The Far Sidehas had many comics about military topics like war and soldiers, with numerous comic strips showing those in the armed forces in some very unusual ways. However, it would not beThe Far Sideif a subject was portrayed in its typical fashion. Whether it be the inclusion of aliens or two soldiers squabbling in a water fight like children, the soldiers ofThe Far Sideare not exactly model recruits.
WhileThe Far Sideby Gary Larson is incredibly silly, it also utilizes some dark humor, which is nowhere more seen than in the comic strips that involve war, the military, and soldiers.Larson held an interest in soldiers as he portrayed wars throughout the ages, including those who fought in the Revolutionary War and the United States Civil War among many others in his works, leaving a vast number of soldier-centricFar Sidecomic strips.
11"Crash Collision"
September 7th, 1986
A fighter plane careens downward as a soldier parachutes down - while an unexpected individual is also parachuting down: an alien.The alien’s UFO and the soldier’s fighter plane have crashed into each other, leaving the pair to awkwardly parachute to safety together.The Far Sidealways knowshow to present the most surreal and strange scenes, packing a lot of weirdness (and humor) into just one panel, which is a testament to Larson’s talent as a comic strip creator.
A soldier being shown with an alien would not be anyone’s first idea for a comic strip, showing the creativity that is ever present inThe Far Side.
A soldier being shown with an alien would not be anyone’s first idea for a comic strip, showing the creativity that is ever present inThe Far Side. One would not assume that a soldier would need to look out for unidentified flying objects as part of their daily flying duties, but inThe Far Side, it is a must, as this comic strip illustrates.
10"Charles ‘Bugeyed’ Bingham"
August 26th, 1994
An American Revolutionary War-setFar Sidestrip, a genetically bug-eyed Red Coat soldier unintentionally puts his whole platoon at risk due to the opposing general having the order not to shoot until they see the whites of their foes' eyes. Thanks to the soldier who goes by the name Charles “Bugeyed” Bingham, the white of his eyes could be seen from space, let alone by the opposing American army.
The Redcoats are the colloquial name for the British Army at the time of the American Revolution, so Charles “Bugeyed” Bingham’s buggy eyes benefited the colonies and all the American soldiers who were tasked with firing in this version of American history that is captured inThe Far Side.If Charles “Bugeyed” Bingham survived this battle, maybe sunglasses would not be the worst idea for this British soldier.
9"Get That Cursed Bugle Fixed"
March 25th, 1981
Three members of the cavalry are front and center as they quickly approach their opponents, but one member is particularly annoyed with his comrade’s musical instrument of choice. Demanding that his fellow soldier get his bugle fixed as soon as possible, he is evidently not pleased at all about the accordion being the music to accompany their dramatic arrival.An accordion does not bring the same pathos as a bugle does, but one works with what they have.
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Traditionally, a bugle accompanies military-related settings and actions, so it would be fitting to hear a bugle in this scene. However, thisisThe Far Side, so, of course, the traditional or classic will not be anywhere near this comic strip. To boost their credibility, the soldier of this strip better get his bugle fixed quickly or receive the wrath of his fellow soldiers.
8"Henderson Is Doing It Again!"
A soldier goofs off despite having a job at a missile launch radar site, which is not an ideal workplace to goof at since it affects the safety of millions of people. One of his peers agrees with their workplace not being the best place to make funny faces and is not having it; he’s not afraid to tattle to his superior.
As a result,the soldier clowning around and the soldier snitching appear to be missing the bright red alert signal, which lets them know that they are about to launch a missile. Considering that there are numerousFar Side stripswhere the nuclear apocalypsehas happened, maybe this comic strip is a prequel of sorts to those end-of-the-world comic strips, and it is all because one soldier wanted to make a silly face at his coworker.
7"A Reflective Moment"
December 16th, 1981
With the Battle of Gettysberg being a major moment in the Civil War, it would be an understatement to say that Gettysburg soldiers had a lot going on. However,inThe Far Side, the Civil War soldiers made sure to take some small moments for themselves despite the ongoing war. Taking a moment from war to have a reflective moment,one soldier decides that now is a good time to do some bunny ears over his soldier comrade.
