1983 was a pivotal year for Gary Larson's syndicated comic The Far Side, as its regional success in a limited number of newspapers started to morph into national acclaim – meaning that, for the first time since its debut at the start of the '80s, more people than ever were exposed to the strip's strange and shocking sense of humor.

While Larson wasn't the first newspaper cartoonist to trade in surrealist humor, or to craft punchlines that could be considered "edgy" – either by the standards of the time, or contemporary metrics – he was a pioneer in the sense that his goals went beyond just getting a laugh.

With The Far Side, any response qualified as a good response, whether a comic left readers scratching their heads, asking "What the?" or shouting "My God!" in disbelief. This list collects ten s that belong in the latter category.

12 These Far Side Gators Just Discovered What A Delicacy Humans Are

First Published: January 3, 1983

For many people, the New Year offers motivation to try new things, and Gary Larson encapsulates that feeling here, in a that features two alligators maxing and relaxing on the bank of a river, surrounded by the shredded remnants of a paddle border, marveling that their latest meal was "just soft and pink," rather than their usual prey, which have "fur, claws, horns, antlers," and other less appealing bodily attributes.

Animals devouring humans was a Far Side staple, but what makes this comic stand out is just how much the gators are reveling in their discovery of the joys of eating humans – with the smiles on their faces contrasting with the implied gore in a way that is as dark as it is amusing.

11 The Neighbor On The Far Side Of The Street Your Parents Always Warned You About

First Published: February 24, 1983

The Far Side was a dangerous place to exist, but it was an even more precarious place to grow up. That is evident from this , in which a neighborhood child has been caught by a giant, hulking man, who clenches the kid's shirt between his teeth, bringing him home like a trophy with a wildly satisfied look in his eyes.

This image is jarring enough, but what makes this equal parts hilarious and "My God!" inducing is the casual way with which a woman who can be inferred to be his mother – observing from the living room window with another friend – reacts, musing, "Good heavens! What's he caught this time?"

10 A Far Side Snake Brings His Main Squeeze Home For The First Time

First Published: March 21, 1983

For many readers, the "My God!" reaction to this comic will come as a result of empathetic discomfort – that is, they might experience a touch of visercal second-hand claustrophobia at the sight of a human woman squeezing herself into a tiny snake hole under a rock, as the snake homeowner tells her, "It's true Barbara...you're the first woman I've ever brought here."

Certainly, this is one of The Far Side's strangest snake jokes, almost to a delirious level, as the image defies the laws of physiology and physics, and the premise deliberately plays on an unnatural pairing between a human and a reptile. All of these things add up to a cartoon that might not get a laugh, but is unlike to fail to get a reaction entirely.

9 The Far Side Squashes The Question Of Whether Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Humans Co-Existed

First Published: April 23, 1983

One thing Far Side fans have to is that every detail in Gary Larson's cartoons was intentional – meaning that, just as often, the artist's punchlines could have a strong degree of fidelity to scientific fact, or alternatively, could be deliberately ahistorical or anachronistic, all in service of getting a rise out of the reader.

Here, Gary Larson conflates prehistoric eras, in order to deliver a joke about an ancient human being smushed under foot by a "brachiosaurus," only for the bones and footprint to be unearthed millennia later by a pair of excited archeologists. While the joke is funny enough, the thought of the ancient human's grim fate is one that might stick with readers in unexpected ways, especially anyone who has a fear of being crushed to death.

8 On The Far Side, Animals Usually Got The First Bite And The Last Laugh

First Published: May 19, 1983

If there is one surefire shortcut that Gary Larson used to get a "My God!" reaction, it was the use of a human skeleton as a visual element in a joke – connoting not only death, but that the person's remains have gone undiscovered for a long time. That is the case here, as a hunter who brought a "beaver trap" into the woods finds the tables turned on him, as one of his prey chewed threw a tree, which landed right on top of him.

