Dungeons & Dragonsis one of the most popular roleplaying games of all time and what better way to celebrate the game than with a dose of comedy fromThe Far Side? D&D is an extraordinary way to spend time with friends as players come together to embark on fantastical adventures through fantasy landscapes. TheseFar Sidecomics are perfect for die-hard Dungeons & Dragons fans.
Both Dungeons & Dragons andThe Far Sideshare a whimsical lens on the absurd, each crafting imaginative worlds controlled by their own surreal logic. InThe Far Side,cows speak, aliens abduct humans, and dinosaurs collect people, echoing the playful unpredictability of an average D&D campaign. Both aren’t afraid to embrace the irrational, especially where humor emerges. At their core,both D&D andThe Far Siderevel in storytelling that can be as strange as it is surprisingly human.
10Fighting In Your New Suit
First Published: June 22, 2025
While a cleric or paladin may be able to heal your wounds, they aren’t often equipped to fix your busted armor. In this comic, a valiant knight has returned home from battle, beaten and broken as his armor has collapsed from taking so many blows. Meanwhile, his wife looks down with a scorning glance as she says,“So! You’ve been fighting again! And in your new suit, too!”Fortunately for this knight, he doesn’t seem to have taken any lethal blows despite the paltry state of his armor.
Any D&D player who has ever played a tank before can attest that this is what it feels like to exit a particularly harrowing battle. From Mind Flayers to Beholders,Dungeon Masters have figured out the best way to dole out serious punishmentto their beefiest fighters while the tank is forced to take the brunt of the damage. Fortunately, armor in D&D is a little easier to manage than thisFar Sideknight’s poor AC.
9We Need Hot Oil
First Published: Jul 08, 2025
There’s nothing better for a battle-centric party than a good dungeon raid. Sometimes players face down hordes of the undead, while at other timesthe party must face a fortress of enemy soldiers.Here, a party of knights is attempting to hold off an enemy invasion as arrows and spears are launched over the castle walls.“Hot oil! We need hot oil! … Forget the water balloons!”one knight says as the balloons completely fail to fend off the attackers.
As hilariously nonsensical as these knights’ actions are, adventuring parties always find the most complicated and equally nonsensical way to navigate through combat. Rogues will attempt to sneak poisons into their enemy’s mouths, while bards just try to seduce every villain they cross. While throwing water balloons at incoming attackers may seem silly inthisFar Sidecomic, it feels fairly par for the course for most adventurers.
8Never Eat the Shells:
First Published: June 06, 2025
No enemy is more iconic to Dungeons & Dragons than a dragon itself. In this panel, a pair of dragons look down with pride at the metallic remains of recently eaten knights. As they snarl and hiss over their conquest, one dragon exclaims“Of course I never eat the shells.”When campaigns like “Tyranny of Dragons”throw players against the terrifying might of a chromatic dragon, it’s easy to become overconfident in one’s own abilities.
However, when finally faced with the full power of an ancient dragon, the harsh disparity of power between the opposing enemies couldn’t be any clearer. Most dragons in D&D are elder forces of evil who see adventurers as mere nuisances and potential snacks. Fortunately, as long as your DM doesn’t have it out for your party,there’s always a way to overcome a dragon’s immense power and save the day.
7No Rest For The Wicked
First Published: August 01, 2025
While monsters and dragons are certainly terrifying,there’s something ominously foreboding about true witches, crones, and hags.They live to see the world twist under their magical schemes and to hunt the young and innocent to satiate their hunger. However, in this comic, the witch would love nothing more than to sleep in and avoid another day of hunting children when two wandering kids happen to stroll past her home.
“Shoot! … Sounds like little kids approaching… Well, no rest for the wicked!”the cartoonish witch thinks to herself as the children near.The Far Sidehas always relied on fast puns to deliver their most laughable jokes and this comic ranks above the rest. Regardless, it seems that this isn’t the first time the witch has had to wake from her slumber to terrify children and there’s no doubt it will happen again.
6When Birds Don’t Read
First Published: June 20, 2025
Here, we see what looks like a typical bird bath but is instead clearly labeled as the true Fountain of Youth. As a bird flies down to land in the water, nearby lay numerous eggs,presumably being birds that previously attempted to enter the fountain beforeaging backward into their egg form. The Fountain of Youth has appeared in multipleFar Sidecomics, showing that Gary Larson has a clear love for the fantastical fable.
