Most Far Side wore glasses, and this was more than an aesthetic decision, but rather a creative choice that played a pivotal role in creator Gary Larson’s comic, both at the level of his artistic process, and later, in how readers responded to a . Given the often minimalist nature of Larson’s work, every detail is especially important, and spectacles were essential to making The Far Side spectacular.

The importance of glasses in Far Side cartoons was an extension of the vital role played by characters’ eyes, which Gary Larson’s long-time editor called “the best part” of The Far Side.

For this to be the case, readers’ attention had to be directed to a particular character's eyes in a , and one crucial way that Larson prioritized their importance was by obscuring the eyeballs of surrounding characters. Underlying this, though, is an even simpler reason for drawing most of The Far Side’s characters with glasses: time.

Put Simply, Drawing Most Far Side Characters With Glasses Saved Gary Larson Time

The Creative Process Side Of The Answer

Aside from several sabbaticals Gary Larson took during his career, The Far Side was in continuous publication for fifteen years. In other words, The Far Side was made on a time crunch; like most popular art, it was produced in accordance with a schedule, and as much as Larson was inclined to write and rewrite his captions, and draw and redraw his illustrations, only so much of his late-night work sessions for The Far Side could be devoted to any single cartoon. This ultimately necessitated certain shortcuts, or creative shorthand, which became part of The Far Side's signature style.

Even if it was simply a matter of time management, or for the sake of the bit, every time Gary Larson drew one of his characters with glasses, it was done with purpose.

One of these was the ubiquitous use of glasses to limit the range of expression on a character's face. This allowed Larson to leave Far Side characters' eyes opaque, and consequently, open to readers' interpretations. From Gary Larson's most bare-bones black-and-white s, to his most meticulously detailed, full-color cartoons, the details of Far Side comics were carefully crafted, both what was included and what was omitted. Even if it was simply a matter of time management, or for the sake of the bit, every time Gary Larson drew one of his characters with glasses, it was done with purpose.

Giving Most Far Side Characters Glasses Made Eyes That Much More Prominent When Larson Drew Them

A Closer Look At The Far Side's Humor

Glasses-wearing characters certainly saved Gary Larson time during the creative process, though this was not the only way the artist found to avoid drawing eyes. Alternatively, some characters appeared with little more than a dash across their face, indicating that they were squinting, or narrowing their eyes. Ultimately, each of these variations provided the same creative "shortcut," for Larson during composition, while also serving the same comedic purpose, of necessarily limiting the details of a Far Side so that the important stuff stood out to readers.

Experienced Far Side readers know to look to the eyes of characters first, and this is made possible by the fact that Larson didn't endow all of his characters with emotive pupils. This is a subtle, yet incredibly perceptive way of guiding readers' attention when they engage with Far Side cartoons, wordlessly telling them where to look, and over the course of many Far Side comics, training them to know what to look for instinctively. Critically, of all the details Gary Larson had to play with, eyes appeared, in some way, shape, or form, in nearly every .

The Far Side's Four-Eyed Characters Testify To Gary Larson's Creative Genius

Larson's Artistic Decision-Making Was High Level

To put it in lofty artistic , Gary Larson's artistic use of glasses in The Far Side is the perfect synthesis of form and function; it helped facilitate the production of Far Side s, and also helped to elevate Larson's humor. It is the kind of thing that might go overlooked by even the most astute fan of Larson's work for a long time, but upon recognizing its importance, it becomes an essential part of how readers understand The Far Side, giving them a greater appreciation for it both as an artistic achievement and as a bastion of absurdist humor.