10 Hilarious Wordless Far Side Comics That Are Begging for Captions

With his single-panel gags and perfectly minimalist expressions, Gary Larson's The Far Side often serves up the perfect fodder for caption competitions. Sadly, the creator himself was so gifted with words, it's rare anyone could come up with something better.

Happily, then, there are some Far Side strips that don't have any captions at all - hilarious images which are great by themselves, but cry out for fans to increase the laugh factor.

In some select cases, the right combination of words can improve or add new levels to Larson's intended gag. Here are the 10 Far Side comics that get even funnier if you add the right words underneath, and our suggestions for what those words should be. Let us know in the comments what captions you'd add to the following comics...

10 "You Know, I Bet That's Enough for Some Salmon"

Publication Date: August 10, 1981

Larson's best gags infuse animals with human behavior, and this strip sees two bears confusedly looking through the wallet of a guy they just mauled. The image's joke suggests they don't quite understand what they're seeing - an intersection of human complexity and animal instinct.

However making the bears just a tiny bit smarter hones in on the sweet spot of the joke - they understand what money is when they see it, but it hadn't occurred to them until now that it was an option for filling their bellies.

9 "Mom’s Gonna Kill Us"

Publication Date: May 9, 1985

The Far Side always excelled in anthropomorphizing animals and giving them hilarious human qualities. Here, a couple of fish are playing baseball when their game has accidentally caused their bowl to spring a leak.

Given that the fish with a bat looks more nervous than gravely concerned, a funny addition could be "Mom’s gonna kill us." The idea likening the fish breaking the bowl to breaking a window and the humor really coming from the fish being more worried about parental discipline than the fact that he’s moments from death.

8 "I've Never Been So Embarrassed"

Publication Date: June 8, 1984

Larson goes for the classic ‘slipping on a banana peel’ gag with the strip, but subverts it by having the unlucky victim be a penguin in the middle of an arctic wasteland.

It’s definitely funny on its own (though it does make one wonder if someone else is there with the penguin). A nice addition would be a dialogue caption with the penguin saying something to the effect of “I’ve never been so embarrassed," playing on the fact that there’s literally no one around to see the penguin’s shame.

7 "I Just Need to Get Your Wing, and It's Perfect"

Publication Date: December 19, 1994

Larson was a master at crafting unusual scenarios. For this gag, The Far Side presents an artist that is doing a still-life portrait of a woman. The problem is a fly has landed on the inside of the artist’s glasses, and he has painted the bug’s features onto the woman.

It's a ridiculous situation where the artist should have immediately noticed something was wrong, so let's dial his foolishness up a notch. Have the artist say "I just need to get your wing, and it’s perfect," emphasizing that he's totally bought into the human/insect hybrid he thinks he's seeing.

It’s a good way to really hammer home how ignorant this artist must be if he actually thinks that’s what his subject looks like.

6 "Someone Should Really Put That Out"

Publication Date: March 31, 1981

Incompetence is a great thing to base a gag on. Here, The Far Side shows a group of firefighters attempting to save a woman as she jumps out of a building. Unfortunately, the trampoline they’re using accidentally sends her into the next building, which is also on fire.

A good visual gag on its own, but something to hint at just how bad these firefighters are at this job would give it that extra zing. “Someone should really put that out” is a fine way to showcase how these rescue workers are far from the sharpest knives in the drawer.

5 "Sheldon Was Warned the Postal Service Was a Dangerous Job"

Publication Date: May 16, 1981

It's rare for The Far Side to do strips that feature more than one panel, but of all the ones that broke away from the standard format, this one is one of the funniest.

Here, a postman is delivering mail when he’s oddly attacked by a mailbox, which rapidly consumes him. How exactly does one add to such an over-the-top scenario? Something like “Sheldon was warned the postal service was a dangerous job.” seems appropriate. While there are certainly dangers to delivering mail, who the hell would ever expect being eaten by a mailbox?

4 "Putting Mondays in Perspective"

Publication Date: December 16, 1983

The Far Side wasn’t afraid to take pot-shots at other comic strips and cartoons (in a playful manner, of course). So for this gag, Larson has a snake consume one of The Far Side’s competitors - Jim Davis' Garfield.

The snake has a full belly and is cozied up around a dish labeled "Garfield", implying that everyone’s favorite lasagna-loving cat has been consumed. Definitely funny on its own, but what could really push it is a sardonic observation like “Putting Mondays in perspective.”. After all, Garfield hates Mondays, but compared to being eaten by a snake, they’re really not that bad.

3 "It Wasn’t Ideal, But Paul Was Happy for the Company"

Publication Date: June 4, 1984

Aliens always make for a good gag and here, Larson blends an alien invasion with another terrifying ordeal: a man who has been marooned on a tiny island. The visual gag suggests that a bad situation just got even worse.

However, the gag's even funnier if the caption plays against the image. “It wasn’t ideal, but Paul was happy for the company” tells the reader that actually, this dire situation is more of a nice change of pace. That kind of bizarre optimism is perfect for The Far Side.

2 "The Cattle Feared the Land Dispute Was Getting Worse"

Publication Date: February 26, 1986

This Far Side strip doesn’t have a caption, but it does include words, albeit backwards and used as a brand. A particularly obsessive rancher is preparing to brand his cattle with an iron that is so specific it includes his name and a warning.

“The cattle feared the land dispute was getting worse.” seems like classic Far Side, not only going for the obvious, but also hinting at the circumstances that led to such an incredibly absurd scenario.

1 "Bob’s Biggest Regret Was Not Getting Out More"

Publication Date: July 7, 1980

It’s always funny (if not a bit morbid) seeing something go completely wrong in a Far Side strip. Indeed, some of the best Far Side gags are those where no-one survives.

Here, a man has taken the plunge and gone skydiving, but while a nearby skydiver is floating gently to the ground, the man’s parachute has been ransacked by moths, who fly away having consumed his much-needed accessory.

The strip is solid on its own, but why not go for the one-two punch with “Bob’s biggest regret was not getting out more.”? It’s a darkly humorous way of expressing how an earlier attempt at skydiving might have helped him avoid those darn moths.

Those are the 10 Far Side comics that can be improved with the right caption - let us know if you agree below, and serve up your own captions for Larson's wordless gags.

A huge H/T to Justin Epps for assembling our original list, 10 Wordless Far Side Comics That Should Have Had a Caption (And I Know What It Should Be).