Gary Larson’s The Far Side is a classic of the comic genre, applying a surreal eye to the animal kingdom and human behavior. However, many of the franchise’s best strips get even wilder by journeying into prehistoric times. And while stegosaurus, triceratops, and diplodocus all find themselves the subject of mockery in the Far Side‘s best dinosaur comics, Larson particularly loves taking down the king of the dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Here are the 10 funniest Far Side comics starring the T-Rex, from those where the iconic dino is mocked for its tiny arms (and tinier brain) to those where it comes out on top by making a meal of pesky humans. Enjoy Screen Rant’s selection, and don’t forget to vote for your favorite in our end-of-article poll.
10 The Days Before Soap
The Far Side Breaks Its Own Rules
In a Tom & Jerry-style comic, a T-Rex spits out its cavemen prey because of how disgusting they taste. It’s a simple gag that makes the reader wait until the caption for the laugh, and breaks The Far Side‘s usual single-panel style to tell its story. It’s a funny, light-hearted comic, but The Far Side is at its best when it goes weirder and darker with its punchlines.
9 Bigger, Wayne!
Dinosaurs vs Caveman, Far Side Style
While Larson’s keen interest in science means he’s well aware humans and dinosaurs never interacted, these first two comics show that The Far Side often leans into this classic comic set-up. Here, a caveman meets a particularly grisly end, as it’s revealed that Neanderthals are the dino-equivalent of bubblegum. Sadly, this clearly isn’t the first time that ‘Wayne’ the Tyrannosaurus has pulled this trick, but at least it’s shaping up to be the best. Larson’s skill at telling a story in a single image is evident here, as the caveman’s club lies forlornly on the ground – dropped as this terror of tyrannosaurs descended on him.
8 Brain-Stem Storming
Far Side Champions a Misconception
In this comic, a quartet of dinosaurs sit around a table and attempt to combine their incredibly limited intellects. Despite what several Far Side comics imply, dinosaur brains weren’t that small – a common myth holds that stegosaurus’ brain was the size of a walnut, however it was more comparable to the brain of a small mammal like a dog. While this is small in comparison to the dinosaur’s body, one dino who doesn’t belong at the table is T-Rex, who actually had a relatively large brain not just for a dinosaur, but for any predator of its type.
As a weird detail to look out for, this strip also includes Larson’s lone pteranodon, which tends to appear in the sky during dinosaur-focused gags, presumably in order to help set the scene – this article includes four comics where the Far Side pteranodon gets a cameo.
7 Meaties
Two Far Side Obsessions Meet as Dinosaurs Eat Cereal
While it’s not as apparent as The Far Side‘s obsession with chickens, Gary Larson’s comic loves sitting weird and wonderful characters down to breakfast. The subtle Americana of the checkered tablecloth sets up a sense of normalcy that can then be subverted by rats, aliens, Cyclopes, and – of course – Tyrannosaurus Rex. Here, a T-Rex yet again preys on humans with a free kid replacing the ubiquitous toy in the cereal box.
6 Did I Floss?
Far Side Really Likes Domestic Dinosaurs
The T-Rex family above aren’t a one-off – in fact, The Far Side really likes the idea of two Tyrannosaurs hanging out. In our favorite version of the joke, one T-Rex suddenly realizes they haven’t flossed – an amusing domestic spin on the meat-eating dinosaur, made funnier by the creature’s stubby arms and the pile of bones by the bed. However, the strips featuring a dino-couple bickering over their short arms comes close, as does the civilized Tyrannosaurus who keeps a detailed calendar of its daily plans. Finally, the “roughage” comic includes a classic Far Side dino-comic that all fans have seen before, as a T-Rex laments its limited dietary options.
5 Professor Schnabel’s Time Machine
This Far Side Comic Is Famous for a Reason
Another favorite of Far Side fans, this comic really shows off Larson’s skill for telling entire stories with a single image. A less accomplished comic would spell out the exact nature of the misunderstanding, however Larson trusts fans to connect the dots. The nonplussed T-Rex and very slightly irritated diplodocus make it clear Professor Schnabel’s cleaner won’t be returning to the modern day, with the gray, chewing dinosaur in the first “Bigger, Wayne!” comic perhaps acting as an epilogue to her tragic story.
4 Do Not Touch
Larson Even Makes Fossils Funny
Once again, Larson leaves the reader to intuit the events right before this comic, where a lesser artist would draw the hapless dino-destroyer with his arm still outstretched. The comic even manages to introduce slapstick sensibilities into this image, as it’s clear the guy can’t have done much more than reach out and prod the Tyrannosaurus skeleton, only to leave it utterly destroyed, with bones broken and a rising plume of dust. The expression on the character’s face sells the moment, especially with the destruction of the exhibit only earning slight disapproval from the other museum-goers.
3 Laid Yesterday
The Far Side Gets Dark
Definitely one of the darker Far Side comics about dinosaurs, this strip uses a T-Rex shadow to tell the rest of a story too gory to show in full. While most of these comics show Tyrannosaurs with human attributes (even those that eat humans only chew them like bubblegum), this strip unleashes the “terrible lizard” in all its glory. It’s not the only Far Side comic where it’s implied that no-one survives, but it might be the grimmest end the franchise sets up.
2 Mitch Loses a Dollar
Far Side‘s Weirdest Comics Are Its Best
A lot of Far Side comics create weird or surreal worlds, but this one is particularly fascinating. How did Mitch’s friend (someone who can’t think of anything more interesting to do with a dinosaur than feed it random items) manage to trap a T-Rex in the first place, and how long can it possibly be until it escapes?
Larson’s unusually detailed interior scene sets up an almost Lynchian situation, where the surreal intrudes on the domestic and is made all the stranger because no-one seems to find it unusual. With the T-Rex’s beady eyes in the darkness and its arms reaching out of the cellar, this comic is packed with menace, even in the context of The Far Side‘s usual morbid outlook.
1 Al’s Meats
Far Side’s Funniest T-Rex Comic
Like ‘Mitch Loses a Dollar,’ this Far Side comic creates a world that the reader wants to spend more time in – one in which a meat locker is infested with four to five Tyrannosaurs. Scaling up the idea of having mice, this strip imagines the natural scavenger who’d be interested in giant hanging meats, but may overestimate ABC Exterminators’ ability to clear them out. Particularly fun is Larson’s use of his usual black-and-white style, which somehow sells the fact that a T-Rex could hide among the meats, at least for a little while. Al viewing an infestation of dinosaurs as a minor problem is a little funny and a little creepy for what it says about his world – the perfect The Far Side sweet spot.
