Whether it features prehistoric humans, bears, or bats, a Far Side comic set in a cave is always a treat for readers. The cave was one of Gary Larson’s most can’t-miss locations, a setting that he could always count on to serve as the basis for an unforgettable cartoon.

What made the cave such a powerful setting for Far Side punchlines? For one thing, they were relatively easy for Larson to draw, if he was tight on time delivering a batch of new cartoons to his publisher. But that’s just a practical matter. In terms of comedic magic, it was often the cave’s inescapability that drew Larson in and laid the foundation for multiple timeless jokes.

In each of the timelessly funny Far Side cartoons below, the cave is more than just a place. It is a part of the joke. And that is what makes them stand out among the many cave cartoons Gary Larson produced.

The First Birthday Cake Goes Horribly Awry

First Published: August 27, 1983

Gary Larson loved to imagine milestones in human history, a fascination that provided fodder for too many Far Side cartoons to count. This panel, which is also one of Larson’s wordless masterpieces, depicts what readers can guess is the trial-and-error first round of inventing the birthday candle. Emphasis on error. And it’s also a trial-by-fire.

Because the intrepid prehistoric celebration is marred by the fact that everyone in the cave is at risk of dying of smoke inhalation, if not outright burning up in the out of control fire spread by the “candle,” which is an entire tree stump going up in flames.

This Far Side inventor almost nailed it: she was ahead of her time in terms of celebrating birthdays, and also baked what looks like the first ever cake. But the prototype candle was a little too much, and she had to learn the hard way not to start a fire in an unventilated cave with limited exits.

“Take Two Sticks Of Approximately Equal Size…”

First Published: May 17, 1984

The Far Side and caveman jokes are synonymous, sure, but sometimes people forget just how many jokes about gangsters Gary Larson made as well. In this panel, Larson found the funniest possible synthesis of the two. If a group of prehistoric mobsters had a guy tied to a chair and were trying to pump him for information, what would they be asking about?

The secret to making fire, of course. It’s a laugh-out-loud Larsonian punchline. In the panel, fire’s creator spills the beans, and the lead interrogator writes down the instructions as he tells them how to “take two sticks of approximately equal size and weight,” and then “rub them together” to start a fire.

It’s a perfect joke, but it’s also the kind of Far Side fans will wish had a sequel. It is easy to envision a scenario where the thugs try to make fire but can’t get it right, and their captive pays the price for their failure. Or even the next beat in this scene being that they just plain don’t believe him, because how could rubbing two sticks together make fire anyway?

“A Thousand Points Of Darkness”

First Published: August 22, 1990

“And during my term, I’m looking forward to a kinder, gentler cave,” exclaims the bat politician speaking to voters during a campaign event at the mouth of the cave. Beyond them is a star-filled night sky, unpolluted by the light from The Far Side’s cities, but the candidate evokes the opposite in his speech, promising “a thousand points of darkness showing us the way.”

It’s a lighthearted jab at politicians and elections, nothing on the level of Doonesbury or anything, but enough to make it clear Gary Larson saw a profound silliness in this social behavior, or misbehavior, just like he did in most other human activities.

And as always, Larson expressed that best with The Far Side’s most tried-and-true technique: talking animals. By anthropomorphizing animals, like bats, the author highlighted both the differences and similarities between them and humans, finding each to be absurdly funny.

“Margaret! You?”

First Published: May 11, 1992​​​​​​​

This is one of the most outrageous Far Side comics Gary Larson ever produced. Outrageously funny, for those who share Larson’s comedic sensibilities, and for Larson’s critics, another reason to be outraged. In the cartoon, a hunter lies dying on the ground at the mouth of a bear’s cave, shot in the back by his own wife wearing a bear costume.

In the cave, an actual bear looks over his shoulder, coldly surveying the scene. On the bear’s nightstand is an autographed picture of the woman. “Love, M,” it reads. The hunter groans her name, “Margaret.” The barrel of her shotgun is still smoking. His is still clutched uselessly in his hand. “I…should…have…knowwwwwnnnnnn,” the man says as he expires.

The scene is a glorious soap-operatic melodrama, made ridiculous by the bear costume and the interspecies romance of it all. The cartoon is a laugh-out-loud Far Side visual, and the caption adds another hilarious layer on top of that, leaving readers with so many questions, in the best possible way.

“The Language Of Bears”

First Published: January 10, 1994​​​​​​​

Another classic Far Side bear comic. And another bear costume. This one seemingly not as seamless as the last one. That is, Margaret’s bear suit didn’t have a giant, obvious zipper, at least not running down the front. Which proves to be a fatal flaw for “Professor Wainwright,” the undercover animal linguist.

Readers don’t witness Wainwright’s demise, but the cartoon’s caption alludes to a “sudden and horrific end” to his “painstaking field research to decode the language of bears.” The hysterically tragic thing is that he was actually getting it. At the very least, he was able to translate the word “zipper” right before being (presumably) torn to shreds.

The late Professor surely knew he might not make it out of the bears’ cave alive; the real question is whether his notepad will be devoured alongside him, and whether “the language of bears” will remain their secret.

“I Wouldn’t Do That, Thorg”

First Published:​​​​​​​ October 27, 1994

It’s like a scene out of an action movie, but in farcical Far Side style. Think of the scene in Pulp Fiction where John Travolta’s character comes out of the bathroom and Bruce Willis is standing there pointing Travolta’s gun, which he left on the kitchen counter, at him. That is what’s going on here, except the characters are cavemen, and one has a bow, while the other reaches for his club. (And neither of them are as cool as Bruce Willis or John Travolta.)

“I wouldn’t do that, Thorg,” the one with the bow says to the one reaching for the club. “I know how to use this thing,” the bow-wielder says, but the funny thing is that he’s holding it completely wrong. The arrow is clutched in his hand, pointed up at the cave ceiling, not nocked and ready to shoot. The open-ended question of this Far Side cartoon is whether Thorg knows that or not.

It is tragically funny, at the one with the bow’s expense, if Thorg does know. But it is arguably funnier if he doesn’t, if both characters are equally incompetent. Either way, this comic from late in Gary Larson’s career is one of the best Far Side comics ever set in a cave.

Honorable Mentions:

Caves pop up in a lot of Far Side cartoons. Above is a curated selection of the funniest Far Sides that use caves as an interior setting, where the setting is integral to the joke in some way. Or at least prominently featured. That said, it’s worth shouting out some memorable Far Sides that took place out front of caves.

Like the one featuring the first prehistoric human to stand his ground and fight a sabretooth tiger. He “bonks” it on the head repeatedly, only to “bonk” himself on the head because he doesn’t duck going re-entering his cave. An iconic Far Side use of sound effects. Then there’s the one where the knight looking to slay a dragon mistakes the dragon’s nostril for a cave. Or the one with the caveman chiseling a toaster outside his cave, with nowhere to plug it in for thousands of years.

These are just a few examples. The cave as a setting, both inside and outside, proved pivotal to many more iconic Far Side cartoons.

Tell us what you think, Far Side fans. What is your favorite Far Side comic set inside (or outside of) a cave?

Writer

Gary Larson

Colorist

Gary Larson