The Far Side's boldest acts of reinvention.
The Far Side reinvented the wheel when it came to newspaper cartoons, which was apropos, because creator Gary Larson was borderline obsessed with the invention of the wheel.
It was a subject he returned to many times during his career, and each time produced increasingly funny results. Larson found prehistory and proto-civilization to be a wide-open frontier for comedy. It was a time when fire was first discovered, but people didn't know not to touch it yet. When the wheel was first carved out of stone, but prehistoric men didn't know not to strap themselves to it and roll down a hill.
This list honors Gary Larson's legendary run of repeated reinventions of the wheel. Each one is a testament to Larson's ability to retread the same creative ground with The Far Side and still find something new and hilarious to offer readers each time. The Far Side Nails The Perfect Wheel Joke, No Notes First Published: August 17, 1982 This cartoon is in contention for funniest Far Side comic ever, in any category.
It's certainly the sort of timeless Far Side joke that is just as perfect today as it was 44 years ago. In a sequence of six images, Gary Larson depicts a prehistoric innovator chiseling away at a clump of rock, at work on the very first wheel. He rounds off the edges, forming his invention into its familiar circular shape. He carves out the middle of the stone, and voilà: the wheel.
And then, inexplicably, his creation deflates with a dejected"ssssss,' like the wheel of a bicycle, rather than the stone prototype for humanity's most gamechanging invention. Car Owners' Worst Nightmare Was A Problem Even Before Cars First Published: December 23, 1982 The brilliance of this Far Side cartoon is in its composition. Where do our eyes go first when we look at a Far Side panel?
Some people might go to the caption immediately for context, but for most readers, it is the image that gets their attention immediately. Here, readers' eyes are drawn to the pterodactyl in the foreground, sporting a rye smile on its face. In the background, a prehistoric man stands next to an early wheel, his fists raised over his head, mouth open in an angry shout. The caption, then, explains.
Except in this case, Gary Larson wryly tells readers what happened without actually saying what happened. For car owners, especially those who take pride in meticulously keeping their cars clean, it doesn't need to be said.
"Zog had just finished washing his new invention," Larson writes. And the reader knows exactly why the caveman is so mad, and the pterodactyl is so pleased with itself. This Poor Prehistoric Man Is Left Holding The Chisel While His Friends Go Out Cruising First Published: September 13, 1984 This is another all-time great Far Side cartoon. It's a peak example of a wordless Far Side cartoon that lets its illustration speak volumes.
It's even fair to argue that a caption could've made this joke less funny. With this panel, Gary Larson once more undermines the glory of the invention of the wheel. In the foreground, he depicts a prehistoric guy standing out front of his cave, stone hammer in hand, hard at work on perfecting the wheel. Except instead of being way ahead of his time, it seems he's actually been left in the dust by history.
Related 10 Far Side Comics That Really Need a Caption The Far Side often lacked a caption, leaving its art to speak for itself; sometimes this was the right call, but some comics could use a caption. Posts 9 By Ambrose Tardive Literally, in this case. He watches as a convertible comes careening out of the adjacent cave, with a bunch of his fellow cave-dwellers having apparently had an industrial revolution behind his back. It's a genius sight gag.
And, you can't help but feel for the hapless character who didn't get to go for the first joy ride ever. The Far Side Salutes Those Who Suffered Through Early Trial & Error First Published: October 23, 1984 "Okay, we've got the wheel. Now what do we do with it?
" That's the premise of this iconic Far Side joke. Captioned"early experiments in transportation," the panel hilariously proposes an early failed attempt at using the wheel to speed up travel. An attempt that is going to end really, really badly for the intrepid soul who signed up for the experiment. The cartoon shows a prehistoric man with his legs tied to a giant stone wheel, as three more cavemen prepare to push the wheel down a steep, rocky mountaintop.
In an A+ comedic touch, another caveman stands off to the side, with a primitive notepad and pencil, prepared to take notes on how it goes. The Far Side leaves readers to imagine the gory details for themselves, and that's key to the humor. The end result of the experiment isn't going to be funny, but the idea of the experiment, and that it got this far, is laugh-out-loud stuff.
The First Mechanic Had To Work With The Tools That Were Invented First Published: January 17, 1986 One of The Far Side's most underrated virtues is Gary Larson's ability to slip into different characters' voices. Here, he presents a prehistoric mechanic ranting about being handed the wrong tool. Only to realize he actually was given the tool he asked for, and then subsequently lamenting the poor state of tools at this point in history.
It's a great"scene," as far as The Far Side could distill a bit like this into a single image and just a few lines of text. Larson's vision of the ancestor of the stereotypical gruff mechanic is an overlooked gem, in terms of the many memorable prehistoric Far Side panels he produced over the years.
The Far Side Introduces The First "Wheel Gang" In History First Published: January 15, 1988 One of Gary Larson's best creative tricks was taking something familiar and putting it in a completely different context. That's part of why he returned to the prehistoric setting so frequently; it offered the opportunity for a deliriously amusing blend of the present and the farthest reaches of the past. Case in point:"The Mastadon Mothers.
" That's The Far Side's"early wheel gang," a group of proto-bikers who stand around smoking cigarettes and looking tough in front of their giant stone wheels, in lieu of the choppers their descendents will ride. In The Far Side, it seems time is a flat circle, and some behaviors go back way farther than one might think.
The Far Side Tells The Origin Story Of Capitalism In A Perfect Punchline First Published: July 18, 1988 Another perfect wordless Far Side joke. And rightfully so, because even if he could communicate with more than just grunts and pointed fingers, the caveman on the left here would be left speechless. Gary Larson captures the moment that this prehistoric genius puts the finishing touches on the first wheel, only to find that he's been outsmarted.
That is, he looks over his shoulder, and there's another caveman chiseling the first-ever parking meter. It's an absolutely brilliant joke. Wherever there is innovation, monetization follows. It's the story of human history.
The Far Side captures this without even having to say anything. Sorry you wasted all that time on Das Kapital, Marx.
"Zog" Returns As Gary Larson Revisits A Classic Caveman Punchline First Published: March 20, 1991 This Far Side cartoon is a satisfying capstone for this list, because it echoes several earlier entries. Here, Gary Larson takes readers to"Zog's Weel Repair.
" Remember how in an earlier panel Larson named the inventor of the wheel"Zog"? One can imagine this as the same character, having inadvertently doomed himself to a life of fixing broken wheels by inventing the darn thing. Related 15 Funniest Far Side Comics That Use Thought Balloons These 15 hilarious Far Side comics show that Gary Larson's jokes are even funnier when you can see what his characters are thinking.
Posts By Robert Wood This Far Side"sequel" comic also evokes Larson's earlier prehistoric mechanic bit. Except this time, Zog really is being handed the incorrect tool.
"Me need Phillips," he barks, as his helper holds out a rock, eyes bulging with an utterly dumbfounded look. As always, the eyes were the window into the funniest part of this Far Side cartoon. Though Zog's mechanic attire is a close second. The Far Side Writer Gary Larson Colorist Gary Larson Expand Collapse
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