: the one and only Bigfoot! However, Bigfoot does not look at all how many thought he would look, including the two humans whosee him inThe Far Side. With two gigantic human feet on an otherwise normal-sized body, Bigfoot has that name for a very obvious reason, given what he actually looks like. Seeing this sasquatch, the two humans are left feeling deflated, thinking that seeing thatBigfoot is just actually made of two massive human feet takes the romance out of the mystery.
Usually, when people think of Bigfoot, they think of a creature that is incredibly tall, with long hair covering the entire body and, of course, some colossal feet, but feet that would look more like an animal’s than a human’s in some ways.The Far Sidedisproves this assumption and ruins the mystery while it’s at it. Bigfoot may be real inThe Far Side,but his true appearance is a real downer compared to expectations.
7"Unravel!"
September 22nd, 1984
Not only are undead mummies real inThe Far Side, they are also an incredibly rowdy bunch at the weekend.The Far Sidepaints a pictureof what happens on Saturday nights for mummies. Specifically, Saturday nights at the crypt featurea striptease from one of their fellow mummies, with the audience yelling for her to unravel her linen wrappings that enshroud her body. Comparing a mummy unraveling her wrapping to a burlesque show of the real world, the specific cryptid mummy of the comic is given a makeover from being a typical horror character to being a rather raunchy cryptid instead.
I Didn’t Get The Far Side, Until This Comic Made Me A Fan
This genius Far Side comic opened my eyes to what makes Gary Larson’s wacky sense of humor work, turning me into a full-fledged fan at last.
While undead mummies have been popularized in horror movies thanks to 1932’s Universal Monster movie,The Mummy, the origin of undead mummies actually dates back earlier than the ’30s. Undead mummies came about in the 1800s, and the myth usually referred to female undead mummies who were presented, oddly enough, as the love interests to the protagonists in fiction of the day. Some stories even went so far as to portray the undead mummies in a sexual light. As a result, thisFar Sidecomic is not all that far away from how the undead mummy cryptid gained prominence.
6"As Far as Leprechauns Go, I’ve Never Been Considered All That Lucky"
September 19th, 1994
InThe Far Side, a man catches a leprechaun, which, depending on different folklore, means that the leprechaun has to grant three wishes, give the person a pot of gold, or grant good luck to the individual who finds him. The leprechaun sees that he has been caught fair and square by the man but lets him know the crucial information thathe may not be the best leprechaun to catch, because he has never really been all that lucky.
Based on the rough look of the leprechaun, showing that he has obviously gone through the wringer based on his peg leg, his hook hand, and his eye patch, he is likely not lying about lacking luck. Also, the leprechaun looks a lot like a pirate too, thanks to his myriad injuries, which adds another layer ofstrangeness to theFar Sidestrip. Often a fun activity for St. Patrick’s Day in the United States, setting leprechaun traps is a silly pastime in the real world that’s actually possible inThe Far Side.
5"Well, So Much for the Unicorns"
December 31st, 1981
On Noah’s Ark, there is a bit of a situation thanks to the big cats and their eating habits.The big cats have wiped out the last remaining unicornsbecause they could not resist a magical meal in front of them. As a result ofthe big cats makingunicorns extinct, all the carnivores on the ark must go to and remain on Deck C to avoid future extinctions of other animals. It has been pondered if unicorns are, or have ever been, real creatures.The Far Sideposits that unicorns were once very real animals, but a perfect storm of events eradicated any future chances of getting to know the species of the unicorn.
A legendary creature that has myths that date all the way back to anicent times, unicorns were first said to be an unspecified animal that had a singular spiraling horn on its head, but the description everyone is familiar with now of a white horse with a spiraling horn became prominent due to European art and literature. Used as a symbol of rarity and purity, unicorns were fabled to make poisonous water drinkable, making the extinction of them inThe Far Sidea real tragedy.
