Above all else, The Far Side was a product of its creator Gary Larson’s obsessions – chief among them, his interest in science, which was an underlying element of many of his classic cartoons. Scientific themes and ideas proliferated throughout The Far Side during its run, and scientists themselves often appeared, depicted in Larson’s singular style.
In an interview with ABC newsprogram 20/20, Larson noted the importance of science to his work, something that is evident to readers familiar with The Far Side. As the creator of the legendary comic strip explained, his work on the page resulted from the things that were on his mind, which science and technology often were.
Larson’s deep admiration for scientists was reciprocal, as his work became popular in the scientific community. That said, the author was characteristically merciless with how he portrayed scientists in the comic, who tended to be as hapless as any other human in the world of The Far Side.
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The Far Side’s Humor Was Designed to Test Readers’ Reflexes (But Not the Ones You Think)
In his Preface to The Complete Far Side: Volume One, Gary Larson wrote about the reflexive style of his humor, stemming from his interest in biology.
The Far Side Creator’s Fixation On Science Informed His Art
On His Mind, On The Page
Readers familiar with The Far Side will recognize that Gary Larson favored a set of recurring elements and concepts, which found articulation in his work time and again. From a somber fixation on the end of the world, to dedicated interest in world history, Larson’s work featured variants on the same subjects, even as it steadfastly refused to engage with plot beyond the confines of a single panel. Science and nature were among the most regularly featured in the comic. This was due to what 20/20 described as Larson’s “background in science” and his continued appreciation for the field.
However, as a consequence, this meant that scientists suffered the inglorious attention of Gary Larson’s novel creative mindset more than many other noble professions. Scientific researchers and scientific achievements were often lampooned in The Far Side, whatever admiration it stemmed from. Speaking with 20/20, explained the simple reason for this:
Interviewer: You say you have reverence for scientists, yet it doesn’t stop you from poking fun at them in your cartoons.
Larson: No, well…I just have fun with it. It’s the theme that occurs to me most frequently.
As Larson noted, his jokes were a playful expression of what was on his mind at any given time. From what astute admirers of his work can gather, the author likely day-dreamed about an alternate full-time career in the scientific field.
While the artist didn’t offer more beyond the idea that he was often thinking of science, this is in line with Gary Larson’s consistent explanation of his creative process as a largely intuitive act. When Larson sat down at night to work on The Far Side, he let the ideas that had been rattling around his head all day pour forth. Because he spent a great deal of time thinking about science and nature, these found their way to the page more often than not.
The Far Side’s Scientists Were Human, All Too Human
Thankfully, Progress Isn’t Linear
From a young age, Gary Larson’s love of science and his intense imagination were stoked by his older brother, who had no idea this potent mix would go on to become essential to the success of The Far Side. The younger Larson’s interest in science never abated, after his formative childhood attempts at experiment and discovery, and this same wonder-filled attitude toward the world around him later undergirded the humor of The Far Side, as abstract and surreal as it often was. Whatever subject he set his idiosyncratic perspective on, Gary Larson approached making fun of it with a scientific curiosity.
The preoccupations and obsessions that would drive Gary Larson’s success were evident as early as the proto-history of The Far Side, in the form of its original title: Nature’s Way. Though Far Side’s iconic fourteen-year run in syndication began at the start of 1980, an earlier version of the strip began running several years earlier. The formative Nature’s Way strip contains much of the same creative DNA as its successor; anyone interested in learning more about Gary Larson should certainly seek it out, though the title alone speaks volumes in itself.
As a name, “The Far Side” speaks perfectly to the frequently inscrutable nature of Gary Larson’s humor. “Nature’s Way,” by contrast, made it clear that human folly was just one part of the larger naturalistic worldview that Larson would develop to full maturity over the course of his career. In “The Far Side,” all characters, from humans, to anthropomorphic dogs, to inanimate objects sprung to life, were equally at the mercy of their creator’s whims. “Nature’s Way” seemed to be saying something more specific, about nature’s push back against civilization.
Gary Larson Influenced Science, Just Like It Influenced Him
The Far Side’s Lasting Legacy
Despite the multitude of jokes at their expense, a strong Far Side fandom quickly developed within the scientific community, and over the years, scientists have recognized Gary Larson in several stand-out ways. Most famously, the spiked tail of a stegosaurus was officially named the “thagomizer,” a term taken directly from a Far Side joke. Coining a scientific term is no light achievement, making this one of the comic’s most lasting impacts on culture. Further, as if that wasn’t enough, Larson has had not one, but two species of insect named for him.
Both the chewing louse called the Strigiphilus garylarsoni, and the butterfly species Serratoterga larsoni were named in honor of Gary Larson, by Far Side readers doing field research, who discovered these species. For Larson, this had to have been among his most momentous achievements. Surely, his work as a cartoonist brought fame, and financial security, and the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten a reaction out of countless readers over the years. However, given his predominant interest in science, leaving a direct impact on the field through his art must have felt like an incredible feat.
The Far Side’s scientist jokes were often among its most amusing – in large part due to the fact that Gary Larson spent so much time thinking about them. More critically, Larson thought like a scientist, approaching life by asking questions, and looking to discover something unexpected. Rather than fundamental realities, however, his artistic goal became about exploring unreality, the fissures in the fabric of human experience, and finding the absurd humor there, which made The Far Side the invaluable cultural artifact it is today.
Source: 20/20 Gary Larson interview (January 8, 1987)
The Far Side
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.
