The court is one of the places where highly qualified people gather in one room, if not very majestic. In court, Verity reigns above all else, and the desire for justice is inevitable. But when it comes to Larson’s courtroom ideas, other aspects always reached out to an incredibly ridiculous and impossible reality, explaining that they had rippled over the years from 1980 to 1994.
Larson was a talent for finding humor in the mundane, and the courtroom was no exception. Whether the animals are not suing animals, but the absurdness of the people’s unforgiving need to implement the rules (even in situations that deny all logic), or the purely mixed chaos of jurymen filled with absurd characters, his strips captured the essence of the farces of justice with pinpoint accuracy. Larson’s ability to juxtapose court severity in outrageous scenarios wasn’t just smart. It was timeless. These cartoons not only chuckle the legal system, but also highlighted the innate hilarity of human conflict. This is a theme that continues to resonate today.
10 The court went to dog justice, loyalty, wounds behind the ears. The court, made up of dogs, discusses the defendant’s arrangement with the dog.
From the beginning of Far Side, Larson fixed his strip as an animal-based use in the human role, and it is clear why such a strange combination worked in this strip. It is set in court where everyone is a dog, from judges to ju judges and lawyers. The scene captures the absurdity that Larson fans usually expect. Of course, the punchline occurs when the defendant delivers his testimony.
In the dog world, arrangements are made to “scratch one behind the ears” rather than on the back. It’s simple and ridiculous, but overall, this far side strip blends Larson’s sharp observation with perfect absurdity, framing them by using animals normally besides being regular animals. It may not be one of Larson’s most complicated or dark jokes, but it’s fun.
9 Pop did weasels. Weasel had to take legal action. The monkeys are in a position to chase weasels around the rhyme-like mulberry bushes of nursery schools.
The court is a space where logic and reason are intended to win, but in this strip, you are thrown out the window in favour of pure absurdity. The panel shows the defense attorney passionately addressing the defendant, explaining that his client only acted in self-defense after being mercilessly chased around “around the mulberry bushes.” The scene dramatically twists the rhymes of a childhood nursery into a legal dispute, “Pop goes to weasels.”
Now, my client says he’s not having fun and you keep chasing him, continuing to chase him around this mulberry bush.
It all feels strangely rational in this meaningless context. The strip suggests a world where monkeys chasing weasels around mulberry bushes is not only plausible, but also has a basis for self-defense in court. This is a prime example of Farside’s ability to take something simple and turn it into a strange, unexpected logical scene, making this one of the more memorable courtroom gags.
8 What happened in Dyna’s kitchen? Has he done something more ominous than the banjo strum? The man is on trial for what happened in Dyna’s kitchen.
The strip takes the innocent lyrics of “I’ve been working on the railway” and twists them into the centre of a tense courtroom drama. On this panel, the lawyer burns a red-faced witness about his whereabouts as he dramatically swings his banjo around. The accusation is simple yet ominous.
What used to be harmless children’s songs is now carrying an unsettling undertone. It’s a classic distant gag to take something precious, simple and innocent and try again until it gets sinister and dark. Such an act may sound harsh, but when Larson was at the end of Penn, the darkest comic even had a way of feeling guilty from readers. Larson makes it hilariously serious with a man clearly guilty in the high stakes case and punchline.
7 The case of Serengeti hats is twisted and interesting field research can be a ruthless ground.
In this strip, intense cross-examination places strange fieldwork in the spotlight. The lawyer asks Professor Sadowski about a suspected case, including a fellow researcher professor who handed him a hat before an unfortunate encounter with a baboon in Serengeti. However, the man does not have a regular hat, but none contains anything that contains a huge googlee eye, direct f-humiliation on the baboon.
The panel turns the miner’s prank into another courtroom showdown with a serious ju umpire and an incredible judge. Larson was the cartoonist who worked best with niche scenarios and absurd humor. The idea that academic rivalries escalate to court is already ridiculous. Still, the overly serious tone and the jerky hat that the man loses his nose, eyebrows and eyes makes the scene perfect.
6 Brown cows are eventually found to be on trial already knowing how the plaintiffs are, and that is why the brown cows are.
In this panel, Larson shoots familiar phrases created to exercise speech and pronunciation in dramatic investigations. The brown cow sits in a witness box accused of private conduct. But the question is not how it happened, it’s clear to the facts – that’s why it really matters. The lawyer leaps forward and delivers the punchline. “Why a brown cow now?” It is a clever subversion of the classic phrase “A brown cow now?” Replaces normal investigations on pronunciation with motive demands.
The absurdity of questioning the cow’s motives is strange but hilarious. Whether intentional or not, Strip enjoys the court’s tendency to over-analyze the situation, even if the answer remains unchanged. This is its best far side humor, rooted in wordplay, but carried by the ridiculousness of the scenario itself. The cow’s gentle attitude only adds charm and becomes one of the more memorable entries.
