A new year approaches, but before the fireworks and champagne, Gary Larson’sFar Sidehas a few warnings for those preparing to celebrate. New Year’s Eve is marked with parties, dancing, fireworks and declaring your New Year’s resolution - all topics that Larson’s off-the-wall comic dealt with over its 14-year run. Of course, in Larson’s world, all dials are turned up to 11.
Here are the 12 funniestFar Sidecomics that will make you rethink your New Year’s Eve celebrations.Let us know any moreFar Sidecomics you think should be included down in the comments!
12Dick Clark
Far Side Takes on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin' Eve
Since 1972,Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin' Evehas rung in the New Year with footage of the iconic Times Square countdown and ball drop. Today, the special is hosted by Ryan Seacrest, but still proudly uses the name of the man whowasNew Year’s Eve to many viewers. However, back in 1990, Larson imaged Clark suffering the ill effects of his legendary TV show, with the host suddenly aging 200 years after presiding over so many shifts from one year to the next. This year, it may be worth tuning in just to see if this fate befalls Seacrest.
Larson wasn’t shy abouttaking shots at real people. Icons like Einstein, Charles Darwin and the Founding Fathers often appear inThe Far Side, but so do Madonna, Stephen King andExorcistactress Linda Blair. Enjoy some examples by opening the image gallery below:
Almost uniformly, Larson’s ‘targets’ took his comics in good fun, with both Stephen King and anthropologist Jane Goodall later writing forewords forThe Far Sideanthologies.King celebrated Larson by stating"he sees what I could see if I could have his eyes,“while Goodall thanks Larson for his comic giving her"real fame at last.”
While Goodall took the comic making fun of her in good humor, that was only after theJane Goodall Foundation contacted Larson to complain, stating that it was an"obscenity,“an"atrocity"and"absolutely stupid.“Thankfully, when Goodallherselfsaw the strip, she loved it, and even worked with Larson to raise funds for her charitable foundation by selling it on T-shirts.
13 Funniest Far Side Comics That Somehow Make Worms Funny
In Far Side’s funniest comics about worms, it’s easy to see why Gary Larson loved the subject so much that he wrote a children’s book about it.
11Our Party’s Total Chaos!
Far Side Knows Every Party Needs a Dog
New Year’s Eve means parties going on all across the world, butFar Sideknows that alittlebit of planning can help everyone have more fun. In the world ofFar Side, a group of sheep find they’re unable to make decisions without a sheepdog calling the shots, making a Border collie the perfect guest. Good luck not thinking about thisFar Sidestrip when your ‘organizer’ friend turns up to the party.
10Fireworks
Be Careful With Your Rockets This New Year’s Eve
For a lot of people, fireworks are a huge part of New Year’s Eve, but they’re also the cause of a lot of accidents. In thisFar Sidestrip, a colony of ants buy a stash of human-sized fireworks, even though the guy selling them knows that disaster is basically unavoidable. In the enclosed habitat of an ant hill, firecrackers are bound to have negative consequences, though as anyone who has used this questionable method of pest control can attest, it’s an ineffective way to try and destroy a hive.
Bugs appear across Larson’s comics, and the creator counts many entomologists among his fans. So many, in fact, that he even has an insect named in his honor - thestrigiphilus garylarsonilouse. However, even for bugs, ants appear a lot in Larson’s work, with their unusual strength, unique nests, and famous social structure offering up many concepts for Larson to turn comedic.
The comic of ants trying to kidnap a baby, above, originally depicted an old man, and was turned down by Larson’s editor with a curt"no thanks.“Larson substituted the old man for a baby and, to his surprise, the comic was accepted without further comment.
Far Side’s Funniest Cow Comic Is So Good, It Inspired a Hilarious Cheers Moment
Cheers nailed the experience of reading Gary Larson’s The Far Side with a genius joke that referenced one of his funniest comics.
