Summary
- The Far Side frequently featured penguins, with Gary Larson using them to play with themes of community and individualism, and to offer existential reflections, in addition to plenty of sheer absurdity.
- Larson's penguins perfectly encapsulated his hilarious perspective on humanity, in a way that only his brand of humor could.
- The Far Side's penguin protagonists tended stand out in a sea of conformity, allowing Gary Larson an ideal lens for his unique outlook.
When visiting Gary Larson's obsessive depiction of ducks and chickens – often get more attention, their flightless Antarctic cousins starred in many equally memorable installments.
Larson's penguin cartoons conveyed a variety of punchlines, delivered in a wide-ranging tone: these included everything from murders and marital affairs, to deeply philosophical ponderings, with some musical interludes thrown into the mix as well.
Penguins allowed Gary Larson to tell jokes that played with the tension between individualism and community, and to reflect on existential loneliness – and when all else failed, the artist could always simply tap into The Far Side's limitless reservoir of absurdity. Whatever the case, Larson instinctively understood how and when to use penguins as his main characters, in order to evoke a reaction from his readers.
The Far Side completed its run at the start of 1995, after being syndicated for nearly fifteen years, beginning in 1980. This list is arranged in reverse chronological order; starting in 1988, the entries trace Gary Larson's penguin s back through 1980.
10 The Far Side's Penguins Needed Some Color In Their Lives
First Published: April 4, 1988
In this penguin from the peak of The Far Side's popularity, a conversation between two of the black-and-white birds leads one of them to a startling realization – that it does not dream in color. "I guess I do only dream in black-and-white," one penguin says after having its mind blown by another, though the speaker tries to keep it cool by calling this "an interesting bit of trivia."
Though Gary Larson illustrated his share of full-color penguin s, they were a natural fit for his black-and-white pencil sketch illustrations, as they are rendered here. Likewise, the question of whether a person dreams in color or not has long been a subject of conversation between humans, and penguins offered the perfect perspective for Larson to transpose that uncertainty into the animal kingdom.
9 The Far Side's Penguins Were Among Its Most Three-Dimensional Characters
First Published: February 1, 1987
Time and again, Gary Larson depicted penguins who stood out from a crowd with their behavior, if not their appearance. Here, a pair of penguins carry on an illicit affair, standing to one far side of a huddle, one of them worriedly saying, "I have to go, Charles. Frank is getting more and more suspicious" – while on the other side of the , Frank looks skeptically at a cardboard cut-out of his wife.
Though the punchline might initially be easy to miss, it is incredibly effective once it lands. Readers' attention will be immediately drawn to the penguin's dialogue on the left, and while this can be amusing in its own right, it is only upon closer scrutiny, and the realization of the penguin wife's cardboard stand-in, that this becomes an all-time great Far Side cartoon.
8 On The Far Side, Penguin Justice Is Never Black-And-White
First Published: August 26, 1986
"He's dead alright – beaked in the back," a penguin version of The Far Side's recurring detective character intones, adding, "and you know this won't be easy to solve," as a crowd of identical-looking penguins surrounds the scene of the crime, stretching into the horizon.
Here, Gary Larson skillfully twists the recognizable murder mystery set-up by translating the trope of a cold-case mystery into the world of penguins, with the punchline being tied to the uniformity of penguins in close proximity to one another. Larson achieves this with the perfect confluence of image and caption, as the investigator's solemn acknowledgment that a crime among a colony of penguins is a difficult case to crack is emphasized by the multitude of penguins packed into the frame.
7 Gary Larson Didn't Leave Room For Ambiguity In This Penguin Mystery
First Published: March 12, 1984
This laugh-out-loud Far Side conflates Gary Larson's love for bears with his penchant for drawing penguins. In this case, a group of penguins on an ice float begin to grow suspicious about a rash of disappearances. "And now Edgar's gone," one of them says, concluding that, "something's going on around here" – as a thinly disguised polar bear sits in their midst, with a penguin beak haphazardly strapped to its nose.
Essentially, Gary Larson provides an absurd twist on the "wolf in sheep's clothing" idiom, by depicting a bear masquerading as a bird, with the absurdity dialed up by the fact that in no way, shape, or form should the bear's deception be effective. Yet it has apparently allowed him to devour more than one of these penguins undetected, as this Far Side cartoon captures them at the moment that they have only just begun to realize something is horribly wrong.
The Far Side Complete Collection
Fans of the far side can't 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.
