[polygotdomain]

Growing up my best friend and I loved The Far Side. In many ways it was the basis to the quirky humor we both shared, and would continue to explore throughout our youth. In elementary school we had countless Far Side books between us, and by middle school a few shirts too (I remember having "Midvale School for the Gifted").

Well he turned 40 just a few weeks ago, and I needed to find a present. I don't know why, as The Far Side hadn't crossed my conscious in quite some time, but I thought "I'll get him 'The Chickens are Restless'". After some quick searching, he ended up with the Complete Works containing every thing from The Far Side.

Wrapped, he didn't have a clue what I'd got him or why it was so damn heavy. The first glance as he opened in and realized what it was instantly brought a smile to his face. It's amazing how small things bring people together, and The Far Side will always be one of them for my best friend and I. I'm sure there will be some new comics we'd missed and there will be some new chuckles.

[7thaccount]

My mother used to drag me to the Hallmark store as a kid and she'd spend unreasonable amounts of time chatting with the workers and browsing who knows what. I think this was before I had a Gameboy and my only salvation was reading those Farside books. I both enjoyed them and was seriously creeped out by them. They also had Calvin and Hobbes which I adored.

[justworkout]

The creepiness is something nobody ever seems to mention about The Far Side and that's my biggest lasting impression of the comics. They're deeply unsettling and have a weird uncanny valley feeling to me.

That's not to say they're bad. But something about them always has a tinge of horror to me.

[aksss]

Well a lot of it is quite dark. One of my favorites being the jet pilots asking each other why there’s a mountain goat in the clouds.

[vmurthy]

This reminds me of the sub Reddit /r/twosentencehorror.

<https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoSentenceHorror/>.

[Wistar]

Mine, too.

[bell-cot]

Oh, yes - lots of unsettling, dark, and creepy. But within a kid-safe, G-rated context. And they're generally very cautionary (vs. any sort of pro-violence stuff).

And with how good humans suddenly become at learning, when they see someone else make a mistake and immediately suffer the consequences...I'd even call The Far Side educational.

[dspillett]

Surreal humour and art seems to trigger a little of that disgust reflex that makes it feel darker than it might otherwise be, and it tends to have a dark tinge to start with. That Far Side is often just a little surreal can make this worse in an uncanny valley sort of way, also it often takes the sort of thing that might be a simple kid's joke¹ a step or few further which touches that “I'd have rather kept that bit of innocence, thanks” nerve.

It isn't really that dark often² IMO, but it pushes your buttons and your head makes it so. Many people like that, some really find it creepy.

--

[1] a simple joke for kids, not a joke for kids who can't get into Midvale!

[2] except, of course, when it is!

[kasey_junk]

The day my kid got into the Far Side was a pretty good day.

Haven’t introduced him to the Pharcyde yet but soon.

[lioeters]

The Far Side was part of my growing up too, my friends and I shared much laughter and silliness. Those comics influenced our sense of humor and worldview.