It is a classic "turnabout is fair play" joke about hunters, but as was often the case with this strain of Larson's humor, readers were left to decide whether to celebrate the triumph of nature over humanity, or to be aghast at the terrible fate of this unfortunate woodsman.

7 The Far Side Had Its Share Of Bad Artists – But This One Is Just Plain Evil

First Published: June 24, 1983

In this captionless Far Side comic, an artist paints the scene of a fire ravaging a forest – with the box of matches at his feet making it clear that he started the conflagration in order to capture it on his canvas. The more one dwells upon it, it becomes clear this is one of Gary Larson's most truly horrifying punchlines, especially in retrospect, as wildfires have become an increasingly devastating reality for huge portions of the American population.

What makes it truly tragic, however, is that Larson is extrapolating on actual stories of people starting fires to put them out, or to capture them on film; for anyone who has has heard these stories, apocryphal or otherwise, this will be a particularly egregious "My God!' cartoon.

6 The Far Side Asks, "What's More Torturous Than Someone Singing Off Time?"

First Published: July 21, 1983

Gary Larson's cartoons with jokes featuring the victims of torture, were among The Far Side's most controversial installments. The joke here derives from the fact that, despite being chained to the walls of a dungeon, the two prisoners are trying to sing "row, row, row your boat" together – except one of them keeps mes the timing.

This is an example of Larson's comedic ability to mix and match tones and elements, which led to a form of dissonance; despite the gravity of their situation, the two men are attempting to have fun, only for it to lead to animosity between the two. This dissonant quality could product hilarious results, or it could produce confusion, unease, or even outrage, depending on the joke, and more importantly, on the reader.

5 The Far Side Was Full Of Firsts – Including The First Birthday Party & First House Fire

First Published: August 27, 1983​​​​​​​

Gary Larson loved to depict amusing renditions of humanity's earliest, greatest achievements, from the invention of the wheel to the discovery of fire. Unfortunately for these cave-dwellers, the latter leads to the first incident of severe smoke inhalation, at the very least, as a cavewoman brings a cake with a giant burning log stuck in the center in to surprise one of her fellow Neanderthals, in what also amounts to the first birthday party gone horribly awry.

The "My God!" quality of this comic rests of Larson's framing of the comic from the perspective of the cavemen sitting in a semi-circle in the cave as the woman, smiling widely, enters – with looks that suggest that while they might recognize fire, they don't fully comprehend the effects of smoke yet.​​​​​​​

4 This Far Side Workplace Dispute Escalated Quickly

First Published: September 21, 1983

"So, Foster! That's how you want it, huh?" a man in a yellow hazmat suit with a huge tear in the side says as he dramatically rips open the front of his coworker's protective gear – as witnessed through the window of a door that reads "KEEP OUT. RADIOACTIVE AREA" – "then take THIS!"

This is a sterling example of a Far Side cartoon that balances hilarity and shock factor, as the characters actions are both absurd and horrifying. This makes it worth noting that reactions to Far Side comics do not preclude each other – a reader can shout "My God!" while laughing uproariously, or be dismayed at the same time they are confused. If anything, a multi-faceted reaction is the sign of a greater-than-average cartoon, and this certainly qualifies as an underrated Gary Larson masterpiece.

3 The Far Side's Monsters Weren't Always The Ones Lurking In The Dark

First Published: October 12, 1983

Monsters were a staple of The Far Side, and this comic expertly subverts the traditional monster/human child dynamic before bringing it back around to a more traditional form at the very end. Gary Larson does this by having a young boy peer into the home of a pair of monsters, catching them in an intimate moment – which the caption informs us he did frequently, "until the night he knocked over the garbage can and was subsequently eaten."

What makes this Far Side cartoon particularly great is the way that the full extent of the punchline doesn't fully reveal itself until the final words of the caption; it takes the reader on a unexpected ride, which is likely to end with a yelp of "My God!" at the fate of "Clayton."