The biggest takeaway from reading a Gary Larson (the creator of The Far Side) essentially made it his mission to throw an absurd lens on the entire world. He does this by crafting bizarre situations with weird characters, and there’s certainly no shortage of either in The Far Side.

Unlike other The Far Side has some recurring characters, but there isn’t a consistent protagonist that the comic strip constantly has to cater to. Other comic strips have to craft jokes around its characters, but The Far Side crafts characters around its jokes, which is why it has the freedom to be so hilariously random. And, in these 10 Far Side comics, The Far Side’s randomness is in full swing - while also somehow leaving readers’ stomachs rumbling.

10 The Far Side's "Four Basic Personality Types"

The Far Side Uses Food to Detail the 4 Basic Personality Types in People

Four people are standing in front of a table with a glass. The glass is filled up halfway with water, and each person is asked if the glass is half full or half empty. The first person says it is half full, the second says it is half empty, the third is nervous and indecisive, and the fourth says, "Hey! I ordered a cheeseburger!". It seems The Far Side is saying that the four types of people are: optimistic, pessimistic, indecisive, and stupid.

The fourth guy didn't understand the test, thinking that he would be served food upon taking part in the experiment, so he angrily requested the cheeseburger he ordered despite the fact that there was never going to be a cheeseburger - this wasn't a restaurant! Though, truth be told, one might start craving cheeseburgers after reading this comic...

9 The Far Side's "Cow-Fishing"

People Fish for Cows for Fresh Burgers in The Far Side

Two fishermen are fishing in their boat when one of them gets a bite. However, it's not a fish that these guys have on the line, it's a cow. The cow isn't easy to reel-in, though, as the animal is swimming and bucking for its life. But, the fishermen are not giving up, as they are determined to get this cow for one reason and one reason only: fresh burgers.

Everything that's happening in this comic strip is nothing new for those who fish, as the entire point is to catch and then eat fresh fish. Well, everything except for the cow part. Obviously, cows don't live in the water. But even beyond that, people don't kill cows in the wild for fresh burgers. They do that with fish, but not cows, which is why this comic is so hilariously absurd.

8 The Far Side's "Skunk Sandwich"

A Man is Trying to Trade His Obviously Horrible Lunch in The Far Side

In this Far Side comic, two construction workers are taking their lunch break. One man is eating a banana, while the other is eating a skunk sandwich. Literally, his sandwich is just a dead skunk with two pieces of bread slapped on either side of it. Clearly, that's a pretty horrible lunch, but if this guy wants to trade it away, he's got to act like it's good. The man raves about how delicious his skunk sandwich is, before casually floating the idea of trading it for the other guy's banana.

Hopefully, the construction worker who brought a banana for lunch is smart enough not to trade it for roadkill with a side of bread - and not just any roadkill, a dead skunk! Kudos to the guy trying to trade it, though.

7 The Far Side's "Sandwiches for Bears"

Humans in Sleeping Bags are Just Sandwiches for Bears in The Far Side

Three campers are sleeping in their sleeping bags in the woods, enjoying the fresh night air amid nature. Unfortunately, these people accidentally set up camp in bear territory - and the bears couldn't have been happier. In the middle of the night, two bears peer from the trees at the three people wrapped up in their sleeping bags, and the bears gleefully exclaim, "Sandwiches!".

It seems humans are the only ones who enjoy a good sandwich, as bears seem to like sandwiches just as much. However, sandwiches for bears are decidedly different, as sandwiches for bears are just humans in sleeping bags. It's a dark scene, to be sure, as all three of these people are about to get mauled to death by a couple of bears, but the fact that the bears just see them as sandwiches is utterly hysterical.

6 The Far Side's "Alien Knuckle Sandwich"

A Human-Eating Alien Has the Wrong Idea About What a 'Knuckle Sandwich' is in The Far Side

An alien has parked its spaceship in an alley before putting on a cheap human disguise, hoping it will help it blend in with the rest of the human population to do one thing: eat people. However, the alien's disguise is the least of its worries, as its lack of knowledge of common human phrases will be its undoing. These tough-looking guys ask the alien-in-disguise if it wants a knuckle sandwich, meaning they are annoyed by it and are going to beat it up if it doesn't stop bothering them.