Even amidst the horrors of war, one soldier has not lost his sense of humor and desire to get a laugh. However, his elder and superior officer was probably not keen on receiving bunny ears for the otherwise very official-looking photo. Regardless, taking a break from their battle, a reflective moment for some turns into a photo op for one particular solider.
6"Washington Crossing the Street"
October 15th, 1986
George Washington is the center of a very famous painting called “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” which captures a moment of the Revolutionary War that Washington and his fellow soldiers participated in. The iconic image gets a modern update inThe Far Side, as George Washington and his fellow Revolutionary War soldiers cross a street intersection.
TheWashington Crossing the Delawareartwork was painted by Emanuel Leutze in 1851.
With Larson enjoying putting his own twists on classic works of art or of other popular media, this spin on the “Washington Crossing the Delaware” painting fits perfectly withThe Far Side’srecurring gag of making well-known imagery silly or even bizarre. Moving the setting from the Delaware River to a basic pedestrian crossing, the regal imagery of the painting is made kooky and absurd in the new setting, a specialty ofThe Far Side’scomic strips.
5"Heads!"
August 18th, 1980
In the trenches, soldiers have used grenades as a weapon that allows them to be at a distance from opposing forces and to take their opponent off-guard with a surprise attack. One less-than-intelligentsoldier inThe Far Sidedoes not seem to understand the surprise part of using grenades. When Soldier Johnson’s superior corrects him on what to do when he is about to throw the grenade,he lets him know to avoid alerting the opponent by yelling “heads” at them.
Given that the commanding officer says “this time” before correcting Johnson, the reader can infer that Johnson has given the other army a heads-up about the grenade way more times than he should have, which he should not have done even once. Maybe the front line of war is not where Johnson excels.
4"I Hate Sidewinders"
December 14th, 1994
The snake lovers out there are well aware of what a sidewinder is, but for those who may not be up-to-date on all the snake species, a sidewinder is a type of desert rattlesnake that lives in the American Southwest. An interesting characteristic of the sidewinder snake is that it moves by thrusting its body diagonally.
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The way the Sidewinder snake moves is incredibly unique, but also a thorn in the side of any creature that demands straight lines, asthisFar Sidecomic shows. With some snake soldiers out in the desert, the majority of the reptiles are in a straight-line formation as if they are marching like human soldiers. However,Solider Johnson is a sidewinder, so he is all over the place, moving around diagonally, infuriating his sergeant, who cannot stand sidewinders for their movement style.
3"Shirts! Mugs! Mementos!"
March 21st, 1987
The Battle of the Alamo occurred between Mexican forces and Texan volunteers, with the outcome being Mexico winning the important event in history. One shirt vendor is a little too confident in his view that Texas will win the battle inThe Far Side,as all the t-shirts he is selling proclaim victory over Santa Ana despite Texan soldiers keeling over all around him.
Oblivious to the way the tide is turning for the battle of the Alamo, the shirt vendor stays by his souvenir stand even though all the merchandise is pretty much worthless.It’s hard to imagine who would want to buy a memento from the losing team. Regardless,thisFar Sidecomic stripbrings the merchandise stands of today into the 1800s, making for a surreal and historical work.
2"Knock Off These Water Fights"
August 3rd, 1983
One squad leader has had enough with the shenanigans of his platoon when he sees that two soldiers are in the middle of a water-spitting fight with each other.It is probably not the best idea to waste water on water fightswhen trekking through the middle of the desert, but humans have rarely been bright orconscientious inThe Far Side.
Larson can infuse just about anything with humor and kookiness.
TypicalFar Sideadults, whether soldiers or not, behave as if they are immature, bratty children, with this comic strip showing a shining example of this running gag. Leave it to the characters ofThe Far Sideto bring their silliness and immaturity to even military life, as seen by these two bickering soldiers in the comic strip. Larson can infuse just about anything with humor and kookiness.
