Bugs are not typically adored creatures of the animal kingdom, and The Far Side has had its fair share of comic strips that show the horrifying or downright gross aspects of bugs. However, The Far Side's creator, Gary Larson, has also shown a nicer, kinder, and cleaner side to insects that will add a new perspective on the bugs that are part of the world's ecosystems.

Whether it shows bugs as a bit friendlier than usual or making insects very similar (and relatable) to human readers, The Far Side gives bugs an exceptionally positive PR makeover. The Far Side has shown all kinds of animals, bugs, and even plants in its comic strips, with a select number of comics having the purpose of earning bugs some more fans.

13 "The Fireflies Across the Street"

May 22nd, 1986

A bug sees their mischievous firefly neighbors across from their window and is furious that they appear to be mooning them. Since fireflies have their light shine out of their rear ends, the neighbor is maybe onto something about the treatment from their neighbors. While the bug has a pair of binoculars, the fireflies' mooning lights up their own activities, making them very easy to see, even without any binoculars.

A neighborly war breaks out between the fireflies and the beetle-looking bugs who are aghast at the house next door's behavior. Well, one of them is furious at least; the other is just reading the newspaper. The bugs should really consider just closing their curtains, especially to avoid any unwanted light.

12 "AAAAAAA!"

September 30th, 1982

Out in the jungle, two explorers get very close and personal with some creatures of the environment - one of them more than the other. A man picks up his boot and sees that a spider has crawled into it. Having a spider in a boot is not ideal, but it is nowhere near the animal threat facing his traveling companion. In contrast, his companion has a whole anaconda-like snake wrapped around him in his tent. The man's concerns about a mere spider in his shoe seem like small potatoes compared to what poor Murray is having to go through with the gigantic snake.

11 "What a Cute Little Maggot"

September 23rd, 1981

A fly walks with her baby in a stroller when another fly comes up to the baby and exclaims how adorable it is; the "it" in question is a maggot, which is not typically the cutest of creatures. In fact, maggots inspire downright disgust in all who see them. For those who did not know, maggots are actually the larvae of flies; in other words, maggots are flies' babies.

Larson's knowledge of all the of the animal kingdom, even those who are the smallest and not the most popular, is on display...

Larson's knowledge of all the of the animal kingdom, even those who are the smallest and not the most popular, is on display for readers to both learn from and be impressed by. Managing to be both educational and silly, The Far Side strikes a unique balance that not many comic strips can boast.

10 "Free the Mayonnaise Jar Seven"

A kid has trapped a bunch of bugs, seven to be exact, in a jar in his room. The other bugs are not too thrilled about their peers being kept captive and picket outside the kid's window, demanding that the trapped seven be freed. The bug-themed picket line references historical moments when people would picket for typically political prisoners or hostages, those that were believed to be unjustly jailed. The trapped seven may get out of their prison thanks to their comrades protesting for their release. Although, the boy des not seem to be too empathetic or even shaken by the protesters outside his window.

9 "Any Luck Over There?"

1984

A spider decides to make some conversation with a nearby human when he asks the guy in the boat ing by his web if he has had any luck getting any bites. The spider is in the same boat - figuratively, at least, because the spider has alos not had much luck with obtaining any food. The spider's food, though, will take on a much different appearance than the fisherman's, with the spider having more of an appetite for flies than fish. Most would not consider spiders a friendly insect, and even the man in the comic strip is taken aback by the spider's amiability, but this Far Side spider loves a little conversation to the time.

8 "Party"

February 10th, 1984

Some flies are having a blast during their day at the garbage can. They even have a balloon at this trash-bin party, but one fly feels very left out. Stuck in the house, a fly looks longingly out at his fellow flies having the best day at the trash can. Maybe the inside fly was not invited to the party, or maybe they just can't leave the house because they have somehow gotten trapped inside. Regardless, the inside fly looks a little pitiful seeing all the fun going on without them. No one would consider trash a fun thing, but the flies of The Far Side would heartily disagree, with a garbage can being the location of a choice for a party.

7 "Ant Who Cried Aardvark"

December 1st, 1993

Reading a bedtime story to their kids, an ant reads the horrifying story of "The Ant Who Cried Aardvark," a play on the classic fable of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." The ant kids are scared to the point that they look like they will not at all be lulled to sleep by their bedtime story, which is usually the whole point of being read to. Regardless, since the comic is told from the ant's point of view, the world that the reader sees is all in line with being an ant. For instance, in the new fable, an aardvark - otherwise known as an anteater, an animal that eats ants - is the antagonist of the story being read to the kids rather than a wolf.

6 "Rise and Shine, Everyone!"

June 29th, 1985

A parent fly wakes up their two kids to tell them that, since it is such a nice day out, they are all going to have a family day out at the windowsill. If the flies are trapped in the house, then they may not get to enjoy the full experience of being outside with the sun shining. However, the flies still make the best out of it, and spend the day in the place that is the next best thing to being outside: by the window. Transforming what would be an otherwise mundane scene, the inclusion of flies as the main characters doing a very normal thing makes the comic strip surreal, which is very The Far Side.

5 "That Can't Be Right!"

March 2nd, 1983

Spider webs are often thought of as striking and unique structures that are found in nature. However, The Far Side posits that making a spider-web is not as easy as most would think. In the comic strip, a spider looks back on his spider web work and is taken aback by how bad and messy his web is. The spider's web is such a mess that the spider knows it went wrong somewhere but does not quite know where. If anyone were to see this web, they would think that this spider is definitely no Charlotte from the classic book Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, where a spider astounds spectators with her spider webs that even have words in them.

4 "Can We Keep Him?"

August 15th, 1985

An ant excitedly brings home an anteater that has been following his family to keep as a pet, much to the horror of the young ant's parents. Referencing how a child will sometimes ask to keep a dog that has followed them home, the stakes are raised much higher in The Far Side, where the ant brings home a literal predator of his species. It is even in the name: anteater. The little ant has brought danger right to his house and wants to keep it as a pet. The ant parents will surely veto this pet choice, but the question is whether they are already too late to escape getting eaten first.