6 Far Side Comics Set In the Courtroom That Are 10/10 Perfect

Every now and then, The Far Side took its readers to court. The courtroom was one of The Far Side's funniest settings, a place where Gary Larson could put popular culture itself on trial in a way that only he could. There's no need to litigate this issue, the Far Side trial scenes below are unequivocally perfect.

Larson's legal humor tended to be based around the same familiar formula as all the best Far Side comics: take something readers would recognize and put a spin on it. The courtroom proved to be an exceptional context to do this in. Lawyers grilling characters on the witness stand provided uproarious laughs for Far Side fans throughout the years.

These cartoons are a curated selection of the most flawless Far Sides of this variety. By the end, the verdict will be clear: Far Side Court could have been its own entire comic strip or TV show, if Gary Larson had wanted it to be. It was just that good of a bit, and Larson knew it. In fact, it might be the Far Side location with the highest success rate, other than desert islands, or suburban living rooms.

"This Bred Will Sometimes Turn On You"

First Published: October 16, 1980

In this early Far Side cartoon, a dog takes the witness stand against its owner. Gary Larson doesn't reveal what the man is on trial for, but it is beside the point. What matters is that in this case, "man's best friend" doesn't translate to "omerta."

That is, the dog isn't beholden to any code of silence protecting its owner, whether it can talk like a human (as some Far Side dogs can) or merely bark and point a paw in his direction.

The real punchline of the joke here, though, comes in the caption. The defendant whispers to his defense attorney, "My friends all warned me this breed will sometimes turn on you." Though they might not have meant it as literally as this Far Side joke brilliantly renders the dog's betrayal.

"Of Course I Did It In Cold Blood!"

First Published: February 20, 1984

This is The Far Side's equivalent of "you can't handle the truth" from A Few Good Men, mixed with "this whole court is out of order!" from ...And Justice For All. Of course, apropos of The Far Side, that means it isn't a good man, or a bad man, on the witness stand at all. It is a crocodile.

It's a classic courtroom moment. The prosecution has pushed the right buttons during cross-examination and prompted an outburst from the witness. A confession. "Of course I did it in cold blood, you idiot!" the croc character shouts, balling up its fists in rage. "I'm a reptile!"

As in, that phrase doesn't have the same meaning for this defendant as it does for humans. Which has the crocodile at wits' end, ready to confess to everything just to get this farce of a Far Side trial over with.

"What Kind Of Monster Are You?"

First Published: November 10, 1987

The Far Side repeatedly used the courtroom setting to put pop culture on trial. As the next two entries on this list illustrate, trial scenes were a great way to take familiar references and hilariously twist them. Here, it's Popeye, who is on the witness stand in his own defense after being accused of a heinous but unspecified crime.

"I yam what I yam," Popeye says. It's his classic catchphrase, but here Gary Larson puts it in the context of a response to the question, "what kind of monster are you?"

By design, it reads a tacit admission of guilt from the Sailor Man, darkly suggesting that he did whatever the prosecution claims he did. Together with the circumstantial evidence of Popeye's "pipe [being] found at the scene of the crime," it seems like he's going to be going away for a long time.

"I Start To Wonder What They Hey Is Going On..."

First Published: April 9, 1987

Here, another nostalgic 20th-century pop culture figure is on the stand: Mr. Ed. Except in this case it is as a key state witness for the state's prosecution in the trial of Wilbur, his human friend. This time, Gary Larson does make it clear what the accused allegedly did: murder, most foul.

Captioned "Mr. Ed spills his guts," what makes this Far Side cartoon unforgettable is the horse's extensive testimony, in a speech bubble that takes up nearly half the panel. "I notice he's trying to bury this big plastic bag, which at first I figure is just full of manure" Mr. Ed explains, "but then I start to wonder what they hey is going on..."

All told, it is The Far Side at the peak of its ability to thread the needle between Larson's dark and absurd modes of humor.

"It Was Just Pure Luck"

First Published: May 8, 1990

"Of course, it was just pure luck I just happened to be a fly on the wall," the witness in this Far Side trial scene says. The witness is, of course, an actual fly, in a courtroom full of flies. It's a brilliantly silly punchline, combining Gary Larson's signature brand of wordplay with his knack for imagining non-human activity and behaviors in human contexts.

The term "fly on the wall" goes back to at least the early 20th-century, and that's just the first recorded example. At some point in history, someone reasoned that there would be no better eavesdropper than a housefly, and the imagery stuck. Gary Larson's twist on that is to say, "and what if one of those flies on one of those walls was called to testify in court?"

This is one of many Far Side jokes that walked so later cartoons like Bojack Horseman could run. But as far as Far Side canon itself, it is an underrated masterpiece that deserves more attention.

"That Fateful Day You Emerged From Your Serengeti Campsite"

First Published: April 22, 1994

The Far Side had its share of pranksters, many of whom didn't recognize the difference between lighthearted joking and cruel, dangerous behavior. In this cartoon, one prank gone horribly wrong goes all the way to trial, where the maimed victim "Professor Sadowsky" has to relive the nightmare experience he went through at the hands of "Professor Lazzell" on the witness stand.

"You're saying your fellow researcher...knowing full well that baboons consider eye contact to be threatening, handed you this hat..." Sadkowsky's attorney says, going through the incident beat-by-beat, and presenting the central piece of evidence: a safari hat with googly eyes attached to it. The implication being that Lazzell wanted him to be ripped to shreds by primates.

The defendant's precise motive is left open to interpretation, but the case seems to be there for malicious intent. This is one of Gary Larson's most elaborate Far Side court scenes, coming at the end of his career when he was willing to try anything. It is possibly the most outrageous example of the recurring bit, and certainly the one that feels like Larson could've written a whole Law & Order spec script around it.

Honorable Mentions:

There are more Far Side courtroom cartoons where that came from. It really was one of Gary Larson's most reliable tropes, even if it isn't always at the top of mind when fans talk about his work.

Shoutout to the one where the lyrics to "I've Been Workin' On the Railroad" become subject of a criminal investigation, the one where a man sics his dog on a stick figure, and The Far Side's caveman court comic, which featured a punchline that was arguably too smart for its own good.