Gary Larson Far Side Comics Featuring Demons
Gary Larson’s syndicated comic strip The Far Side frequently courted controversy by pushing moral boundaries into morbid territory, particularly through its recurring use of demonic characters for lighthearted comedy. Publisher Universal Press Syndicate published these strips across multiple decades, featuring personalized eternal punishments and domestic squabbles in the underworld that often drew criticism for crossing generational lines.
Bowling Alleys and Customized Torment in Hell
Personalized punishments formed a recurring motif throughout the run of The Far Side. Published on April 27, 1990, a strip titled “The Far Side Has a Special Place For Naughty Bowlers” depicted a bowler in hell facing an exaggerated lane split. The visual humor relied heavily on spatial distortion, pitting a taunting demon against a confined, thick-walled backdrop resembling outer space.
Other installments deployed similar underworld settings to examine mundane human frustrations. Released on July 4, 1984, a panel showed a condemned resident whispering a complaint about the environment to a neighbor while surrounded by dark caverns and bright fires. Another strip from August 19, 1982, captured a cheerful man whistling happily while working in hell, much to the visible frustration of his overseers.
Domestic Life and Bureaucracy in the Underworld
Larson regularly humanized his demonic figures by placing them in standard domestic or professional environments. Published on June 25, 1993, a strip titled “The Far Side Demons Have Feelings Too” showed the devil gazing through a living room window at people he was tasked to torment, asking his wife if he was a butthead.
Bureaucratic categorization also surfaced on May 8, 1988, in a strip featuring a long hallway of labeled doors in hell, illustrating that demons required shortcuts to manage their workloads. On August 19, 1987, “Hell’s Library Has an Appropriate Title” presented a section of literature containing only books on story problems, watched over by a grinning demon.
Newspaper reading habits made an appearance on May 23, 1988, when a demon perused a black-and-white publication featuring headlines modeled after earthly news formats. Literal interpretations of common phrases also drove the humor, such as a strip where a demon entered a numbered room.
Media satire arrived on January 29, 1992, in a panel where broadcast journalist Mike Wallace interviewed the devil in an uncomfortable office setting filled with skulls.
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