But, the alien thinks these people are offering their flesh for its consumption, so it responds, "Why... yes... thank... you... I... would... like... a... knuckle... sandwich." Classic case of misunderstanding, and honestly, the human-eating alien deserves every bit of the beat-down it just accidentally asked for.

5 The Far Side's "Sandwich Mafia"

The Sandwich Mafia 'Takes Care Of' Someone by Feeding Them to Children in The Far Side

A gang of sentient sandwiches calling themselves the 'Sandwich Mafia' has decided that another sandwich needs to be dealt with... permanently. If this Sandwich Mafia was the real mafia (consisting of humans), then they would make their victim 'sleep with the fishes', meaning they'd trap his feet in hardened cement and throw him into the water, killing him. But, they are sandwiches, so they have a fun alternative to this classic 'mafia death': "sleep with the fourth-graders".

The Sandwich Mafia throws their victim into a cafeteria filled with hungry fourth-graders from the ceiling above, knowing that one of the kids will find and eat him. This would be a pretty brutal scene if it wasn't so ridiculous, making this comic hilarious in a way only The Far Side can be.

4 The Far Side's "Zoo Prank"

Zoo Staff Have a Pretty Gross Sense of Humor in The Far Side

of a zoo staff who work in the Tropical House are sitting in their 'employees only' break room, eating lunch. As one of them is eating their sub sandwich, another decides to tell a little joke: "What's got 12 legs, six eyes, a hairy thorax, was found dead in its display case this morning, and goes 'crunch' inside a submarine sandwich?".

A tarantula was found dead in its display case, and as a prank, of the zoo staff put its corpse inside Marv's sub, and then waited for him to eat it before telling him (in joke form) what they had done. Honestly, this Far Side comic does the opposite of 'making one's stomach rumble', as readers may never want to touch a sub ever again.

3 The Far Side's "Donner Party Memorial"

The Far Side Turns a Historical Tragedy into a Dark Joke

In this Far Side comic, a group of tourists is standing in front of The Donner Party Memorial, taking pictures and reading the plaque accompanying the giant statue that's dedicated to the historical tragedy. However, while the statue may have been erected to honor the memory of the Donner Party, it is certainly in poor taste. The statue is a sandwich with a human foot sticking out of it, which highlights the most horrific aspect of this real-world tragedy.

The Donner Party has been described by historians as one of the most fascinating tragedies in American history relating to the westward migration.

In 1846-1847, a group of pioneers (the Donner Party) became trapped in the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains while on their way to California. Some of the Donner Party resorted to cannibalism to survive. This Far Side statue is a dark joke about that - and it's ittedly hilarious.

2 The Far Side's "Scorpion Sandwiches"

Scorpion Sandwiches is The Far Side's Definition of Hell

The Far Side takes readers into the darkest pit of hell, which is evidently just a cafeteria. However, this cafeteria is certainly hellish, not just because it is located in what looks like a cave with a sinister demon guarding the door, but because of one thing: scorpion sandwiches. As one of the older residents explains to a newcomer, "some days the sandwiches contain a dead scorpion. ...Not every day, but some days--that's why it's hell, kid."

In The Far Side, Hell is knowing that you'll always get a scorpion sandwich, but not knowing when.

It seems scorpion sandwiches are literally The Far Side's definition of hell, and not just scorpion sandwiches, but the fact that the damned souls never know when they're going to get scorpion sandwiches. That's a pretty specific and random definition of hell, which should come as no surprise coming from The Far Side.

1 The Far Side's "Jim Hall Diner"

Jazz Guitarist Jim Hall Should Stick to Music in The Far Side

A man is sitting at the bar of a diner eating a burger while what appears to be sentient musical notes march in a single-file line like ants over the counter toward the food. Upon taking a closer look at the menu, it's easy to see why. This diner is owned by acclaimed jazz guitarist Jim Hall, and it seems Hall's love of music has completely taken over the diner.

The "Something Special" burger literally has a bass guitar in it, and all the other options on the menu are also music-based. It's no wonder why sentient musical notes would want to get their hands on this food - it's the only food they'd be interested in. However, this doesn't seem like the best idea for a diner, meaning Jim Hall should probably just stick to music (in The Far Side, anyway).