In Dungeons & Dragons, there is a similar fountain of youthful prosperity known as the “Evergold” or the “Fountain of Beauty,” which is said to be the true source of elvenkind’s ageless beauty. However, in reality, the mystical fountain dates back to the early 5th century Greece and the Greek historian Herodotus. MaybeGary Larson is on to somethingand the real Fountain of Youth is merely hidden in plain sight.
5The Rack
First Published: 1980
While Dungeon Masters in Dungeons & Dragons may just be our best friends sitting on the other side of a DM screen with a collection of minis and dice, real-world “dungeon masters” were anything but friendly. Truthfully, “dungeon masters” were little more than professional torturers who would indiscriminately brutalize any that fell into their clutches. In this especiallyspine-chillingFar Sidecomic, the torturous job of the “dungeon master” is no different.
Here, a professional torturer has brought his parents to his work as he proudly shows them his favorite medieval invention, “The Rack.” However, his parents are seemingly unimpressed by their son’s cruel spectacles, despite how proud the torturer looks beside them. It’s certainly a bizarre situation given how lackadaisically blasé the parents are about their son’s line of work. Yet,like any good parents, they still showed up for the wicked son.
4No More Mr. Nice Guy
First Published: August 04, 2025
In an equally torturousFar Sidecomic, a brutish and hulking-looking medieval torturer has a victim strapped to a torture rack as he says“Still won’t talk, huh? … Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy.”While there are many reasons why a torturer would have been “necessary” at the time, the trope is that they were most often used to obtain information. Like modern police, there could have been a “good cop, bad cop” routine like Larson is suggesting here.
However, in this comic, the torturer has already been tormenting his target. Having already strapped the victim to the rack, plunged knives around his body, and singed the man’s figure with a flaming torch, it’s clear that the torturer’s “good cop” routine was anything but. It’s truly as horrifying as it is absurd; a popular technique that Gary Larsonfrequently used inThe Far Side.We can’t even imagine how cruel the “bad cop” routine must be.
3Steamed Knights Are On The Menu
First Published: June 08, 2025
“Ooo! Ow! Blast it, Phyllis! … Hurry up with them hot pads!”a dragon says as its talons pierce into a red-hot suit of armor. Once again, dragons prove to be a knight’s most formidable foe inthisFar Sidecomicas yet another fiery beast chows down on a horrifically cooked knight. However, anyone who has ever grabbed something too hot out of the oven will immediately know the pain this dragon feels.
However, in Dungeons & Dragons, green dragons aren’t known for breathing fire. Instead, these manipulative and self-serving chromatic beasts breathe noxious clouds of poison. That said, both Gary Larson’s and D&D’s versions of the green dragonlove to prey on the innocent and revel in the torment of lesser creatures, much like this dragon’s freshly steamed knight. Funnily enough, in D&D, green dragons are considered the most “dragon” of all dragons, which could explain why Larson chose his dragon’s scaly-green tone.
2The Last Gladiator Left Alive
First Published: July 16, 2025
Every good party needs their first quest and who better than to give that quest than royalty? However, sometimes these kings and queens can turn out to become power-hungry despots who wish to see the brave adventurers fight for their amusement, and that’s exactly what’s going on inthisFar Sidecomic. Here, we see a king and his royal court glaring down at a group of gladiators.
“And the last gladiator left alive will win the contest,”the king exclaims,“But first… the egg-toss!”Of course, the best campaigns are a mixture of combat, role-playing, and a healthy mix of puzzles and challenges. Just like the ridiculous display featured in thisFar Sidecomic,Dungeon Masters are well known for throwing their players into the most ridiculous challenges, that is, if the players didn’t do it to themselves.
1Oh, Boy! The Nerd!
First Published: 1987
In this panel, a studious-looking stegosaurus exclaims with excitement when he unboxes the final figurine in his collection of toy people - the “Nerd.”“Oh, boy! The ‘Nerd!’ … Now my collection’s complete!”the caption reads as the overjoyed dinosaur opens up his final collectible. While this comic isn’t as rooted in fantasy as the following entries,there couldn’t be a Dungeons & Dragons list without mentioning the love of collecting miniatures.
And, of course, it would be remiss not to poke a little fun at our fellow Dungeons & Dragons nerds with this particular comic,just as Gary Larson would. In the classic fashion ofThe Far Side,Larson’s use of anthropomorphic animals is the perfect stand-in for the average D&D geekwho can’t avoid the urge to buy, print, or make just one more mini. Fortunately, no one here will judge you for collecting obscene amounts of collectibles.
