I thought The Far Side's classic "Discontented Cow" comic was funny even before I actually even realized there was a deep-cut cultural reference behind creator Gary Larson's joke – but once I found out Larson was riffing on an ment for condensed milk from 1907, my appreciation for the punchline skyrocketed.

The thing I love most about The Far Side is the feeling when a comic "clicks," when it goes from obtuse to shockingly obvious. For me, reading Larson's explanation of his "High Tide/Low Tide" comic was an "aha" moment in its own right, where it hit me just how many Far Side comics I didn't "get."

The Far Side has a reputation for being confusing, but as I've learned, that usually resulted from Larson being overly subtle; his cartoons rarely lacked some kind of internal logic. In other words, The Far Side might not always make sense, but it isn't nonsense.

The Far Side's Cows And Their Discontent, Explained (Why The Comic Is Funny Even Before You Get The Reference)

First Published: November 28, 1984

The Far Side's "Discontented Cow" comic is one of Gary Larson's stand-out s for a few reasons. For one, it is a classic example of Larson's use of animals as a filter through which to strain humor about an acutely human subject. In this case, the cartoon depicts one of The Far Side's many marriages on the rocks, as a cow stands by the window of her living room, martini in hoof, and turns to her husband, saying something that has clearly been on her mind, itting to the bull sitting in the recliner nearby, "Wendell...I'm not content."

This strikes me as a fully realized moment, depicting a relatable human experience, and that is part of what makes it an effective Far Side cartoon.

I have written a lot about how crucial the details of Larson's illustrations were to conveying the humor of a Far Side cartoon, and this is a great example of that as well. Take a closer look, and you'll recognize the clashing personalities of these two characters, even just in a single frame. The cow is adorned with necklaces and bracelets, and is drinking a martini, and gives off a feeling of trying to elevate herself to a higher level of class – while her husband, Wendell, drinks beer from a can and sits around watching TV.

The dialogue in the cartoon's caption, specifically its choice of language, has always seemed to me to be an extension of the cow's character – but as it turns out, Gary Larson is actually making a reference here, which I'll turn to in a moment. In all, this strikes me as a fully realized moment, depicting a relatable human experience, and that is part of what makes it an effective Far Side cartoon, even without understanding the subtle callback Larson is making here.

Carnation's Classic "Contented Cows" Tagline(And How It Makes A Good Gary Larson Punchline Actually Perfect)

A "Condensed" History Of The Joke

When I stumbled across the old slogan for Carnation condensed milk, "Milk from contented cows," I immediately lit up, because I realized that was where Larson got the genesis for his "I'm not content" punchline. The Carnation tagline, it turns out, went all the way back to almost the start of th 20th century, originating in 1907, though it was evidently still at least somewhat in use by the middle of the century, for Gary Larson, a child of the 1950s, to have been familiar with it.

ittedly, I need to do some more digging, in order to find out exactly how long the slogan was used for – which would provide context for whether this would have been an obvious or obscure reference in the 1980s when Gary Larson's "Discontented Cow" Far Side comic was published. For me, as a millennial reader – and to be honest, one who has never really loved milk all that much – the reference totally went over my head for a long time.

Far Side Fans Can Debate Which Bovine Bit Was Gary Larson's Best Until The Cows Come Home

My Case For "Discontented Cow"

Of course, you can't study The Far Side in any extensive capacity without becoming deeply familiar with Gary Larson's cow cartoons. I certainly want to encourage an ongoing lively debate among The Far Side's fandom when it comes to which is the "funniest" or "best" of the artist's cow comics – but I would like to make the argument for "Discontented Cow," given how it takes a minor footnote of American culture, subverts, and the fully embodies the subversion in a scene that manages to stand on its own, whether the reference strikes the reader or not.

This is an impressive artistic and literary feat, one that exemplifies the legitimate genius of The Far Side. With his humor, Gary Larson didn't just make obscure observations about the world – that was the first step in his creative process, but far from the last. "Discontented Cow" illustrates that perfectly; more than just flipping the cow's emotional state, he went a step further by combining this premise for a joke with the trappings of a failing human marriage. In this way, the hits on multiple levels, which I think signals an all-time great Far Side.

"Discontented Cow" Drove Home The Point That There Are Tons Of Far Side References I'm Still Missing

I'm Eager To Keep Discovering More

When it comes to art and culture, I love discovering the connections between things – from the most blatant, to the most tenuous – and so finding out Larson's "Discontented Cows" was actually a reference, rather than just a joke that came out of nowhere, certainly raised its profile in my estimation. It also reiterated to me that there are many Far Side jokes I don't understand because I'm missing something, rather than as a result of Gary Larson failing to communicate his punchline properly.

That is to say, The Far Side was both a product of its time, and the incredibly idiosyncratic mind of its creator. As someone decades younger than Gary Larson, who was just a few years old when the cartoonist retired in the mid-1990s, there are certain things I'm bound not to connect with, or understand. Even though I consider myself fairly culturally literate, The Far Side offers an opportunity for me to learn even more about 20th century popular culture – even if its lessons might not always be immediately clear.