No matter what, time marches on, but that doesn’t meanThe Far Sidecan’t make getting older funny. Gary Larson’s iconic strip touched on a lot of topics from environmentalism to marriage woes and even nuclear apocalypse. But his most relatable strips (and the ones that hit the hardest) areThe Far Sidestripsthat deal with aging.
Everyone is getting older, and the longer time goes on, the one more becomes frightfully aware of how much they’re aging. But Larson didn’t see aging as a bad thing. Instead,he saw it as a fantastic subject to riff on, leading to sometruly hilariousFar Sidestrips. The comic has gags about how marriages shift while getting older and how one is perceived the more they age. Sure, no one likes to think about time passing by, but the following10Far Sidestripsare certain to make everyone laugh in the face of aging.
10Old Spider’s Old Stories
Publication Date: August 02, 2025
It seems the older people get, the more it seems they re-tell their stories of their favorite personal experiences (whether people want to hear them or not). Here,The Far Sideshows off this annoying trait that comes with age, but instead of an older man or woman regaling people with the same old story, it’s a group of spiders in an ‘Old Spider’s Home’, where one is discussing a fly they accidentally consumed. Everyone has a story they like re-telling, and it seems likeit’s everyone’s fate to end up just like the spiders in this Far Side strip.
9Past Their Prime
Publication Date: July 10, 2025
One of the most painful realizations that people go through as they age is finding out how less ‘desirable’ they are to others (of course, that’s relative). But here, Larson plays on that idea by having an elderly man rejected, but not because of how he looks. Instead,The Far Sidethrows vampires into the mix and a younger vampire is mentored by an older one, advising him to not waste his time trying to get ‘blood out of a turnip’. Harsh, but a funny way of lampooning the worth society often places on older people.
8Old Goat
Publication Date: June 09, 2025
Marriage can be a wonderful thing, but age changes almost everything, including how people interact with one another. Here,The Far Sidepresents a couple on a porch and the wife offers up a surprisingly frank observation, saying her mother was right about the woman’s husband being ‘an old goat’. As it turns out, he actually is an old goat.The Far Sideexcels at that kind of subversion, but at the same time, Larson does a good job portraying the sort of sad realitythat comes with marriages where the romance has waned completely.
7One Foot in the Wastebasket
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
It’s easy to look at older people and make callous observations, namely how much closer they are to death than others. In this instance, Larson flips things up a bit by anthropomorphizing a couple of fresh pencils who are making a snide comment about how close an older, more ground down pencil is to being thrown away.It’s a humorous allegory, but thisFar Sidestrip doubles as a lesson. Age is going to come for everyone, and it’s best to be kinder to those who have been around a lot longer than others.
6I Don’t Brake
Publication Date: Jul 24, 2025
The bestFar Sidestrips are the ones that say as little as possible. Here, an older man is in a car driving down the road, but this idyllic drive is hampered by one thing: a bumper sticker that informs everyone that he doesn’t brake. Old people are known for a lot of things, most infamously their bad driving. They say one of the best things about getting older is not having to care what people think, butdriving terribly on purpose, as if it’s a benefit of aging, is so humorously demented, onlyThe Far Sidecould imagine it.
5Left in the Car
Publication Date: June 15, 2025
If there’s one thing people fear about getting older, it’s that they will be ignored by people.Nothing communicates that fear more or funnier than thisFar Sidestrip. An older man is in a car, seemingly trapped and unable to get out, much like the dog in the neighboring car nearby is. Obviously, there’s nothing funny about leaving any living being in a car. However, the juxtaposition of the two does make it a bit chuckle-worthy, while also reminding everyone that life, no matter how old, is important.
4The Old Cartoonist’s Home
Publication Date: June 01, 2025
The idea of homes for the elderly are uncomfortable for many to think about. But Larson, as he usually does, imagines what one would be like for people in his particular line of work. Here,The Far Sideconjures up the Old Cartoonists’ Home for elderly cartoon makers. While readers don’t get to see too much of the facility, the strip shows off how they stay active, namely scribbling drawings on the hallways. Sure, they can’t make art like they used to, butat least inThe Far Side, there’s a place for cartoonists to keep their creativity alive.
3Waiting Vultures
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
It’s a common trope to see old people feeding pigeons as a way to pass time. So how doesThe Far Sidemanage to twist this into something hilariously awful? Well, joining the pigeons are a pair of vultures, who haven’t come to feed on birdseed, but wait for the two elderly men with ominous stares. The older gentlemen may not be aware that the carrion birds are waiting patiently for the men to pass in order to feed, but it’sthat disturbing ignorance that makes this an incredibly comicalFar Sidestrip.
2Old Age Mischief
Publication Date: June 20, 2025
Whoever said that getting older means having to let one’s inner child die? With this strip, Larson reaffirms that aging doesn’t necessarily mean having to grow up. ThisFar Sidestrip shows an elderly man shooting out a kid’s balloon while no one’s the wiser.Unlike otherFar Sidestrips, this one isn’t sad or grim about the future. Instead, it resolutely says that while the body may age, one’s spirit can be young and mischievous. Is it inappropriate behavior for an adult? Sure, but why not have fun while one is able to?
1Superman’s Later Years
Publication Date: July 19, 2025
He might not be able to age in the Prime DC Universe, but inThe Far Side, even Superman can escape aging. Here, Larson shows an older Man of Steel standing on a window ledge, half-dressed in his costume, half-dressed in civilian attire as he asks an older (presumably) Lois what he was going to do.Superman is a young and vital hero, but come on, it’s pretty funny seeing him in his golden years having a senior momentwhile Lois can barely muster up the words to discourage him.
