Gary Larson's The Far Side perfected the art of combining the truly surreal with the surprisingly mundane. Whether Far Side's humans are at the store, in the safety of their own home, or working hard on a farm, they can't escape an army of aliens, robots and hyper-intelligent cows.

However, the worst sufferers are those in their cars, who can find themselves absolutely anywhere. In a world where everyone from Godzilla to the household dog are on the road, things can turn weird in a hurry.

Here are the 10 funniest Far Side comics where car owners come up against the unexpected - to vote in our end-of-article poll to decide our official #1 and see how other readers ranked these strips featuring vehicular mishaps.

10 "Let Me Drive!"

We've All Gotten a Little Lost

No-one likes getting lost while out driving, but in the world of Far Side, there's no limit on how lost you can get. In this strip, two drivers have become so lost they've ended up on the moon, not even being able to successfully use the Earth to navigate the lunar surface. Of course, Larson couples this bizarre problem with a truly mundane response, as the driver's wife argues that it's time for her to take a turn behind the wheel - particularly hilarious because apparently she didn't feel the need to make this request until now.

Anyone who's gotten really lost knows that while Larson's comic doesn't make much sense scientifically, it captures the increasing stress of not recognizing anything around you, with each decision potentially taking you further and further from your destination. Some of Larson's weirdest comics take place in space, where astronauts (and careless drivers) can come across truly inexplicable situations. Open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics set in space.

9 "You Are Mine..."

Not Every Car Problem Is Found on the Road

Anyone whose car is frequently defaced with bird guano has some small part of them that believes they're being targeted by avian antagonists. In this strip, Far Side confirms that's absolutely the case - not only are birds splattering cars on purpose, but they take absolutely maniacal glee in doing so. For some reason, Larson imagines birds as absolutely brimming with evil - open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics starring evil birds.

While it makes sense that Far Side's vultures are particularly vicious, Larson doesn't stop there, turning ducks, chickens and even pet parrots and cockatiels into a surprising threat to the humans around them.

8 "There It Is Again!"

Gary Larson Loves a Horror Movie Reference

One place that surely holds no real surprises is the local car wash... at least, everywhere except The Far Side. In this strip, a man brings his wife to the car wash in hopes of spotting the Creature from the Black Lagoon, which for some reason has migrated from its Amazonian home in order to menace people in closer quarters. Open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics that reference classic horror movies.

Larson loves horror movie references, with everything from Dracula and Frankenstein to Jaws and Alien getting shout-outs in The Far Side. Of course, far from reacting in horror, the humans of The Far Side react with mild annoyance to living in a world of monsters.

7 Stay Home! STAY!

Far Side's Dogs Take Their Long-Awaited Revenge

In a rare two- comic, a family's pet turns the tables by absconding with their car, deciding its owners can be the ones to 'stay' for once. Larson didn't really need the second here - the gag works without it - but he wisely chooses to show the dogs having the time of their lives. And while it may not seem like it, this family should be glad their dog is engaging in such a harmless form of rebellion - that's not the same for every Far Side household.

6 There's a Bee in the Car

Far Side Turns Everyday Problems Bizarre

In this strip, a woman notices there's a bee in her car - but rather than a tiny insect buzzing around, it's a human-sized pest sitting in the back seat. One of Larson's best tricks in The Far Side is finding ways to create multiple 'planes' while still only drawing a single . In this case, the positioning of the comic creates two spaces that readers see at the same time, allowing for a more sophisticated joke.

While the effect is simple, it's also essential for a creator who so often and iconically pulls off his gags using only one . This is something readers can see often in Larson's car strips, as being able to see outside the car (or to see different parts of it) opens up the storytelling potential of the premise. Larson's car comics use the back seat, side mirrors and front window to establish different narratives.

5 Door Ding Gnomes

Far Side Solves a Modern Mystery

In this strip, Far Side readers learn who's responsible for leaving dings and scratches on their cars when they're parked. Rather than being the crime of other drivers, it turns out there are actually dedicated gnomes who go around with hammers and chisels. Why? With only one , it's a lot to ask for Gary Larson to also spell out the gnomes' motivations, although like the tooth fairy and Easter bunny, it's possible that it's just a role they were born into. Open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics starring gnomes.

Larson loves the idea of gnomes, elves and leprechauns as a fact of everyday life. Not only does Far Side uses them to explain mundane annoyances like losing your car keys, but also treats them like varmints, similar to gophers or beavers in the irritation they cause humans.

4 "This One's Got a Coat Hanger"

Cars Can Create a False Sense of Security... Especially in Gary Larson's World

Safaris are thrilling partly because of how close visitors get to otherwise dangerous animals, but this Far Side comic stresses that we're not as safe as we think. In the world of Far Side, animals are at least as intelligent as humans (if not sometimes superior), meaning that traditional situations can quickly turn deadly. In this strip, a lion has prepared for the next humans to come along, using a coat hanger as a makeshift tool to unlock the doors and savage the engers within. It's about the only situation where a character could exclaim "This one's got a coat hanger!" with a true sense of horror.

3 "WE'RE DOOMED!"

There's Nothing Worse Than a Backseat Driver

One of the most annoying things about driving is when a nervous backseat driver won't stop yammering in your ear about issues you already saw coming a mile away. Far Side pushes that situation to the extreme by taking the mild inconvenience of accidentally driving against a parking lot's one-way system and treating it like the end of the world. That's a perfect gag for The Far Side, where the joke is so often the other way around, with people reacting in incredibly understated ways to absolutely disastrous circumstances.

2 "These Are Good Hubcaps"

Far Side's Animals Are Smart Enough Not to Waste a Mauling

What's worse than getting mauled by bears? Getting mauled by bears who also steal your hubcaps. While this situation is terrible for the driver by any measure, there's something particularly insulting about the creatures who are eating you not just stealing your rims, but justifying it morally because if they don't, some other forest creature is going to come along and do it anyway. It says a lot about Larson's sense of humor that being eaten alive by a super-smart lion is the better outcome on this list - at least you don't have to reckon with the indignity of being robbed and eaten.

1 "CAR!"

Far Side's Cows Have a Major Secret

Far Side is famous for its love of cows, but this comic might be its best bovine gag of all time. The strip shows that while we may see cows as docile farm animals, that's only because that's how they act whenever they see us coming. But what exactly are the cows trying to hide? Far Side's other comics make it clear that it's a pretty long list, from destabilizing public infrastructure to plotting elaborate revenge against dairy farmers.

This comic earned its place in history thanks to a reference on beloved sitcom Cheers. In season 9, episode 4's 'Where Nobody Knows Your Name,' dim-witted bartender Woody laments that he doesn't get The Far Side, resulting in regulars Norm and Cliff explaining the "CAR!" strip. Unfortunately for them, it turns out Woody meant his newspaper doesn't carry the comic, and they've just spent a few minutes insulting his intelligence.

Those are the 10 funniest Far Side comics where people have terrible experiences in their cars - next time you climb in your own, try not to worry too much about birds poised in wait or the possibility of accidentally driving to the moon. Don't forget to vote in our poll below to decide the official ranking of Far Side's car comics.