9Monster Party
Far Side Warns That Music Sets the Mood
A party isn’t a party without music, butFar Sidereminds its readers that the soundtrack needs to be curated for the guests in attendance. In Larson’s world, that means monster parties only liven up when records of children’s screams are played at full volume.
8Here Come the Nelsons
Gary Larson Warns to Be Careful on the Dance Floor
Far Sidecautions party-goers to be careful on the dance floor this New Year’s Eve, as there’s always someone who’s a little too casual about where they’re stepping. Of course, inthe bizarre world ofFar Side, that someone is likely to be wearing size 1000 shoes.
7Ivory Keyboard
Far Side Loves Taking Tarzan Down a Peg
While everyone goes to a party hoping to have a nice time,Far Sidewarns that arguments can break out in unexpected ways (though in this case, we’re definitely on Tantor’s side.)Larson used Tarzan as a recurring characteracrossFar Sidehistory, with the comic often introducing mundane, everyday concerns into the Lord of the Jungle’s life.
This is one of Larson’s favorite tricks - smashing the mundane and surreal together, and using wild characters like aliens, animals or Tarzan to explore everyday experiences like throwing a party or introducing your partner to your parents. Indeed, the next strip is the perfect example…
These 3 Far Side Comics Combine to Explain Why Ducks Are Illegal in Gary Larson’s Surreal (But Hilarious) World
Published 12 years apart, these Far Side comics set up the idea that ducks are illegal in Gary Larson’s surreal world, then actually explained why!
6Alien Firework Show
Far Side Can Make the End of the World Funny
The right perspective can improve almost every situation - for example, even the destruction of Earth is just an enjoyable fireworks show if you live far enough away. Larson nails the appreciative “Ooooooh!” of a firework-loving crowd in this strip. Again, good luck keeping this comic out of your head the next time you’re surrounded by people making the same noise.
5Sorry, Bob
Far Side’s Desert Island Is an Iconic Set-Up
The end of the year can be an emotional experience for some, as we’re forced to reflect on what we achieved during our latest journey around the Sun (and what we didn’t.) In the case of Larson’s iconic castaways, another year has passed without rescue, leading one to indulge his once-a-year ritual of expressing his frustration at the man who got him stranded on a tiny desert island.
The Far Sideis famous forits desert island comics, with modern cartoonists referring to this kind of tiny, stylized island as a ‘Far Side island.’ Again, despite the dire circumstances, Larson often uses the desert island to play out minor disagreements and pranks, offering up observations about how we interact with those we’re stuck alongside, whether that’s family or colleagues. This strip asksFar Sidefans if there’s anything they want to get off their chest before beginning a whole new year.
The Far Side Rewrites the World’s Most Famous Joke in These 10 Hilarious Comics: Read
Here are the 10 funniest Far Side comics that just celebrated their fortieth birthday, including Gary Larson’s take on the world’s most famous joke.
4Smoking Dinosaurs
Far Side Supports Your New Year’s Resolution
New Year’s Eve isn’t all dancing and parties - there’s also the matter of New Year’s resolutions. Quitting smoking and taking up a diet are among the most common resolutions, and Larson’s comic encourages the former with the reveal that it wasn’t a meteor that ended the dinosaur’s reign over the Earth, but rather their shared nicotine addiction.This strip has the distinction of having appeared onThe Simpsons, which pays tribute to Larson in season 23, episode 6’s ‘The Book Job’ by recreating this image in the background.
3Gordon’s Attempt at Dieting
Far Side Knows Your New Year’s Diet Probably Won’t Last
Contrary to the cigarette strip, Larson’sFar Sideis more forgiving of those who won’t live up to their diet resolutions. This strip shows a man’s stomach leaving his body to cheat on his diet without his permission - a freaky situation, but one which will have the ring of truth to those who just can’t resist their sweet tooth.
13 Funniest Far Side Comics About Parenting That No Parent Should EVER Try to Recreate
The humans of Gary Larson’s The Far Side do everything in the weirdest way possible, and it turns out parenting is no exception.