5 Cold-blooded Entry Crocodile Object The debate line of questioning the crocodile is naturally cold-blooded, and therefore angry when accused of committing a crime with cold blood.
The panel captures hilarious moments in the Farside courtroom lineup. The crocodile stands up and offers a dull, d-retort in response to being accused of committing a crime with cold blood.
Well, of course I did it with cold blood, you’re an idiot! …I’m a reptile!
Larson was always loved by reptiles as he shared with the full Farside (2003), where he raised snakes when he was young. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find crocodiles as random animals in panel gags. Taking a general idiom and based on biological facts, Larson turns the dramatic accusation into an absurd comedic moment. The panels do not overly complicated the setup, allowing the punchline to land comfortably. This allows the animal’s vision to reinforce it in court, while being a strip that finds its humor at the intersection of language and logic.
4 He is what he is, and if he works, it is innocent Popeye to rise up for his crimes.
The incredibly famous Ec Segar’s Popeye has been around since 1929, with the characters being almost 100 years old. He is a classic character, and with his strips he shaped and paved the roads of comic strips for generations. Since its creation, Popeye has adapted to cartoon shorts, video games, advertising, all sorts of grocery products, and live-action films starring Robin Williams.
Of course, these incredible achievements are listed above to draw attention to the far side panels. Popeye’s response is as simple as “I yam I yam yam” as prosecutors are presenting as evidence the pipe found at the “crime scene” and denounce his beloved Popeye with denunciation. The character’s famous catchphrases are reused in a unique context that is probably not seen on the Popeye strip. This panel lands straight in the center of the list, using pop culture icons cleverly to create a joke in which equal parts are absurd and completely character.
3 In the historic moment of “aye”, there were many deniers who voted for the first “aye” of the parliament.
Larson proposes a political system that is fully run by the horses of this panel. In this panel, one unprecedented vote breaks tradition for centuries. The caption reads: “The whole council was silent. It was the first time I remember one of my members that voted for ‘I’ because everyone remembered it. “The image of a surprised horse in the room makes the panel interesting, but finding one horse that voted for “I” is hilarious.
Humor is the absurdity of the scene itself, and the pun that it doesn’t try to hide even a bit is to turn the horse’s “neighbor” into a political vote, then break it down with a simple “aye.” For a while, Larson himself feels like he’s laughing at his readers, breaking the fourth barrier for those who are stuck long enough to see him become a fan.
2 Sanbeam’s testimony could be a fairy tale or something along those lines, the fairy tale is a trial, and her testimony has been accused of being a “fairy tale.”
In this panel, Larson literally presents the concept of legitimacy in a trial run. Sunbeam, a winged fairy, sits nervously in the eyewitness box as prosecutors burn her about the validity of her testimony. His chewing accusation states, “Well, first you say you saw the defendant on the scene, and now you think you saw him! The pure absurdity of lawyers discussing the credibility of fairy tale creatures makes this courtroom scene far more interesting than tension.
This strip is a classic example of how Larson transforms his whimsical character into an unlikely participant in his absurd, surreal world. Larson often enjoyed placing them in court to protect their truth, like animals in human roles, using characters who seemed to be able to do anything but magical fair behavior. The result has been a sharp and memorable panel with a collection of hilarious punch lines and humor.
1 whodunit has resolved, and it’s ultimately an unexpected suspect, it’s always a cow. The cow stands from the courtroom audience and admits the crime.
The cows were always the main and most important animals across the street. As is customary in most Larson panels, all gags included cows at some point. Yes, some jokes don’t require complicated setups or clever wordplay to land. They thrive with the pure joy of unexpected confusion (as most far side strips did). This panel is a perfect example. The cow jumps out of the audience and confesses with joy, proud declaration of the crime.
“It’s okay! It’s okay! I’ll confess! I did it! Yes! It’s a cow!
The scene is a mess, and the rest of the courtroom freezes in shock, but the cows are happy to have beams. Strips like this embody everything that makes the fur side great. It’s ridiculous, unpredictable, completely encapsulated, and fully encapsulates Larson’s ability to turn a mundane scenario into a crazy mess. The cow’s vibrancy, consistent with the bewildered expressions of the rest of the court, elevates this panel to its iconic status. It’s a joke and yet unexpected thing, soothes itself as a classic panel, and Farthing’s readers will quickly point out from the mountains as Larson’s incredible work.
The dog scoops and delivers the mail in the fur side version of Dog Hell.
Author Gary Larson
Publisher Universal Press Syndicate
Artist Gary Larson
Gary Larson’s The Far Side is a single panel comic strip known for its quirky humor and unconventional take on everyday life. Featuring strange circumstances, anthropomorphized animals and quirky characters, the strip delves into surreal and absurd scenarios that challenge typical comic norms. It often combines dark humor and insightful commentary, exploring themes ranging from science to society, encouraging readers to laugh and reflect on the absurdity of existence.