6 These Far Side Penguins Are Pensive About Their Place In The World
First Published: November 13, 1982
"Well, once again, here we are," one of a small group of penguins on a tiny ice float says, as if they have just returned from a long journey, left undetailed for the reader. Or, perhaps, this is instead a comment on the repetitive nature of daily existence – something that, as acute as it feels to humans, is even more potent for penguins, and other of the animal kingdom.
The Far Side frequently featured animal protagonists in its s; whether overtly anthropomorphized or not, they were nevertheless always a lens through which Gary Larson offered an outside perspective on human behavior, and the human experience. That overarching project underlies the humor of this , which gets a laugh by giving a penguin a voice, and prompting it to pose a perennial question.
5 This Far Side Penguin Is More Than Just A Beak In The Crowd
First Published: August 9, 1982
Once again, Gary Larson utilized a dense population of penguins, all in lock-step, in order to off-set the behavior of one of their number to very funny effect. In this , a crowd of penguins stretches into the distance, innumerable and blending into one another – that is, with the exception of one, who sticks their head above the crowd and sings out "I gotta be me, oh I just gotta be me..."
In a way, this is the essential Far Side about the divide between uniformity and individuality; as an artist, Gary Larson was notoriously idiosyncratic, and didn't exactly operate the way his peers did. In other words, he stood out, with his career as a cartoonist allowing him to be the proverbial penguin who distinguishes themselves from the rest, raising their voice and stepping out of line as the rest silently march in the same direction.
4 These Far Side Penguins Have What It Takes To Make It In The Big Tundra
First Published: July 10, 1982
Every small-town performer dreaming of escaping anonymity in order to find success playing bigger and better venues can relate to this Far Side comic, which features a penguin playing piano, while another – wearing a straw hat and wielding a cane – tap dances to the tune. "No, no, no! Now try it again," the piano player barks, pointing out to the dancer that "this is our only ticket out of here!"
The fact that their practice space is a tiny ice float in a vast expanse of ocean effectively accentuates the feeling of isolation from artistic peers, and the yearning many creative-types feel to flee the limitations of their hometowns – making this one of The Far Side's most metaphorically-effective cartoons, whatever Gary Larson might have to say about mining his work for meaning.
Gary Larson Told Fans Exactly How The Far Side Would End – A Decade Before It Did
As far back as a decade before Far Side Creator Gary Larson retired as a cartoonist, he was already telling fans how and why the comic would end.
3 The Far Side's Most Philosophical Penguin
First Published: August 25, 1981
One reason readers gravitated toward The Far Side – and why it has continued to be enduringly popular in the decades since it ceased publication – was Gary Larson's ability to ask life's biggest questions in an irreverent, yet still thought-provoking way. This cartoon perfectly exemplifies that, as a group of penguins crowded on a small ice float look at the expanse of blue ocean surrounding them, and the purple twilight sky above, and ask: "On the other hand, what if we aren't alone in the universe?"
In this way, Gary Larson engages with a question that has dominated the 20th century, but rather than using one of The Far Side's extraterrestrial s to do so, he makes it penguins, illustrating their geographical isolation to emphasize that their isolation and limited worldview mirror Earth's, and humanity's, place in the cosmos.
2 Even A Giant Rampaging Penguin Can't Get Any Respect On The Far Side
First Published: July 22, 1981
In its own right, the image here is funny, but the caption effectively elevates the humor of this Far Side cartoon to the next level, as a bystander watches as a skyscraper-sized penguin terrorizes a city, only to complain to a shotgun-wielding police officer that "other cities get giant gorillas or dinosaurs...but what do we get?"
Of course, from the no look of it, this kaiju-like penguin is no less destructive than its primate peers, but apes and pre-historic lizards have a mystique that captivates the imagination in a way that a giant penguin doesn't – at least, that is, according to this one particularly persnickety pedestrian.
1 The Far Side's Penguins Could Be Pests Sometimes
First Published: July 15, 1981
In this hilarious early Far Side cartoon, a married couple is beset by an infestation of penguins, with the wife prompting her husband to to "pick up one of those No-Penguin strips" while he is out at the store. This is particularly funny because of the casual nature of the delivery in the caption, coming at the end of a list that starts with conventional supermarket fare, including "milk, eggs, [and a] loaf of bread."
This early penguin served as a prototype for the way Gary Larson would repeatedly use the flightless cold-weather birds over the years, as they proved popular with the artist, consistently provoking his imagination in ways that lead to a series of unique and memorable Far Side s.
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.
