Gary Larson, the cartoonist behind the beloved and often surreal comic strip The Far Side, frequently found humor in the absurdities of life. Among his recurring motifs were clowns, whom Larson depicted in scenarios that often veered into the darkly comic. One particular strip, released on October 3, 1994, featured two clowns in an alley, with one preparing to throw a pie. The punchline, "I wouldn’t do that, Spunky — I have friends in pie places," was later deemed by Larson himself as his worst cartoon, a sentiment he expressed in The Complete Far Side.
However, the author of this piece disagrees, finding a certain charm in the strip's 'so bad it's good' quality and suggesting it might have been funnier without a caption. This raises the question of Larson's own complex relationship with clowns. While he famously disliked mimes, his clown cartoons often delved into darker territory, featuring them in situations of impending or actual death, or causing harm to others.
A History of Dark Clown Humor
Larson's clown comics often played on morbid themes. One strip from 1984, which predates his own least-favorite work, shows clowns robbing a bank with pies instead of guns. The author notes this strip is considerably funnier, suggesting the 1994 attempt may have suffered from its similarity.
Another notable cartoon depicts a giant clown terrorizing a city, an image that plays on the scale of potential destruction. The humor, as in many of Larson's works, lies in the unexpected juxtaposition of the mundane and the macabre.
Morbid Themes and Unexpected Gags
Larson's willingness to explore grim subjects is evident in a comic showing a clown heading to the electric chair. The visual gag of a clown in such a dire situation is amplified by a guard's comment about not telling his children about it, prompting a secondary reflection on the nature of the guard's profession.
Even comics not explicitly featuring clowns can involve them in dark punchlines, suggesting Larson's fascination with the inherent unsettling nature of clowns. One strip humorously suggests that clowns are ill-suited for serious responsibilities, such as operating missiles.
The Disturbing and the Hilarious
Perhaps the most disturbing and darkly humorous example cited is a comic strip that feels particularly shocking by today's standards. The author suggests that such unsettling content, pushing boundaries of taste and sensibility, contributes to its enduring, albeit grim, comedic impact.
These selections highlight Larson's unique ability to find comedy in the bleakest of circumstances, often using the familiar figure of the clown to explore themes of mortality, danger, and the absurd.