7 Hilarious ‘Far Side’ Comics With the Worst Puns
Gary Larson’s iconic comic strip The Far Side exemplifies a timeless comedy formula: brilliant writing paired with deliberately absurd characters. The strip’s humor derives from this smart-meets-dumb dynamic, where intellectually crafted narratives feature hopelessly foolish subjects—a technique also employed in television shows like The Simpsons, Futurama, The Office, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, whose writers include Harvard-educated professionals creating comedically incompetent characters.
Beyond character-based humor, Larson distinguished The Far Side through his strategic use of wordplay and intentional puns. Rather than relying solely on absurdist situations, Larson layered his comics with deliberately lame bits of wordplay, creating a unique comedic signature. This combination of intelligent execution and deliberately lowbrow humor—puns and groan-worthy jokes—became a hallmark of the strip’s appeal, allowing Larson to craft sophisticated comedy from seemingly simple premises.