The Far Side is known for its referential humor – and among my all-time favorite Gary Larson jokes is a cartoon that offers a perfect answer to one of the 20th century's most enduring, infamous mysteries, "revealing" precisely what happened to the legendary airplane hijacker and bandit known as "D.B. Cooper."

I spend a lot of time pouring over Far Side comics, and of the thousands that Gary Larson produced, it's nearly impossible for me to definitively say "this one is the best," or "this is hands-down my favorite" – yet there are certain s that make me at least chuckle every time I look at them, and "The Untold Ending of D.B Cooper" is one of them.

Moreover, I think Larson's joke embodies the most likely explanation for the fact that Cooper was never caught or identified: that he did not survive his nighttime leap from the plane.

The Far Side's Answer To The Great Mystery Of D.B. Cooper's Disappearance, Explained

First Published: May 3, 1988

First, for those who might be unfamiliar: In 1971, a man known only as D.B. Cooper hijacked a regional flight, heading from Portland to Seattle, claiming he had a bomb, and demanded a hefty ransom in order to keep him from destroying the plane. Cooper got his ransom money, and eventually parachuted out of the plane – never to be caught, or even formally identified. The story was, obviously, a media sensation at the time, but more than that, it has had a significant cultural legacy, with the identity and fate of Cooper becoming a true 20th-century American mystery.

I consider this to be a perfect Far Side joke, and moreover, a perfect piece of referential humor, because of the way it also neatly...explains why D.B. Cooper's remains were never found.

Gary Larson's take on what happened to Cooper, published over fifteen years after the incident, is just one example of the legacy of the story. In his 1988 cartoon, Larson illustrates the commonly held belief that Cooper's daring attempt to escape from a plane in mid-flight ended with his death – except he does it in patented Far Side fashion, which I love for its heavy dose of tragicomic irony, as he portrays Cooper parachuting directly into a cage full of waiting rottweilers.

I consider this to be a perfect Far Side joke, and moreover, a perfect piece of referential humor, because of the way it also neatly – in a narrative sense, as the details are actually pretty gruesome, when you stop to think about it – explains why D.B. Cooper's remains were never found. That is, there wasn't much behind after over half-a-dozen hungry dogs got their paws, and jaws, on him. It's exactly the kind of joke that straddles the line between bleak and hilarious that made The Far Side such a hit.

Referential Humor Is A Pivotal Part Of The Far Side's Publication History

D.B. Cooper's Disappearance: November 24, 1971

As much as it can sometimes feel as though The Far Side exists in its own kind of bizarre pocket universe, I cannot emphasize enough that the cartoon was, in fact, at its best when it was a mirror held up to nature, culture, and reality itself. As such, referential humor was an essential part of The Far Side's DNA; jokes about real events, and real people, were a key ingredient in the formula for Gary Larson's humor, one that resulted in many great comics over the years.

"The Untold Ending of D.B. Cooper" is a shining example of that; it takes a recognizable reference, and then comedically plays with the ambiguity of the story. At the same time as it answers a massive "what if" of 20th century history, though, it also raises further questions – namely, what did the rottweiler breeders, Ben and Vera, do when they found the gnawed-clean bones of Cooper, and the suitcase full of stolen money, in their backyard. Larson leaves this open to readers' interpretation, which is another great aspect of this comic that I deeply appreciate.

The Far Side's Many Pop Culture References Made It A Touchstone For Newspaper Readers Nationwide

Gary Larson's D.B. Cooper Joke Highlights His Work's Cultural Relevancy

Over the course of its fifteen years in publication, newspaper readers came to depend on The Far Side to reliably deliver a microdose of surrealism and absurd humor. They also came to anticipate and appreciate Gary Larson's casually satirical vein of humor, and his routine idiosyncratic skewering of pop culture. In my opinion, Larson's referential humor is essential to understanding his commercial success, and how his work became so influential. That is because even the weirdest Far Side cartoons tend to depend on forging some kind of connection with the reader, and references were an effective shortcut to that.

D.B. Cooper has had a deeper impact on American pop culture over the past 50+ years than many readers might expect. To cite just a few examples:

Twin Peaks' Dale Cooper, for instance, is named after the infamous hijacker – his canon middle name is Barthol0mew. The pilot episode of the MCU Loki series for Disney+, meanwhile, revealed that Cooper was actually Loki.

Larson's cartoon isn't the only depiction that hinges on the premise of D.B. Cooper dying during his escape; released over fifteen years after the Far Side cartoon, the 2004 buddy comedy film Without a Paddle involved Cooper's corpse in a pivotal role.

Again, "The Untold Ending of D.B. Cooper" makes for an effective example – it relies on, and rewards, readers knowing who Cooper is, but also for having some level of interest in his fate, possibly even their own personal theory. With this Far Side , Larson shares his idea, one which, for all its macabre humor, is not entirely outside the realm of possibility. In this way, I would say that Larson nailed it, crafting one of the funniest D.B. Cooper references in pop culture history.