# Larson comic - what's the funny **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [September 20, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434 "2023-09-20T20:09:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/161 "2024-06-23T23:36:29Z")
That cat is just following the arrows. ---
**Author:** ![cardinal\_fang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal_fang/32/15316_2.png) [@cardinal\_fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardinal_fang)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/162 "2024-06-24T00:22:09Z")
Hypothesis: - John Brown has a dog (per @Dr.Drake). - His soul goes marching on (i.e. he roams the Earth with his trusty dog, fighting crimes or injustice or Nazis or whatever). - Doggo is thirsty as they pass the aptly-named shop; John Brown stretches the hose to fill the dish so she can have a drink. - Proprietor notices and realizes: John Brown was/is here! With his dog! Also: “If we pull this off, we’ll eat like kings.” ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/163 "2024-06-24T01:20:40Z")
> [@cardinal\_fang](#): > > Also: “If we pull this off, we’ll eat like kings.” Another one of my all time favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/164 "2024-06-24T14:42:32Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The sentiments in both are cruel and evil but so exaggerated that it enters into surrealism. I once sent the Onion’s “Loved Ones Recall Local Man’s Cowardly Battle with Cancer” to a friend before remembering her first husband died of cancer. Fortunately she found it hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/165 "2024-06-24T15:47:39Z")
I think that there is a real possibility that those who are on the other side cancer experiences may _especially_ appreciate that. The framing of courageously battling cancer is often unhelpful to those dealing with making difficult decisions about what sort of care to have. Mocking that may be appreciated by those who have had to deal with others imposing that framing on them? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/166 "2024-06-24T16:39:31Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The framing of courageously battling cancer is often unhelpful to those dealing with making difficult decisions about what sort of care to have. As someone dealing with having cancer, I definitely don’t feel courageous and do love the dark humor on the topic. But then again I loved the Far Side long before my diagnosis. Looking back on my practice of medicine, a LOT of my patients dealing with chronic, ultimately fatal conditions showed an enjoyment of such humor, too. I’ve concluded that most humor is based on shared pain and fear. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/167 "2024-06-24T17:29:19Z")
Maybe I’m far removed from reading much Far Side, but I never thought they were dark at all. Certainly not within a million miles of The Onion. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/168 "2024-06-24T17:57:05Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > As someone dealing with having cancer, I definitely don’t feel courageous and do love the dark humor on the topic. But then again I loved the Far Side long before my diagnosis. Yes, for the Onion headline it’s not just that it’s dark, it’s specifically skewering this kind of whitewashing about what that process actually entails for people, and how painful and scary it can be. See Also: [Smile! You’ve Got Cancer!](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/02/cancer-positive-thinking-barbara-ehrenreich) by the journalist Barbara Ehrenreich about her experience with being pressured to make breast cancer into an opportunity for personal growth. Quote: > In the most extreme characterisation, breast cancer is not a problem at all, not even an annoyance – it is a “gift”, deserving of the most heartfelt gratitude. One survivor writes in her book [The Gift Of Cancer: A Call To Awakening](http://www.resonantgroup.com/books/giftofcancer.html) that “cancer is your ticket to your real life. Cancer is your passport to the life you were truly meant to live.” And if that is not enough to make you want to go out and get an injection of live cancer cells, she insists, “Cancer will lead you to God. Let me say that again. Cancer is your connection to the Divine.” I recently read a book called _Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved_ written by a Christian theologian (Kate Bowler) about her experience dying of cancer. I found it a very frank and unvarnished account, filled with humor and love but also fear and sorrow. I think coming as she does from a religious community the pressure is especially great for her to be extolling the blessings of God love and grace and eternal life and how happy she should be to meet her eternal reward. Bowler rejects all of that while still maintaining her faith in her own personal way. I note she’s written two books since she started dying, as if I didn’t feel like a slacker already. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2025, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/169 "2025-10-28T15:01:38Z")
Not sure if this is the best thread by Gary Larson seems to have started back up again, having recently discovered that his iPad makes a great tool for drawing… [![](https://featureassets.amuniversal.com/assets/04c7ce104864013947a0005056a9545d) ](https://featureassets.amuniversal.com/assets/04c7ce104864013947a0005056a9545d) > **[New Work by Gary Larson | TheFarSide.com](https://www.thefarside.com/new-stuff)** > > Get an exclusive look at brand new cartoons and artwork from cartoonist Gary Larson, creator of the iconic comic strip The Far Side®. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2025, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/170 "2025-10-28T16:32:55Z")
Look in the bottom right corner. There are ants taking tourist photos. The one I don’t get is “The Chase.” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2025, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/171 "2025-10-28T23:32:29Z")
I think it’s just that some Vikings are evil, as represented by a seven headed dragon, and some are nice, as represented by a basket of kittens. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/172 "2025-10-28T23:44:00Z")
I enjoyed the **[“Drive, George, drive!”](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/8rmrrj/drive_george_drive_this_ones_got_a_coat_hanger/)** callback. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/173 "2025-10-28T23:47:25Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > The one I don’t get is “The Chase.” O’m not seeing The Chase. Where is it? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2025, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/174 "2025-10-28T23:49:09Z")
It’s the Viking ships one. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2025, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/175 "2025-10-29T00:03:50Z")
What viking ships? I see a link posted above. > **[New Work by Gary Larson | TheFarSide.com](https://www.thefarside.com/new-stuff)** > > Get an exclusive look at brand new cartoons and artwork from cartoonist Gary Larson, creator of the iconic comic strip The Far Side®. I don’t see any comics on that page, but I see a link there to “the Daily Dose” Clicking on that link I see a cartoon about a llama riding the subway, dated today. I don’t know if it’s new or not, but I’ve never seen it before. I can’t find a way to see yesterday’s strip, if there was one. I can’t see anything about vikings, and I’ve searched all over. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2025, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/176 "2025-10-29T00:05:23Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I can’t see anything about vikings, and I’ve searched all over. I’ve found Larson comics about Vikings, and about chasing, but not in the same comic. And they’re all pretty old. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2025, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/177 "2025-10-29T00:06:20Z")
I have no idea what you’re seeing. You should see: New Stuff. Fresh from Larson’s lab. Then there’s a door with a button marked Enter. Push it. Then you can scroll through the comics. I thought the tribute to Jane Goodall was great. (ETA: If you go to the site menu on the top right, there’s a link to New Stuff.) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2025, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/178 "2025-10-29T00:17:00Z")
Here is the page. (Ignore the generic caption; this is a permalink to the comic.) > **[The Far Side | TheFarSide.com](https://www.thefarside.com/new-stuff/390/the-chase)** > > Visit the official online home of The Far Side comic strip by Gary Larson for your daily dose of Gary’s classic cartoons. And a link to the image: [![](https://featureassets.amuniversal.com/assets/06381f404864013947a0005056a9545d) ](https://featureassets.amuniversal.com/assets/06381f404864013947a0005056a9545d) They tried to hide that picture behind JavaScript, but they couldn’t hide it from me! 😜 And to me, the humor is that one set of Vikings really needs to work on branding. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2025, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/179 "2025-10-29T00:31:16Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Then there’s a door with a button marked Enter. Push it. Oh, I thought that was just a funny picture. Didn’t occur to me to click it. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2025, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434/180 "2025-10-29T00:32:46Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > And to me, the humor is that one set of Vikings really needs to work on branding. I think it’s the title that throws me off. Like the kittens are relative to the chase somehow. But if that’s the case, they should be the pursuers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larson-comic-whats-the-funny/990434.md?page=10)