Summary
Over the course of fifteen years in publication,The Far Sidebecame famous, or perhaps infamous, for its routinely inscrutable humor – to the point where years after his retirement, creator Gary Larson still laid claim to the title of “The Great Confuser.” Though his punchlines could unambiguously laugh-out-loud funny, it was the confusingFar Sidecartoons that have stuck with readers the most.
According to Larson, the answer to how his weirdest comics found their way into newspapers across the country was straightforward enough:he set a precedent by being weird early and often. As a creator, Gary Larson had the privilege of having to deal with relatively few editorial intrusions, and very limited interactions with his audience.
Consequently, once he was established in the publishing industry, he just kept doing what he did best – drawing and writing"confusing, obtuse, esoteric, and strange"stuff untilhe was ready to retire.
The Complete Far Sidedoes more than just collect everyFar Sidecomic published during the strip’s fifteen-year tenure in publication; it contains the most in-depth autobiographical account of his career and creative process than Gary Larson has ever produced. For that, it is essential reading for any fan of his work. His play description of himself as “The Great Confuser” is contained inVolume TwoofThe Complete Far Side.
This Dark Recurring Far Side Joke Charts How Gary Larson’s Humor Evolved Over Time
One joke that Gary Larson repeated a handful of times early in The Far Side’s run exhibits the ways his idiosyncratic humor morphed over time.
Gary Larson On Why More Of His Weirdest Cartoons Weren’t Rejected Throughout His Career
The Far SideMade Him “The Great Confuser”
Words like “weird” and “confusing” only begin to capture the whole scope ofThe Far Side; Gary Larson’s humor was strange in many different ways, with any single panel capable of operating on multiple levels of absurdity and abstrusity.
Years afterthe end ofThe Far Side,Gary Larson wrote inThe Complete Far Sideabout the predominant quality of his work, at least as it is remembered in posterity. That is, confusion. As Larson stated:
Even now, years after my retirement, I’m reminded of my reputation as The Great Confuser.
While poking fun at himself, the tongue-in-cheek grandiosity of this title aptly compacts the chief response toThe Far Side, the one he heard most from fans and critics alike:that his cartoons were regularly weird to the point of obscurity, or alternatively, obscure to the point of weirdness.
It is important to note that words like “weird” and “confusing” only begin to capture the whole scope ofThe Far Side; Gary Larson’s humor was strange in many different ways, with any single panel capable of operating on multiple levels of absurdity and abstrusity. Certainly, someFar Sidecartoons are considered “confusing” becausetheir punchlines are easy to miss. Others weredeliberately designed to confound readers. And yet there is also the category ofGary Larson’s “failed experiments,“those jokes he thought would get across to readers, but ultimately didn’t work.
As the author explained inThe Complete Far Side Volume Two, the fact that he wasn’t beholden to either his readers' reactions, or editorial oversight, were the simple reasons his humor could be so off-the-wall. Larson wrote:
So how does a confusing cartoon even come into being? It’s easy. Since I’m “audience free,” I just go where my mind takes me. Then my editor sees it, says to himself, “Oh, well – I’ve seen him do stranger things,” and off it goes to your local newspaper, where you finally see it and go “Huh?” Meanwhile, I’m back home having cereal.
In other words, Gary Larson’s style of comedy – as perplexing as it could be at times – found a receptive audience in papers nationwide;once his “reputation as The Great Confuser” was established in the minds of his editor and newspaper publishers, Larson had an essentially uninhibited pipeline to the American consciousness.
Gary Larson’s Humor Felt Like He Was Getting Away With Something
How Did This Get In The Newspaper?
For many readers who enjoyedThe Far Sideduring the strip’s time in publication, the feeling that it was subversive, or “edgy,” was almost certainly an attraction.
Naturally, given the avant-garde nature of his weirdness, Gary Larson’s humor was at times divisive; newspapers regularly received letters complaining aboutThe Far Side, demanding it no longer be carried in the funny pages. These letters invariably circled back to some variation on the same question, asking how a publication in good taste could subject its readers to what theyconsidered to be objectionable content. However, this question can, in a way, be flipped on its head, to describe one of the virtues that madeThe Far Sidesuccessful.
