Gary Larson's Godzilla. The giant creatures appear again and again in Larson's comics, both inspiring his own gigantic monsters (including a towering penguin and 'dogzilla') and featuring in dedicated gags.
Here are the 10 funniest Far Side comics that star the iconic movie monsters Godzilla and King Kong - to vote in our end-of-article poll for the funniest strip, and to see which comic other readers consider #1.
10 Tomatoes
The Underappreciated Victims of King Kong Get the Spotlight
In 1933's King Kong, the gigantic ape carries Fay Wray's Ann Darrow to the top of the Empire State Building, only to be gunned down by the army and collapse to the street below. Gary Larson clearly found this moment really inspiring, as it's the focus of several of his comics starring the giant ape.
However, we're calling 'Tomatoes' the winner because of how it showcases Larson's love of pairing a bizarre, dramatic situation with a totally understated reaction. The speaker in the comic just saw a gigantic ape tumble from the Empire State Building, almost crushing her to death. However, her first reaction is to react to losing her groceries with mild irritation. It's a classic Larson gag, turning one of the most bombastic spectacles in cinema into a mild inconvenience.
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9 Godzilla Drives to Work
A Rare Far Side Comic With No Caption
It's rare that Far Side delivers a gag with no dialogue or caption, but here the joke is so simple, none of that is necessary. The comic sees Godzilla driving to work, turning the towering kaiju into an everyday working stiff. The only sign that Godzilla is a terrifying, city-destroying monster is his personalized license plate, which reminds other drivers that 'I 8 NY.' Godzilla has indeed attacked New York in various movies, including 1998's Godzilla and 1968's Destroy All Monsters.
8 The Kongs at Home
Far Side Knows That Life After the Movies Is Far Less Glamorous
In this strip, Larson reimagines King Kong's obsession with Ann Darrow, suggesting that snatching up human women is actually something of a habit for the big ape. Again, Larson turns the towering kaiju into a regular person, as Kong's wife angrily threatens him. Given Kong's hangdog reaction, the comic redefines the iconic line "It was beauty killed the beast." Open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics about terrible marriages.
Larson loves showing iconic couples squabbling, from Tarzan and Jane to Superman and Lois Lane. Here again, Larson showcases his love of combining the amazing and the mundane, turning larger-than-life characters into regular people with petty marital issues.
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7 NOTICE
Humanity Finally Defeated Godzilla
Godzilla is a gigantic, terrifying monster so powerful that armies and weapons can't even put a scratch in his colossal hide. It's therefore pretty funny to imagine that the monster could be dismissed with a simple height rating, accepting this arbitrary rule where even atom bombs haven't dissuaded him in the past. Far Side's citizens have a handful of smart ways to deal with giant monsters attacking their cities - in the comic below, a group of soldiers tempt out Godzilla's longtime ally Mothra by sitting around a fake campfire, hoping to attract the oversized moth to their flame.
6 Varmint
Is This the Plot to Godzilla's Next Monsterverse Movie? No.
As mentioned above, Godzilla has withstood the most destructive weapons humanity can conjure up, either shrugging off bombs, missiles and nukes or even growing stronger by absorbing their energy. It's pretty hilarious that in the world of Far Side, Godzilla can be instantly taken down by an old-fashioned blunderbuss, especially because the old guy who shot him isn't even slightly surprised it worked - to him, Godzilla is just another varmint, making the solution to his repeated attacks blindingly obvious. Open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics starring gigantic kaiju.
Far Side doesn't take many things seriously, and that includes the idea of gigantic monsters attacking the city. Giant penguins, dogs, clowns and postal workers wreak various degrees of havoc, while an old woman stands ready to oppose a swarm of giant locusts with just a fly swatter.
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5 Window Washer
More of King Kong's Unseen Victims Are Exposed
King Kong climbing the Empire State Building is an iconic image, which means that Gary Larson can't help but consider the mundane practicalities. For instance: what would a giant ape scaling a building mean for the people whose job it is to keep the windows clean? The spectacle of King Kong lends itself to wordless humor, and fans are left to imagine what obscenities and complaints the window washer is aiming at the giant ape who just became his personal nemesis.
