I’ve spent a lot of time pouring over the thousands ofFar Sidecomics that Gary Larson produced during his career – and there are just a few panels that are as close to what I would call “perfect” as you can get.OneFar Sidecartoon from 1984, in particular, depicting a firing squad mishap, contains everything that makes Larson’s humor great.
“FIRE!” – as I’ll refer to the panel throughout this article – is, in my estimation, a perfect joke, but more than that, it is perfectly executed (pun intended) in Gary Larson’s single-panel style, emphasizing what made him a master of the comic book medium.
The joke itself is as dark as it is clever, while the illustration capturesLarson’s sublime ability to capture a moment in time, achieving this with a kind of dynamism that even most of theFar Sidecomics widely regarded as the best can match.
For Starters, Let Me Explain What Makes “FIRE!” Such An Exemplary Far Side Cartoon
Dissecting The Classic Gary Larson Joke
In order to understand what makes this panel “perfect,” in my opinion, I think it’s best to first consider the image in detail. “FIRE!,” published on August 12, 2025, features a blindfolded man standing against a bullet-hole-ridden wall in the corner of a fort, with a cavalry officer in blue striking a match to light the man’s cigarette, as he faces a firing squad of three men. At the same time, a woman sticks her upper body out of the window of a burning building, waving her arms as she shouts, according to the caption: “FIRE!”
At its core, the joke is about a classic, if morbid, comedic misunderstanding; in another article, I described it as the ultimate “wrong place, wrong time” punchline.
The look on the officer’s face says it all –he’s about to be the victim of friendly fire from his own troops, as they mistake the woman’s cry for help for an order to carry out the prisoner’s sentence. At its core, the joke is about a classic, if morbid, comedic misunderstanding; in another article, I described it as the ultimate “wrong place, wrong time” punchline. At the same time, the fact that an executioner is depicted suffering the same fate as his victim adds another layer to the humor; not quite satire, not quite irony, but approaching both.
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.
In essence, this is what makes this a qualitatively “good"Far Sidejoke. That is, conceptually, the premise of the punchline can be isolated from the image, and still be considered funny. From Gary Larson’s darkest jokes to his silliest, the humor of his cartoons wasn’t always self-evident; in fact, Larson’s legacy, as I’ve argued, is far more a product of his most inscrutable jokes,such as the infamous “Cow Tools,“than of his most obvious. Honestly, “Cow Tools” is a bad joke – while “FIRE!” is a good, and I would go so far as to even say great one.
Okay, So “FIRE!” Is A Great Far Side Joke – What Makes It A Perfect Panel?
Defining Peak Gary Larson’s
Without question, I’m the first in line to tell you that Gary Larson made many “great” jokes throughout his career – but truth be told, as manyFar Sidepunchlines qualify as just “good,” if we’re trying to be objective about this to some degree. (Which, in my estimation, is at least half the fun of it.) There are very fewFar Sidecartoons I would straight up call “bad,” but there are plenty that I think don’t exactly achieve greatness – something Larson himself admits to believing about his own work at one point inThe Complete Far Side.
“FIRE!,“from the details like the eyes of the doomed cavalry officer, to the framing of the action…is what I would call “peak Gary Larson.”
If nothing else, the comic’s production schedule meant some “good” comics had to go to Larson’s editor before they could become “great.” Anyway, without getting too lost in the weeds of the “good”/“great” divide, mostFar Sidereaders will agree that in many cases, Gary Larson was able to take a “good” joke – or a familiar joke, or even a played-out joke – and elevate it by combining it with a memorable illustration. That is the dimension ofThe Far Sidethat allows us to begin talking in terms of “perfection.”
The Far Side’s “Cumulative Attack Of the Willies” Comic Reveals How Asking “What If?” Was Essential To Gary Larson’s Humor
Far Side’s “Cumulative Attack of the Willies” cartoon perfectly illustrates how asking “What if?” was foundational to Gary Larson’s writing process.
A “perfect"Far Sidepanel, it can be said, takes a “great” joke and captures it on the page in way that no one else could have done better than Gary Larson. To my somewhat-trained eye, I would say “FIRE!” lives up to this specification. The cartoon, from the details likethe eyes of the doomed cavalry officer, to the framing of the action –which leads the viewer’s eyes left-to-right from the scene of the execution to the burning building, allowing the joke to strike the reader abruptly as all the elements click into place– is what I would call “peak Gary Larson.”
A Final Note On What Defines The “Best Of The Best” When It Comes To The Far Side’s Humor
Action & Anticipation Elevate Gary Larson’s Finest Jokes
Part of what I love about “FIRE!,” and why I hold it in such high regard as an example of what the pinnacle of Gary Larson’s humor looks like, is the way it makes use of the comic medium to the fullest extent. WhileLarson occasionally dabbled in using multiple panelsin a cartoon, he largely adhered to the single frame style that is synonymous withThe Far Side. This was a limitation, but as with any artistic medium, an artist can either be held back by the limits of form, or take the form to unparalleled heights within those limitations.
Think of sonnets, for example, and their pre-set structure and rhythm – and what Shakespeare did with the sonnet, compared to all the sonnets that came before and after. (Is Gary Larson the Shakespeare of American newspaper cartooning? I’ll leave that to be debated in the comments.) In all its glory,“FIRE!“achieves a dynamic level of action within a single static image that manyFar Sidecomics strive for, but few truly manage to pull off. Further, in addition to the action, a key component of this comic, along with many of Larson’s best, is its sense of anticipation.
At A Loss For Words To Describe The Far Side? Here’s 8 Classic Definitions Of the Comic
Words like “confusing” and “absurd” are often used to describe The Far Side, so it is worth taking a closer look at how these terms actually apply.
ManyFar Sidecomics capture a single moment – and often,Gary Larson gives us mini-cliffhangers, grappling with the uncertainty of what will happen next. Arguably even more satisfying, though, are those cartoons which tell us, in a single instance, exactly what is going to happen next, as is the case with “FIRE!” These comics offer us a complete experience; while part of what makesThe Far Sidegreat is the way it can often leave readers asking questions, and wanting more, Gary Larson’s most perfect comics truly offer everything the reader could want to know.
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.