That is, for many readers who enjoyedThe Far Sideduring the strip’s time in publication, the feeling that it was subversive, or “edgy,” was almost certainly an attraction. It’s not hard to imagine an office worker in 1982 being the only one at their job who appreciatesThe Far Side, perhaps silently smiling to themselves in the break room upon overhearing another coworker talking about the cartoon, saying something like"the so-called artist must be sick.“Truth be told,these early fans were likely as mystified by how Larson’s work made it into the paper as his detractors.
In this way, there was a hint of rebellion to being aFar Sidefan in the early 1980s, not unlike what drew people to the nascent punk scenes taking root in cities and towns across America in the same era. Just like the record producers who saw the value in this new, grittier form of rock ‘n’ roll, the editors and publishers who putThe Far Sidein papers recognized the public’s appetite for something they hadn’t seen before. Something raw, and unpolished, but possessing an obviously exciting energy and perspective.
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.
The Far Side’s Weirdness Was Part Of A Larger Trend In American Humor
Increasingly Absurd
In effect, Gary Larson had an outsider sense of humor duringThe Far Side’srun in publication, but now his brand of comedy is essentially mainstream.
The Far Sideis also a notable example of American humor’s shift in a more absurdist direction. This can actually be described as a shift back, as early film comedies were dominated by the slapstick and screwball genres, which if not absurdist, are undoubtedly built on a foundation of ridiculousness. While a vein of strange humor always ran through American culture, this once more became more overt in the 1970s and ’80s –withThe Far Sidefirst appearing in newspapers as a product of that trend, and subsequently helping to push it forward well into the mid-1990s.
From there, weirdness in American humor is perhaps best exhibited by popular sitcoms' tendency toward increasing absurdity as they progress over a long run. Think of examples such asSeinfeld, and, to a more muted degree,Friends, and to a greater degree, the later seriesIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which started out as a coarse satire and grew – or some might say evolved – into utter insanity as it continued. In a more contemporary comparison, internet humor quickly became weird, but in the past several years has approached near-singularity levels of absurdity.
In the latter case, the parallels with – and influence of –The Far Sideon meme humor; not surprising, given thatThe Far Side’srun coincided with the adolescence and early teen years of the first batch of millennials. Now, even the average nationally broadcast commercial is just as likely to be downright bizarre as it is to be persuasive to the consumer. In effect,Gary Larson had an outsider sense of humorduringThe Far Side’srun in publication, but now his brand of comedy is essentially mainstream.
Far Side Creator Gary Larson On the 1 Question He WISHED Readers Would Have Asked
In “The Complete Far Side,” Gary Larson discussed the questions readers asked him all too often – and the one he never got asked, but wished he did.
For Better Or Worse, Confusion Is Gary Larson’s Legacy
Far SideReaders Have Only One Question: “What-the?”
Whatever readers remember aboutThe Far Side, they remember it. Gary Larson’s humor may have frequently been obscure, but his work has not lapsed into obscurity.
To whatever extent it was a forerunner of contemporary absurdist humor,The Far Sideis more generally associated with being “confusing” – the distinction that even absurdist humor relies on its punchline, however “out there” or nonsensical, to be evident to the reader. This was not always the case with Gary Larson’s work, and therefore,“confusion” is the most memorable feeling many readers associate withThe Far Side.According to Gary Larson, however,making his audience ask “What-the?” or exclaim “My God!“was just as valuable to him as evoking laughter.
That is to say, whatever readers remember aboutThe Far Side, they remember it.Gary Larson’s humormay have frequently been obscure, but his work has not lapsed into obscurity. The opposite, in fact – it continues to be discovered by new readers in the strip’s second life on the internet. Though Larson might be more comfortable with his work standing out on the margins, rather than being one of many strange things online, the natural link betweenThe Far Sideand internet humor has ensured that the comic will be analyzed, over-analyzed, and appreciated in perpetuity.
Source:The Complete Far Side Volume Two
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.
