6 Brilliant Far Side Comics Starring Real People

Published Aug 17, 2026, 11:50 AM EDT Ambrose Tardive is an editor on ScreenRant's Comics team. Over the past two years, he has developed into the internet's foremost authority on The Far Side. Outside of his work for ScreenRant, Ambrose works as an Adjunct English Instructor. Like a great sitcom, or a season of Law & Order, Gary Larson's The Far Side had its share of "guest stars," real people who popped up in Larson's warped version of reality for the sake of some bit. Except because The Far Side was a cartoon, it wasn't restricted to celebrity guests; instead, Larson had his pick of historical individuals to make jokes at the expense, in addition to contemporary pop culture figures. This list counts down some of the all-time greatest Far Sides featuring actual people, past and present. (And one case where Gary Larson accidentally managed to do both with one cartoon.) These comics occupy their own distinct corner of The Far Side canon; they are not quite like Larson's other cartoons, though they stem from the same style and comedic sensibility, and it's worth considering why that is. ​​​​​​​There's a story behind every Far Side cartoon, in most cases untold. With The Far Side's references to real people, though, it often seems a bit easier to get into Gary Larson's head and try to pin down the creative process that led to these Far Side panels. 6 "Darwin Reaches The Galápagos" First Published: December 29, 1987 Charles Darwin is one of the most influential scientists in modern history. His exploration of the Galápagos Islands aboard the HMS Beagle, back in 1835, have attained semi-mythical status as one of the foundational moments of modernity. It was this voyage as a young man (Chucky D was 26 when the Beagle departed and just over thirty when it returned) that led directly to his work on the theory of evolution. Darwin's place in the scientific canon, plus the fact that the best known images of him are as an older man, mean he tends to be treated with a level of reverence and gravitas that this Far Side cartoon eschews completely. Gary Larson's take on him is not only young, he's dorky. What's the first thing he says when arriving at the Galápagos? Not some bold proclamation about destiny, or deep realization about scientific truth. No, he hollers: "Oo! Wow! Lizard city!" 5 "The Untold Ending Of D.B. Cooper" First Published:​​​​​​​ May 3, 1988 It's one of the 20th century's great pop culture mysteries: what happened to plane hijacker D.B. Cooper? There have been many different theories about Cooper's identity and fate since his infamous crime in 1971, and Gary Larson weighed in with The Far Side 17 years after the fact with this classic cartoon. Captioned "the untold ending of D.B. Cooper," this darkly playful Far Side panel operates from the commonly held belief that Cooper was never apprehended by the authorities because he died after parachuting out of Flight 305 back in '71. In Larson's version of events, the hijacker didn't just crash-land and succumb to his injuries. No, he was devoured by Rottweilers. It's a dramatic, but hilarious "didn't see that coming" punchline. Which is made even funnier by the idea that "Ben & Vera," the Rottweilers' trainers, presumably found the $200,000 Cooper had on him when he jumped out of the plane, and never, ever said a word about it. All told, it is a truly brilliant Far Side joke. 4 "George Washington... Visionary Ballroom Break Dancer" First Published:​​​​​​​ May 14, 1991 Gary Larson made multiple jokes about George Washington over the years, but it's hard to argue that this isn't the funniest of them all. Not just because the Founding Father is recast as a "visionary ballroom break dancer," but because of the way this Far Side cartoon fleshes out the scene around him. That is, no one seems thrilled George is doing his thing again. "There he goes again," reads a thought balloon over one musician's head, as the American President makes a mockery of culture and art. At least, that's the vibe, because Washington is about 180 years ahead of his time. And, of course, the sight of Washington breakdancing is a laugh-out-loud Far Side comic image in its own right, making a mockery of a beloved figure in a lighthearted way, resulting in a classic cartoon. 3 "Giorgio Armani At Home" First Published:​​​​​​​ November 29, 1991 Even the most put-together people in the world have to go full slob mode sometimes. At least, that's what this Far Side cartoon is saying, by depicting "Giorgio Armani at home" covered in ketchup and mustard stains from the hot dog he's eating and surrounded by trash from a snack binge. In the background, the kitchen sink is full of an unruly and unwashed pile of dishes. And Gary Larson's Armani seems perfectly content in this Spartan apartment, watching a small TV while sitting in a small recliner, smoking cigarettes indoors and pigging out. And Larson adds simple but effective touches, like the "Monster Truck Expo" poster and, because this is a Far Side cartoon, a picture of a cow, to sell the fact that this fictitious Armani is privately radically different from how he presents himself to the world. Yes, the legendary fashion designer caught a stray here, for the purpose of the punchline, but he proved to be an effective choice for this Far Side joke about public/private duality. 2 "I'm Al Tilley, The Bum" First Published:​​​​​​​ December 11, 1984 Even hardcore Far Side fans can admit this might be one of Gary Larson's worst puns, but the circumstances surrounding this cartoon have rendered it a classic anyway. Here, a castle's defenders are on edge because they've heard the fearsome historical warlord Attila the Hun is coming. But it turns out it's actually "Al Tilley...the bum." 42 years after it was published, it is up to individual readers to decide if this is a terrible joke or a great one. That said, back in '84, it struck a chord with one Far Side reader in particular: a man actually named Al Tilley. In The Complete Far Side, Larson included a letter from Tilley saying how amazed he was to not only find his name in the paper, but find it in a Far Side. So, this cartoon has a special place in The Far Side lore. It is a reference to a historical figure, but also a modern-day real person at the same time. A happy accident, but still an incredible tale of The Far Side's reach. 1 "The End" (For Gary Larson) First Published: October 28, 1988 The real person in this cartoon is none other than Gary Larson himself. Sitting at his desk, drawing The Far Side. Which means this is happening late at night, because that is when Larson worked on The Far Side. And he hasn't quite gotten into a groove yet, when a mob of cows bust into his office with seemingly violent intentions. There are a bunch of them, and they're carrying weapons, and the implication is they don't like all the jokes Larson has been making at their expense. (For what it's worth, the caricature of their creator looks over his shoulder with a resigned expression, as if he knew this day would come.) The caption of the cartoon simply reads: "The End (Act One)," implying there will be an "Act Two." And that's because Larson published this self-insert as the last cartoon before he took a 14-month hiatus from The Far Side. It's a perfect fourth-wall break, and a memorable "see you later" from Larson, who did come back for one final act of his career in 1990. When The Far Side finally did end for good (mostly), it went out with an "it was all a dream" joke, but with this cartoon, things got very real for the iconic comic's creator. Writer Gary Larson Colorist Gary Larson