Many readers associateThe Far Sidewith obtuse, often difficult to decipher punchlines, and this list collects some classic examples of how that reputation was earned. Not everyFar Sidecartoon was a head-scratcher, but regularly, creator Gary Larson left fans to figure out his jokes for themselves; often, this just took fans a few extra moments of unpacking the cartoon, but in some instances, Larson’s humor was nigh-indiscernible.
The ability to interpretThe Far Sideisn’t a gauge of intelligence, but rather of intuitiveness; for the most part, the comics listed here aren’t impossible to understand, but they do range fromconfusing, “What the?“Far Sidecartoonsto full-on flummoxing.
It is also worth pointing out up front that all theFar Sidepanels aggregated here share one commonality: they are ofthe variety of Larsonian panel that lack captions; on a case-by-case basis, it is worth considering whether the artist intended his humor to be subtle, or if his point fails to come across.
9If It Wasn’t Immediate On The Surface, The Far Side’s Humor Could Be Tricky To Navigate
First Published: Jul 14, 2025
In this earlyFar Sidebrain-teaser, Gary Larson depictsa water skier who has become untethered from his boat, leaving him floating in the water with a bunch of dangerous debris floating just beneath the surface, most notably a giant mine, as well as a smaller mine, in addition to some assorted refuse.
For our purposes, we’ll refer to aFar Sidecomic where the joke isn’t immediately obvious a “brain-teaser,” as shorthand for a cartoon that, deliberately or otherwise, forces the reader to actively participate in figuring out what makes it funny.
The lack of caption here prompts readers to take a closer look at the cartoon, to discover if there is some particular kicker to the punchline that doesn’t strike them at first glance. The humor of the panel is centered on the peril of the suddenly stranded individual, with an added layer seemingly coming from the idea that up until moments earlier, this guy was skimming along the surface of the water,blissfully unaware, in classicFar Sidefashion, of what lies beneath the waves. Here, readers catch a glimpse of him moments before he finds out, and the implication that the revelation won’t be pretty also adds a dash of macabre humor.
8The Way This Far Side Comic Flips The Script Is Too Subtle For Some Readers
First Published: June 14, 2025
In thisFar Sidecomic,a group of porcupines gathers around and observes one of their own lying on its back on a mattress, in an inversion of the idea of an ascetic, or yogi of some kind, lying on a bed of nailsto demonstrate their willpower and pain tolerance. This falls into the category of “deceptively simple"Far Sidejokes, one in which the joke will come across immediately to some reader, while others will be left with furrowed brows and puzzled expressions, at least before an “aha” moment where the joke clicks for them.
ThisFar Sidepanel might have used a captionfor added clarity, but this seems to be an instance where Gary Larson expected the joke to be obvious, and it is simply that the gag doesn’t entirely translate for every reader immediately; yet as far as confusingFar Sidecomics go, this one is certainly not the most difficult to grasp with a little effort.
7The Far Side’s Humor Could Sometimes Get Garbled In Transmission From Artist To Reader
First Published: August 17, 2025
This panel is representative of the kind ofFar Sidepanel that might be amusing in one regard, and confusing in another. The illustration featuresa dog in the foreground of the frame, hiding behind a tree, barking into a hose, with the sound coming out the other end and causing confusion for a man who is in the middle of raking leaves.
The “action” of the cartoon alone can bring a smile to readers' faces, but when it comes to the “meaning” of this panel, or inFar Sideterms, what is supposed to be funny about it, there is plenty of room for interpretation. Given theproliferation of talking dogs inThe Far Side, it is possible the man is unnerved by hearing human speech coming from the hose, or perhaps he is simply taken off-guard by a barking hose.
6Despite All The Confusion, The Far Side’s Formula For Subtle Humor Was Part Of Its Charm
First Published: June 26, 2025
There are multiple highly-regardedFar Sidecartoons where equations are made hilarious, and ultimately, this panel is as funny as some of the others, but it takes a beat to “get” the gag. In the comic,a man on a beach confidently holds up a portable chalkboard with a complex equation on it, drawing the attention and admiration of some beach babes, in the process emasculating another man with a smaller chalkboard, bearing a less involved formula.
It is a classicFar Sidemelding of two ideas that don’t necessarily go together, namely, beach culture and the world of scientific research. Yet the initial reaction for manyreaders is likely to be “What the?”, serving as a reminder that there a two sides to everyFar Sidecomic, and confusion can be just as much on the reader as it is on author Gary Larson.
