During this time of year, all the classic monsters enjoy their annual resurgence. Vampires rise from their coffins, mummies emerge from their tombs, and witches fly in on their brooms to stalk the world of the living via decorations and costumes. Many people also enjoy horror marathons of the old Universal monster movies. Given the spirit of the season, I’ve decided to dig around for nine great Far Side comic strips featuring classic monsters.
From vampire cows to witches getting cosmetic surgery, these panels feature those famous monsters presented through cartoonist Gary Larson’s famously twisted lens. While he didn’t reserve these comic strips to the spooky season during their original publication, Halloween is still the best time to experience Larson’s wild take on these horror classics.
9
The cow goes “Boo!”
Since this is Gary Larson we’re talking about here, it only makes sense to kick things off with a cow. Larson once explained his love for cows in a curious way. ”I’ve always thought the word cow was funny, and cows are sort of tragic figures,” he said. “Cows blur the line between tragedy and humor.” This is why so many of his comic strips starred the gentle creatures. Over the years, his comics featured dinosaur cows and cannibal cows who eat hamburgers, so it’s only natural that vampire cows would appear too. And since vampires are famously killed by a stake to the heart, so too would Gary Larson’s vampcow be taken down by a steak.
8
Hopefully they included a gift receipt
In addition to stakes, vampires are no fans of daylight, as the legends generally say that it will kill them instantly. Whether or not a sun-lamp would do the same thing is questionable, but by the mischievous looks on the faces of the gift-givers in this comic, it seems like they’re hoping it will have a similarly devastating effect.
7
Mummy strip club
Vampires are usually depicted as the most seductive and sexual of the classic monsters, but Larson found a hilarious way to make a mummy alluring (or at least alluring to other mummies). The idea of a mummy stripper who unravels her wraps is truly inspired, though I wonder how the performance ends. Does she just fall into a pile of dust like so many mummies do in classic movies and cartoons? Do the wraps just keep going endlessly? There are a lot of unanswered questions on this one.
6
Witch gossip
In this comic strip, two witches are gossiping about their neighbor’s artificial enhancement. Of course, standards of beauty differ for different people, so it only makes sense that a witch’s self-image would be directly related to her wart size.
5
His final thought
Larson was a master of adding layers to his jokes. Here, a guy is shooting silver bullets at a werewolf until he realizes that the bullets aren’t actually silver. That’s funny enough, but then there’s the added layer that the bullet salesman is the werewolf, as evidenced by the obnoxious tie both are wearing.
4
The werewolf’s P.O.V.
Larson was also brilliant at finding a new way to look at something. There are tons of werewolf stories, yet I’ve never seen it covered from the perspective of the werewolf itself, where he doesn’t want to turn into a weak little human.
3
Precise work
This is just a perfectly funny visual: an old woman with a sewing machine stitching up Frankenstein’s monster. It’s the kind of comic that Larson felt no need to accompany with words.
2
Monster couples counseling
In the 1935 Universal horror film The Bride of Frankenstein, pretty much the whole movie builds up to the very end when the Bride is finally completed as a mate for Dr. Frankenstein’s Monster. When the bride first lays eyes on the Monster, she screams uncontrollably, then the movie ends there. I mention this because, while Frankenstein’s Monster and the Bride of Frankenstein seem unhappy in this Far Side panel, the two of them simply sitting on the couch together could be considered a dramatic improvement.
1
The creature from The Far Side
When compared to Frankenstein’s monster, vampires, werewolves, witches, and mummies, the Creature from the Black Lagoon feels like he doesn’t get nearly enough attention. That’s why I love this comic strip so much. Just look at the joy on the Creature’s face. I sure hope he has a great time with that wagon.