Wolves Embrace an Alarming New Habit in 10 Darkest Far Side Comics That Prove Gary Larson Was Ahead of His Time

Wildlife and human fallout

In one strip, three wolves gather in a forest clearing, and one has a duck held up his nose. The caption connects their strange behavior to human pressure and damage to their habitat.

Larson plays on drug-related language, using ducks as the wolves’ supply and a sound associated with them as a pun. The joke links the animals’ predicament to the effects of people on wildlife.

Calm scenes, catastrophic stakes

Two fishermen sit in a boat as mushroom clouds rise beyond distant hills. One focuses on the possibility of fishing without restrictions, barely attending to the catastrophe behind him as he speaks to Norm.

At Frozen Friends Cryogenic Enterprises, people rest inside upright storage units marked to remain at minus 200 degrees. A janitor, apparently unaware of the equipment’s purpose, unplugs its electrical lead, putting the frozen customers’ hopes of waking again at risk and exposing the company to legal costs.

Threats in unexpected places

A clown browses firearms in a gun shop, apparently taking other people’s laughter as a personal insult. The contrast between his profession and his grievance gives the scene its uneasy humor.

In another panel, guards try to make an electric chair work, suspecting dirty contacts and repeatedly flicking a switch. Their routine troubleshooting threatens to jolt the prisoner strapped into the chair each time they try.

Pinocchio stands on an African plain surrounded by lions after becoming a real boy during his vacation. The wish he long held is fulfilled at a moment when his new human form leaves him exposed to predators.