5The Humor Behind The Far Side’s Most Confusing Chicken Comic Is Difficult To Crack
First Published: July 28, 2025
Without question, this is one ofThe Far Side’smost perplexing panels. The illustration featuresa hen house full of chickens slumped over in their nests, while a farmer lies flat on his stomach on the floor, an upturned basket of broken eggs sprawled out in front of him.
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The best explanation for the joke here is that the farmer fell, breaking all the chickens' freshly laid eggs, and the shock of this caused all the chickens to pass out. Yet this explanation, like the panel, will leave most readers wanting something more satisfying. While someFar Sidecartoons were great at conveying action, this one leaves both the preceding moments and aftermath hard to parse, rendering this one of Gary Larson’s more confusing cartoons.
4The Far Side’s Most Deep-Cut Reference Illustrates Gary Larson’s Obscurist Impulses
First Published: July 02, 2025
This is another example of aFar Sidecartoon that seems, on the surface, nearly impossible to figure out, and that is because it is, in fact, one ofGary Larson’s most obscure pop culture references. The panel featuresa praying mantis staring up at a gramophone record player with a quizzical expression on its face. Only a select few readers will catch the callback here, but thankfully, Gary Larson’s editor spilled the secret to this comic in the forward toThe Complete Far Side, writing:
I know that the praying mantis standing atop a gramophone in one cartoon is the only insect that can cock its head at the same angle as the RCA Victor dog in the classic “His Master’s Voice” pose.
In other words, thisFar Sidecartoon is a reference to a painting done in 1898, which was used to sell early record players at the turn of the 20th-century. Even if more people would have understood this joke forty years ago, to current generations, without context, it has become one of the most infamously inscrutableFar Sidecomics.
3Far Side Comics Like This One Demanded Readers Take A Closer Look
First Published: July 21, 2025
ThisFar Sidecartoon returns to the kind that is visually amusing, even if the precise details of the panel take some figuring out. Here, an “Andy’s Towing” truck is shown towing a dead, or at least incapacitated, elephant through the jungle,with its owner riding the passenger seat, a thought bubble with “$” above his head signifying he’s worried about what this inconvenience is going to cost him.
It might take readers a second to recognize this as one ofGary Larson’s classic depictions of Tarzan, in which he frequently featured the Man of the Jungle struggling with the foibles of modern life. The joke is stronger once readers make the Tarzan connection, but even without it, there is somethingrelatable about thisFar Sidecartoon, making it enjoyable even if readers don’t immediately connect with the full joke.
2Gary Larson Frequently Took Readers On A Tour Of The Far Side Of The Suburbs
First Published: July 03, 2025
Once again, while this might not qualify as the mostconfusingFar Sidecartoon, it is one in which the lack of caption creates the conditions for confusion, or at least requires readers to do a double-take to fully grasp the comedy of it. The comic depicts two suburban houses, witha woman looking out on her front lawn at the familiar sight of plastic flamingos, while on the other side of the white picket fence separating her from her neighbor is an equally green, well-kept lawn, except this one has fake snakes and spidersscattered around it.
Pivotal to the humor are the glimpses of the homeowners themselves, and their contrasting vibes; the flamingo woman is shown looking skeptically in the direction of her neighbor’s yard, while he is drawn relaxing, reading his newspaper, with a big smile on his face, seemingly totally unaware of how his decorative choices might unnerve passers-by.
1There’s No Hiding It, This Far Side Play On Words Doesn’t Entirely Connect
First Published: June 02, 2025
Gary Larson is well-known for his wordplay, but while he produced some truly brilliant puns and plays on familiar sayings, there were also times where his linguistic humor could be a bit of a stretch. That is the case here, with a punchline that highly-intuitiveFar Sidereaders will get immediately, while others will be left scratching their heads.
In the cartoon,an empty dress, worn by nobody, stands in what appears to be the top of a tower, looking out a window at the moon and singing “someday, my pants will come…“Of course, the dress is meant to be a princess, and for a piece of clothing, “pants” is apparently the equivalent of a “prince.” It is a bit of a wonky joke, one that might evoke a smile purely as a result of how extremely silly it is, while many readers will not immediately recognize the punchline at all. It is fair to say that this is a less-than-perfectFar Sidejoke, embodying the spirit of Gary Larson’s humor, but not exactly delivering it in its most potent form.
