6 Far Side Comics Set On Desert Islands That Are 10/10 Perfect

If you were stranded on a desert island, which Far Side cartoons would you chose to have with you, if that was the only entertainment you could bring? Well, as fans of Gary Larson's phenomenal daily comic know, it's possible to curate a list that is exclusively panels about the topic of being stranded on a desert island itself.

That's because it was one of Gary Larson's favorite jokes. The Far Side didn't have storylines or continuity, or regular characters, but it did have recurring locations, recognizable character archetypes, and persistent punchlines that popped up in various different iterations from the dawn of the comic in 1980 until Larson sailed off into the sunset in 1994.

The shipwreck survivor (or survivors) stuck on a tiny island with one palm tree and not much else was a go-to joke for The Far Side. There are so many of these jokes in Far Side canon that they can blur together sometimes. That's where this list comes in. It delineates some of the funniest, most flawlessly executed examples of the joke.

"The Gods Play With Ted And Jerry"

First Published: October 25, 1994

Some Far Side comics desperately need a caption. Others are perfect without a caption. This falls into that unique space in between, where the comic could have worked without a caption, but Gary Larson chose to include one. It is up to Far Side fans to debate if it was necessary or not.

This was one of the last desert island panels Larson produced before wrapping up The Far Side. It features the familiar single-palm-tree island set up that was Larson's signature, this time with two shipwreck survivors stranded on it. From the way they're pointing fingers in each other's faces and shouting, it is clear they are on one another's last nerves.

Which is why it is hilariously cruel and unusual that a crate of "Ace dueling pistols" is about to wash up on shore. "The gods play with Ted and Jerry," the caption reads, a poetic way of saying fate has intervened to give them an easy way to kill one another.

"Thank God! I'm Saved!" (Famous Last Words In The Far Side)

First Published: October 12, 1990

This is an amazing, pure, unadulterated shot of Gary Larson's humor. It is an underrated Far Side classic, and one of the funniest twists Larson managed to put on the familiar desert island trope. It starts the same way most of these Far Sides do: a man alone on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean with a single palm tree. This time, rescue does come...for the tree.

In the third panel of this Far Side sequence, a flying saucer swoops down toward the island. The man is so thrilled at the prospect of salvation that he's not even alarmed at the sight of extraterrestrials. Only it turns out these aliens are palm trees, here to collect one of their own, who has had the misfortune of being stuck on this island with a doomed human.

It is a great joke, aided by the composition of the frames. There's a hint of where the punchline is going in the third panel, but readers' attention will be drawn to the human character's dialogue. Which makes the reveal of the palm tree aliens in panel four hit hard, leaving readers howling with laughter.

Too Much, Too Late (The Far Side's Cruelest Twist)

First Published: August 23, 1988

"Stranded on a desert island" was one of The Far Side's most reliable tropes. And a reliable subtrope of that was the "crate washing ashore" bit that Gary Larson loved to do. (Check the example above, with "Ace dueling pistols.") Larson always managed to keep these cartoons fresh by finding a memorable twist on the familiar angle. This is a great example, where the joke takes a hilariously dark turn.

Often, the box washing up onto the island would be wildly unhelpful. (Again, "dueling pistols.") But here it is the opposite. All the supplies a shipwreck survivor could possibly need to get themselves unstranded all float up at once: an "inflatable boat," an "outboard motor," flares, and "navigational books."

The second half of the twist, though? This time the stranded person is already dead. Like, really dead. Reduced to just a skeleton. And readers have to imagine that somewhere just beyond the horizon is another Far Side island with a living person on it, who really could've used these crates.

"Beware Of Dog" (The Far Side's Least Lucky Shipwreck Survivor)

First Published: August 14, 1987

The Far Side's deserted island jokes usually started with the stranded character already on the island, usually for a long time. They're unfortunate figures, of course, but still survivors, and lucky enough to have found even a small patch of land to wait on in hope of rescue, rather than dying at sea. Except for this guy.

This unnamed Far Side shipwreck victim clings to a piece of the ship amidst the perilous ocean, until he finally spots land and paddles toward it. Only when he gets closer, he spots something else: a "beware of dog" sign, and a canine sitting next do it. No one and nothing else, save for the ubiquitous palm tree. Just the sign and the dog.

The dog isn't snarling, and shows no visible signs of aggression from a distance. That's what makes this wordless Far Side panel comedy gold. The survivor has to take his chances by heading ashore on the island, but could be quickly and savagely mauled after all he's already been through.

"Where Are Your Glasses?" (The Far Side's Cruelest Prank)

First Published: October 4, 1984

The Far Side's humor wasn't meanspirited, despite what its critics tried to say. That said, occasionally it did depict some meanspirited characters, like in this cartoon, which stands out as possibly the meanest prank in Far Side history.

Imagine being stranded on a desert island. There would be no more exhilarating moment than to see rescue approaching; nor would there be a more crushing blow to one's morale than realizing the other guy on the island is messing with you. That's exactly what is happening in this Far Side cartoon, where the prankster character has painted a ship on his fellow survivor's glasses, just to mess with him.

Then he shakes "Bob" awake, claiming 'I think I see a ship!" Bob is going to go scrambling for his glasses, think he's saved for a moment, and then figure out the deception. At which point, the prankster better hope no "Ace dueling pistols" wash up on shore.

"For The One-Hundredth Time In As Many Days..."

First Published: January 26, 1984

The Far Side rarely gave readers a sense of how long its characters had been stranded on their islands. At least, aside from their ragged clothes and unkempt hair and beards, which signified that it had been a while. Here, though, Gary Larson says it: approximately 100 days of these two guys being stuck on this island together, and the one guy keeps asking the other if he has a quarter to use the phone booth.

Oh, yeah. This desert island has a touch of the metropolitan to it. A seemingly working telephone booth, which would be great, but as the speaker in the caption shouts with mounting exasperation: "I HAVEN'T GOT A QUARTER!"

It's a silly joke that manages to also be full of dramatic tension. An impressive creative feat, and another reminder that Gary Larson's The Far Side was an American literary masterpiece microdosed through daily syndication across the span of 15 years, one that still appeals to generations of readers long after Larson's retirement.

Tell us your thoughts, readers. Where do shipwreck survivors and desert islands rank among The Far Side's best recurring jokes?