Skip to content
TrueNorthBriefQuick, clear answers for curious Canadians
Culture

The Far Side

What is the far side?

· Sarah Mitchell

Key facts

Title The Far Side[2]
Creator Gary Larson[2]
Format Single-panel comic strip[2]
First appearance 1980[2]
Run length Fifteen years[2]
Syndication More than 1,900 daily and Sunday newspapers[2]

The Far Side is a single-panel comic strip created by Gary Larson, first published in 1980 and known for its surreal, offbeat humor. It ran for fifteen years and became widely syndicated in newspapers. [2]

Context

The Far Side is a single-panel comic strip created by Gary Larson, first published in 1980 and known for its surreal, offbeat humor. It ran for fifteen years and became widely syndicated in newspapers. [2] The strip is described as having surrealistic humor based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, anthropomorphic views of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, twisted references to proverbs, or the search for meaning in life. [4] One academic source describes Larson's work as having satiric bite and philosophical depth, prompting readers to develop critical ways of perceiving society and human behavior. [1] A book-length scholarly source says The Far Side challenged mainstream comic-page norms and broadened the culture's palate for alternative comedy. [3] Larson retired from the scene in 1995 after the strip had appeared in over nineteen hundred newspapers and sold over forty million books. [2]

Documented claims

  • The Far Side is described as having surrealistic humor based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, anthropomorphic views of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, twisted references to proverbs, or the search for meaning in life. [4]
  • An academic source describes Larson's work as having satiric bite and philosophical depth, prompting readers to develop critical ways of perceiving society and human behavior. [1]
  • A book-length scholarly source says The Far Side challenged mainstream comic-page norms and broadened the culture's palate for alternative comedy. [3]
  • Larson retired from the scene in 1995 after the strip had appeared in over nineteen hundred newspapers and sold over forty million books. [2]

Questions and answers

Is Gary Larson still writing The Far Side?

Gary Larson retired from The Far Side in 1995, after the strip had appeared in over nineteen hundred newspapers and sold over forty million books. [2]

Why did Gary Larson stop drawing The Far Side?

Larson retired from the scene in 1995, ending the strip's fifteen-year run. [2]

What does The Far Side of something mean?

The Far Side is the title of Gary Larson's single-panel comic strip, first published in 1980, known for its surreal and offbeat humor. [2]

Sources

  1. With ‘The Far Side,’ Gary Larson Pioneered the Art of the Meme — melmagazine.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. The Unseen Universe of Gary Larson: How a Cartoonist Decoded the Absurdity of Ordinary Life - Memorias da Ditadura — bkp.memoriasdaditadura.org.br (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. Come over to The Far Side (like the dark side but funnier) — creode.co.uk (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  4. Adulting, Nerdiness & Power of Single-Panel Comics — miragenews.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in Culture