Going to the doctor is supposed to make you feel better, but in the bizarre world ofThe Far Side, it might just make you feel worse. Gary Larson had a special gift for turning sterile exam rooms into absurd arenas of chaos, confusion, and questionable professionalism.
Whether it’s a surgeon totting around a shotgun or a doctor with a truly unorthodox bedside manner, these comics are less healing and more horrifying. You might chuckle now, but don’t be surprised if your next check-up has you side-eyeing the stethoscope. Here are 10Far Side comicsthat will have you laughing and maybe canceling your upcoming appointment.
10Why You Might Want to Stay Awake During Brain Surgery
First Published: July 07, 2025
When we visit the doctor, we typically expect a certain level of professionalism, especially in the operating room. But thanks to the anesthesia we’re usually under, we never really know what happens once we’re out cold. Let’s just hope it’s nothinglike what Gary Larson depictsin this comic, because ignorance might really be bliss in this case.
This comic leans into classic gag humor as a team of medical professionals crowds around a patient mid-brain surgery. But instead of sticking to the task, they decide to have some fun, poking different parts of the brain and triggering limbs to jerk and flail. It’s funny on paper, less so if it were real life. Definitely not what you want your surgeon doing mid-surgery.
9Why ThisFar SidePrescription Might Leave You Furious
First Published: Jul 29, 2025
We’ve all heard the saying that“laughter is the best medicine.”But if that’s actually the prescription your doctor hands you, you might be tempted to toss it back at them. Larson highlights just how absurd this advice can be in practice by showing theFar Side’sversion of healing, and yes, it involves laughter being used as literal treatment.
Gathered around a sick man’s bed,the doctors point and laugh at him, supposedly all in the name of medical care. But judging by the patient’s clearly unamused expression, the cure isn’t exactly working. In fact, he looks about ready to start kicking some teeth in if they don’t stop giggling and get him some real medicine… and fast.
8The Scalpel Request No Patient Wants to Hear
First Published: July 14, 2025
One of the blessings of modern science and medicine is getting to sleep through major operations, meaning you never have to see the sharp instruments about to be used on you. Unfortunately,the Far Side Universeseems to be a bit behind on these practices.
Here, a fully awake patient watches a doctor scold a nurse for not handing him the “big scalpel.”The twist? She’s already holding a ridiculously oversized one, leaving both the patient and the reader to wonder just how massive the“BIG scalpel”really is. While the patient is still conscious for now, that probably won’t last long.
7The Far SideSurgery That’ll Haunt Your Dreams
First Published: June 24, 2025
Gary Larson’sFar Sideis both absurd and surreal, so no list would be complete without one of his most mind-boggling strips. Here, a nurse and doctor gather around the bed of a patient who is essentially just a face. Yes, you read that correctly, just a face, no body or even neck in sight.
The doctor tells the nurse,“Well, that should do it… When Mr. Warner comes around, make sure he gets all the ice cream he wants.”This bizarre strip raises more questions than it answers. One thing is certain, though: Whatever operation Mr. Warner just underwent, it’s one we sure as heck never want to have.
6When a Doctor’s Shotgun Becomes the Treatment Plan
First Published: July 22, 2025
In this comic, Larson imagines what a“Horse Hospital”might look like, and the result is as dark as it is hilarious, depending on your sense of humor.Two injured horses nervously sweatafter hearing a gunshot from the next examination room, only to see a doctor casually approaching them while carrying a shotgun.
This bit of dark humor stems from the grim reality that when a horse breaks its leg, the ‘treatment’ is often euthanasia by gunshot. It’s a brutal truth Larson dares to make funny through his signature dark twist. And while we may not be horses, this scenario is still horrifying enough to make us look at our health care providers a little differently.
5Chaos Reigns inThe Far SideOperating Room
First Published: Unknown
If there’s one takeaway from this article, it’s that you NEVER wantsurgery in theFar SideUniverse, where incompetence and lackluster practices reign supreme in the operating room. This strip shows doctors gathered around an operating table, serving up a heaping helping of gag humor that perfectly captures the chaotic and careless nature of Larson’s medical world.
“Whoa! Watch where that thing lands, we will probably need it,”says one attending surgeon as an unidentifiable, yet likely vital, organ sails through the air. The fact that organs are flying mid-operation and the doctor is not even certain if they will need it later tells you everything about their questionable qualifications and the unpredictable nature of healthcare in Larson’s universe.
4When Surgery Turns Into a Prank War
First Published: August 05, 2025
While most people enjoy a good practical joke, there’s definitely a time and place for them, and the operating room is not it. The last thing you want to hear after surgery is that your surgeons were busy playing prank wars during the procedure.
In trueFar Sidefashion, one surgeon tricks another by handing him a rubber scalpel. The strip is captioned“Carlton falls for the old rubber-scalpel gag,”while the others burst into laughter. But when the patient wakes up, they probably won’t find this prank very funny.
3How Wishbones and Surgery Collide in Gary Larson’s World
First Published: July 16, 2025
Most people have either participated in or at least heard of the folk superstition involving a wishbone. The tradition is simple: two people make a wish, then break the wishbone together, and whoever ends up with the bigger piece supposedly gets their wish granted.Gary Larson adds a comicaland absurd twist to this familiar ritual in his own unique style.
In theFar Sideuniverse, humans actually have wishbones. In the middle of an operation, one surgeon asks another if they have a good grip and have made their wish, implying they’re about to break the patient’s wishbone in hopes of getting their own wish fulfilled. It’s a wild bit of humor, made even funnier by how bizarre and unexpected it is.
2From Operating Room to Butcher’s Table
First Published: June 13, 2025
The last thing anyone wants to hear after waking up from surgery is their medical team casually planning how to divide up their body if they don’t make it. This unsettling idea is enough to make anyone feel queasy or uneasy just thinking about it. The thought of doctors discussing this while you’re unconscious is truly horrifying.
Gary Larson adds a darkly humorous twistby making the patient a cow, which makes the idea of dividing meat somewhat more understandable. Still, it’s impossible not to imagine ourselves in the cow’s place, picturing doctors calmly deciding who gets which organs if the surgery were to fail, a chilling, yet morbidly funny, scenario.
1A Dog with a Taste for Surgery
Here is yet another morbid strip that makes us seriously question the safety practices and qualifications of surgeons in theFar SideUniverse. In this open surgery scene, a dog accompanies the medical team, and with one hand inside the patient’s chest cavity and the other hand stretched out to the dog, the implication quickly becomes clear.
The surgeon is obviously feeding bits of the patient they are operating on to the dog. This grim yet darkly funny moment is enough to make you groan, gag, and laugh all at once. At least we can rest easy knowing that none of us will ever have to undergo surgery in theFar SideUniverse.