4 Chalk Outline
Far Side Treats King Kong's Ending Like Any Other Death
Earlier, we included a comic where Larson imagines a chalk outline around King Kong's corpse, with the joke being that the police are treating the kaiju's epic fall as a regular death. While that is funny, Larson later improved it with another level, adding additional chalk outlines for all the people who were crushed underneath Kong when he fell. It's a typically dark joke for Far Side born of an eminently practical consideration - if a giant ape falls to the ground in New York, someone is going to end up caught underneath.
Of course, even a bunch of people being crushed by a titanic ape isn't enough to interrupt life in the City That Never Sleeps, and pedestrians are already walking by without sparing Kong's chalk outline a glance.
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3 Shrug
Far Side's King Kong Is Smarter Than the Original... But Only Just
King Kong's trip up the Empire State Building sees him flee for his life in a doomed attempt to escape human persecution, with biplanes deploying to try and rescue Ann Darrow and bring down the monster. In this Far Side comic, Kong attempts to dissuade the attack by hiding Ann safely (not surely not comfortably) in his mouth, shrugging in a poor imitation of innocence when the planes arrive. It's a hilarious image that derives comedy without any words at all, using the reader's own knowledge of King Kong to complete the punchline.
2 Toby vs Godzilla
Man's Best Friend Earns the Name in This Far Side Comic
Godzilla get an official name-check in this comic, where a loyal family dog bites off a little more than it can chew as Godzilla stomps past. Far Side generally shows the animal kingdom a lot of love, but Larson rarely sugarcoats the dopey personalities of his dogs. Open the image gallery below for more Far Side comics starring dogs.
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1 Handkerchief
This Far Side Comic Revealed Larson's Creative Process
After a devastating attack on the city, the police investigate, finding only a huge handkerchief left behind by the mysterious culprit. This comic has several layers, from the idea that no-one saw a giant gorilla attacking the city, to the concept that the police would investigate a kaiju attack as a regular crime, to the idea that the monogrammed 'KK' isn't an immediate indicator as to exactly who the cops are looking for. However, the joke was almost missing many of these details. In The Prehistory of The Far Side, Gary Larson shares his first draft of this comic, which was originally from the giant monster's perspective.
This glimpse into Larson's process shows how he made the joke ten times funnier by switching the perspective, and it's surprising to know that the idea of 'KK' standing for 'King Kong' was actually the last part of the gag that fell into place.
Those are the 10 funniest Far Side comics starring Godzilla and King Kong - be sure to vote in our poll below and let us know your favorite strip, as well as finding out how your choice compares to that of other readers.
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- Writer
- Gary Larson
- Colorist
- Gary Larson
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
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- Movie(s)
- Godzilla, Godzilla 2, Godzilla 3, Shin Godzilla, Godzilla, Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla Minus One, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Godzilla Vs King Kong, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., godzilla: monster planet, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Godzilla: Final Wars, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Godzilla: The Showa Era Films, Godzilla vs. Biollante
- Created by
- Tomoyuki Tanaka, Akira Watanabe
- First Film
- Godzilla
- Latest Film
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
- First Episode Air Date
- November 17, 2023
- Cast
- Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell
The Godzilla franchise, spanning over six decades, follows the adventures of the titular kaiju, a colossal, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. Originating in Japan, Godzilla has evolved from a destructive force of nature to a protector of humanity, battling various other giant monsters, including iconic foes like King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla. The series explores themes of environmental destruction, nuclear anxiety, and human resilience. With numerous films, TV series, and an expanding universe, Godzilla remains a cultural icon, captivating audiences worldwide with its epic battles and compelling narratives.
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King Kong
- Movie(s)
- King Kong (1933), Son of Kong, King Kong vs. Godzilla, King Kong Escapes, King Kong, King Kong Lives, The Mighty Kong, King Kong, Kong: King of Atlantis, Kong: Return to the Jungle, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
- Created by
- Merian C. Cooper, Edgar Wallace
- First Film
- King Kong (1933)
- Latest Film
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
- First TV Show
- The King Kong Show
- Cast
- Nicolas Cage, Jack Black, Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman
The King Kong franchise centers around the colossal ape, King Kong, who originates from Skull Island, a mysterious place inhabited by prehistoric creatures. The franchise explores Kong's interactions with humans, his capture, and his eventual display in civilization, often resulting in tragic consequences. The series blends adventure, horror, and science fiction elements, capturing audiences with Kong's raw power and emotional depth.
