The Far Siderightly earned a reputation for being “confusing” – as well as"obtuse, esoteric, and strange," in creator Gary Larson’s own words– butanother facet of the comic’s humor, its rich vein of overly literal, overtly obvious jokes, was equally important, something that is perhaps best exemplified by his “Chicken of Depression” cartoon.
Understanding how Larson literalized, and often over-literalized, things throughoutThe Far Sideis essential to “getting” his humor on a deeper level. At least, as deep as a level asThe Far Sidehas.
Part of the ongoing cultural and critical discourse about Gary Larson’s work is how much subtext it contains – with the generally accepted consensus answer being that there is more than the author would admit, but less than most readers expect. How fans ofThe Far Sideinterpret Larson’s most literal jokes, therefore, fit into that conversation in an interesting way.
The Far Side’s “Chicken Of Depression” Comic, Explained (Why Is It Funny?)
First Published: August 04, 2025
The Far Side’s"Chicken of Depression" panel features a man sitting hunched over at the foot of his bed, in his pajamas, hair disheveled, the surrounding room a mess; a bare lightbulb hangs from the ceiling, a broken mirror is askew on the wall, and the floor is covered in clothes and what look to be crushed beer cans. In the window, staring at him unsympathetically, is a chicken, as the caption notes:
The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression.
In this way, Gary Larson delivers a joke that is deliberately crafted so that it isnearly impossible forFar Sidefans to misunderstand or misinterpret.
The Deep Cut Reference Behind This Classic Far Side Punchline Made Me Realize This Is Officially Gary Larson’s Greatest Cow Joke
I thought The Far Side’s “Discontented Cow” cartoon was funny even before I realized it was a sly reference, which made me appreciate it even more.
In the process, Larson also embodies a difficult subject literal form in the way only the best fiction can accomplish. Depression is a hard subject to tackle, especially in a single panel, and in this instance,The Far Sideeffectively depicts what it is like to be stuck in a depression cycle – not by being blunt, but rather, overly literal. Here, psychological states have physical avatars that visit people like poor Ned; more than just facilitating the comic’s punchline, this literalization is in itself at the core of the panel’s humor.
How “Chicken Of Depression” Can Help Readers Understand Gary Larson’s Humor Better
How To Interpret The Far Side
The Far Sideoften derived its humor from asking “What if?”, in effectively the same way that many great prose authors do, especially those who work in the sci-fi and speculative fiction genres. The difference, which “Chicken of Depression” highlights, is that Gary Larson’s endpoint was often where a Karen Russell short story or an episode ofTwilight Zonebegins. In other words, in other mediums, a man being visited by a chicken that embodies his depression would be the start of a story, whereas withThe Far Side, it is the punchline in itself.
Larson’s routine use of literalization is an invitation to be comfortable interpreting the less obviousFar Sidejokes.
One thing “Chicken of Depression” can do is give fans a better insight intoGary Larson’s style of comedy;by understandingThe Far Side’shumor at its most literal, readers can develop a better sense of when, and how, to decipher comicswhen their meaning isn’t immediately clear. This makesThe Far Sideless confusing, and in the process, reveals to the reader how crucial their active engagement in the comic actually is. In other words, Larson’s routine use of literalization is an invitation to be comfortable interpreting the less obviousFar Sidejokes.
A Prototype For Absurdist Memes
The Far Sideis cited as a progenitor of contemporary meme comedy forGary Larson’s absurdist style of humor, which the author remains most closely associated with to this day. Yet readers will recognizea strain, or subtype of this absurdism, which is becoming increasingly popular – the overly literal – as coming from the Larsonian playbook. These jokes highlight the fact that sometimes the most head-smacking obvious thing is the most outrageous, a technique that Larson used incredibly effectively during the entirety ofThe Far Side’srun.
The Far Side Complete Collection
Fans of the far side can’t pass up this master collection of Gary Larson’s finest work. Originally published in hardcover in 2003, this paperback set comes complete with a newly designed slipcase that will look great on any shelf. The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever published, which amounts to over 4,000, plus more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book and even some made after Larson retired.
While it is difficult to trace direct links betweenThe Far Sideand contemporary meme humor, the connection is evidence of the shift in that direction. Arguably, the evolution of meme humor can be looked at as an accelerated version of the development of comic strip humor; as much as Larson’s work was pioneering in a way, it was also the end result of a long progression in the medium over the course of the 20th century.The Far Side’smore obscure jokes might make exploring that connection harder, but its literal humor clarifies the interrelation.
Gary Larson Often Took For Granted That Readers Wouldn’t Look For Deeper Meaning In The Far Side
“Chicken Of Depression” Is What Readers Make Of It
Notoriously, Gary Larson all but denied that there was “meaning” beyond the surface level ofFar Sidejokes, or even that his cartoons had any meaning at all. The truth, of course, is more complicated. The more time readers spend closely analyzingFar Sidecartoons, the more their deeper meanings – or perhaps more aptly put, their motivations and origins – become increasingly clear. Larson was undisputedly a naturalist, for example, andThe Far Sidecarries a strong strain of pro-animal sentiment.
The Far Sideat its strangest could be ephemeral, even superficial…while its overly literal comics could offer a level beneath that immediate reaction.
Similarly, Larson was a perennial outsider, and his proliferateFar Sidecomics from alien perspectives, and other inhuman POVs, testify to that. In fact, it is worth considering the possibility that there was, at times, more toThe Far Side’smost literal comics than there was to its most strange. In other words,The Far Sideat its strangest could be ephemeral, even superficial – by design, it was meant toregister an immediate impact on the reader, rather than leave a lasting impression – while its overly literal comics could offer a level beneath that immediate reaction.
This wasn’t always the case, if for no other reason thanThe Far Sidewas never monolithic, and thatas much as it was the product of a formula, Gary Larson consistently found ways for the comic to subvert itself. If there is one comic strip where it is applicable, though, it is “Chicken of Depression,” – which stands out as aFar Sidecomic that is more wide open to interpretation, because readers will bring their own mental health experiences to their engagement with the joke, leading it to far exceed the pure literal surface of the panel.
The Far Side
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