4"That Same Obnoxious Tie"
May 18th, 1994
A man named Edgar buys a silver bullet from a salesman who convincingly insists that the silver bullets being sold to the man are guaranteed pure silver - but, of course, they are not. To kill a werewolf, the bullet being real silver is of the upmost importance.As it turns out,Edgar’s home is invaded by a werewolf that night, and he recalls that the obnoxious tie that the werewolf is wearing was also worn by the salesman who sold him fake silver bullets. Before he is ripped to shreds, Edgar realizes that the salesman he saw earlier that day is in fact the same werewolf who attacked him.
Poor Edgar finds out that the classic werewolf monster is real in the worst way possible…
Poor Edgarfinds out that the classic werewolf monster is realin the worst way possible, making his need for a silver bullet even before the attack all the more dire. To his misfortune, he bought a silver bullet from someone for whom it only served tonotmake silver bullets more plentiful in the community. Starting during the medieval age and continuing into the New World, belief in werewolves gained some real traction during that time period.
3"Wonderful! Just Wonderful!"
December 28th, 1983
A UFO lands on the Earth’s surface, where a crowd has assembled to see what mysterious creatures have come out of this unknown spacecraft. A group of purple aliens are seen, but one of them makes a pretty bad first impression that takes away from their grand entrance. Going down the stairs to greet the Earthlings, one of the aliens topples over and face-plants on the grass. The other aliens are furious with their clumsy peer for ruining their plan toinstill a sense of awe in the humans because of their momentous arrival.
Aliens have long been rumored to be real, and many anticipate the awe-inspiring moment that they finally make contact with Earth. Instead, inThe Far Side, it was a moment of slapstick comedy at the expense of the aliens. First impressions go a long way and, after that introduction, these aliens are likely not going to be taken too seriously. While there has been no scientific proof of aliens' existence, that does not stop people from hoping for contact with extraterrestrial species. If aliens ever do come to Earth, hopefully their introduction goes much better than the onetheseFar Sidealienshad.
2"I Never Eat the Shells"
January 2nd, 1980
Two dragons converse after their meal. However, one makes an interesting point about their diet; they never eat the shells of what they eat. It just so happens that the shells the dragons refer to are the armor of knights. As seen by the pile of armor sitting by them,the dragons practice what they preach when they say that they do not eat the shells of their meat.Much like how humans take the shells off to eat foods like shrimp or lobster, dragons apparently have their own version.
Being mythical creatures in cultures all over the world, dragons differ in their appearance depending on the culture, but in Western cultures, especially those of the medieval ages, dragons look like the ones depicted in this comic strip: with wings and long necks. Appearing in many medieval-set works of fiction, dragons are frequently shown at odds with knights, which is something the strip makes abundantly clear. While it may not be great for the knights, the dragons are at least looking out for their health and avoiding eating the shells.
1"The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and Jackie Onassis"
August 5th, 1987
Dale enters a forest where he sees three things that would make front page news everywhere regardless of the publication:the long-fabled Loch Ness Montser, the elusive Bigfoot, and the ever-private former First Lady, Jackie Onassis.Unfortunately for Dale, the moment he sees these highly prized pop culture figures, his camera jams, leaving him with no evidence that he saw what he did. Jackie O is not a cryptid, but the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot are two of the most well-known cryptids. As a result, the fact that Dale has found both cryptids in one place and with a camera seems too good to be true.
10 Far Side Comics We Really Wish Had Sequels
These Far Side comics would benefit from receiving sequels that could tie up their loose ends, building upon the existing jokes in new ways.
It is too bad because, since his camera jammed, no one will ever believe his wild story of coming across three rare popular figures in the woods. Only Dale knows that both Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster exist, putting him in a strange place. Comparing Jackie Kennedy Onassis, who was very private after she was First Lady, to the never-seen cryptids of the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot,The Far Sideprovides some hyperbole that makes it incredibly funny and surreal.
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.
